We visited a few wats, including Wat Xieng Thong, which was built in 1560. This is the golden royal funeral chapel and it looked stunning in the late afternoon sun.
Many of the temples are decorated, inside and out, with these pretty mosaics:
Good to see the monks working hard:
Before sunset we walked to the top of Phu Si (hill) and were greeted with great views. Unfortunately we were also greeted by too many tourists so we didn't hang around to watch the sunset.
On the way down we enjoyed looking at the strange images, including this fat, cross-eyed Buddha image:
Whilst in LP we went to see a performance given by the Royal ballet:
On our last day in LP we visited the nearby Kuang Si waterfalls. which are very beautiful but the water was a bit too cold for Nic and me. Plenty of other mad people were diving in and swimming though.
There is a sanctuary at the waterfalls for Sun and Asiatic bears and it was fun watching them forage for food and relax in their favourite spots:
We then made our way by mini-bus and boat to Muang Ngoi Neua, which has no cars or motorbikes but far too many cockerels, which cock-a-doodle-doo at all hours of the day and night. We stayed 4 nights in a basic bungalow, with cold water shower (eek!), with great views of the river and the mountains.
In between eating and relaxing we managed a walk to a nearby village and met this sad mother-less monkey that would cling on to whoever it could. Very sad.
A part from the monkey, it was a nice place to visit and meet the villagers.
This man is sat on a bomb having a shower. There are bombs and bomb bits all over Laos and many are used as day to day items. Scary or what?
River weed is a popular food in Laos. They collect it, beat it and dry it out in the sun. They often add sliced toms and onion and/or sesame seeds. It's quite a nice snack!
On the way back to LP we spent 3 nights in Nong Khiaw, which has spectacular views and less tourists that MNN. We loved it here. We visited some nearby caves, which people lived in for 6 years during the war. The area around the caves was pitted with huge craters, the result of US bombs.
You see lots of dogs and puppies in Laos and fortunately most of them look quite healthy:
In Nong Khiaw you can get a 'smiling breakfast'!
Next we headed back to Luang Probang; 4 hours on a tuk tuk. It was quite dusty but more comfortable than you'd expect!
1 comment:
The water was too cold ... thought you were from Lancashire?!
... and sitting on a bomb ... that takes a couple of reads before it makes sense ... oh the sheltered life we lead!
Mx
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