We have had a fabulous 8 days in Luang Prabang. Everyone we have met in Laos that has been here said how much they enjoyed it. Lucy and Rosie both said how much they liked it so we decided to spend a few days here. We loved it! There is a strong French influence here, which is probably why we liked it so much. The villas are beautiful with wooden shutters on the windows and wonderful dark rich wood inside. The town is right on the Mekong and Nam Khan Rivers. We thought the town had a kind of lazy feel to it, like just relax here and enjoy me. This was a great place to recover from 'travellers fatigue'. We enjoyed the Western influence, the baguettes and we even had a real hot chocolate, or at least what I would call a real hot chocolate. The textiles here are beautiful, the best I have seen. We think Luang Prabang has been the most beautiful city/town we have visited in SE Asia and would love to come back. Pete fantasised about coming back here for 6 months, renting a villa and writing a book. Sounds very tempting! We really hope we come back here again one day. I would love to bring an empty suitcase with me fill it with textiles.
Here are some of our favourite photos of Luang Prabang.
There are streets like this all over the place, tucked away, this town is a delight to get lost in. We never got sick of just wandering around the same old streets. They look even more beautiful at night.
There are 2 bamboo bridges over the Nam Khan River to the more Laos side. They are taken down during the rainy season because the water level rises too high. There is such a lovely energy on the banks of the Mekong and Nam Khan when the sun is going down, people playing volley ball. Lots of people wandering around or young locals on their scooters hanging out. They were fun to watch. Young people seem to be the same any where. Hanging out on their scooters, flirting then taking off with a roar on their step-thrus. Kind of funny.
We came across this chalk board invitation to make our love indestructible while we were out looking for a cafe to have breakfast. I am not sure what will happen to Pete and I now since we did not eat there.
As I have mentioned, scooters are used for everything! While we were having our breakfast this scooter pulls up to deliver a tray of eggs to the cafe we were eating at. I was very impressed that they were all in one piece, not one was broken.
Our early morning trip to the local market, we got up about 5.30am to go. There is a whiteboard on the main street of Luang Prabang that has a list of things to do and not do while staying and visiting, the early morning market was a 'to do'.
We have seen this flower right through Laos. I love the colour and they look so beautiful and bold in a field surrounded by bare trees.
I thought of lucy when we came across this paper shop. Lucy and I used to visit Paper Paradise in ChCh on Madras Street. I would often buy beautiful coloured paper from there and make journals, which I loved doing. Making paper here in Laos is one of the traditional crafts practiced by women.
We came across this cafe that was showing Oscar nominated movies, pirated movies of course. They show them upstairs and the expectation is that you purchase something to eat or drink while watching the movie. We watched the Imitation Game ... Pete had a plate of chips and I had a hot chocolate. We really liked the feel of this little cafe and it was so funky. This downstairs part is a book store/exchange of secondhand books. Did you come across this lucy or Rosie??
We have quite a few readers in our family. This is for you ... except my hot drink would be hot chocolate. I love C.S. Lewis ... he was such an interesting and insightful man and has some very profound things to say, this is one of them.
I spent half a day at a weaving studio ... For me this was one of the highlights of our whole trip. I wove a silk table mat. This is the beginning stage, choosing colours. I found it so stressful having to make a choice of 2 from among so many beautiful colours. This experience really brought alive my love of textiles. I had a hands on experience of what they do and I loved it. That is probably not a surprise for many of you as I have done a lot of craft work in my life, sewing, smocking, cross stitch, knitting, to mention a few. Knitting was a major part of my recovery from PTSD after the CTV. It gave me something to look forward to everyday. I only knitted what I wanted and it had to be in a colour that I loved. I cannot tell you how much joy and satisfaction I got from discovering knitting all over again. I was transported into a different place when I knitted, I felt calm and peaceful. I had my knitting buddy Cheryl. I love Cheryl she is such a great knitter and was always there to help me out when I would call her in a stage of stress or panic, she would very calmly help me out. I am really looking forward to having knitting days with her when we get back.
Here I am creating my masterpiece. My Aunt Julie used to weave and most of us have a woollen scarf that she made on her loom. She had it set up in her lounge over looking the ocean with a view of the Kaikouras. She would have really enjoyed this workshop and been so interested and appreciative of the weaving that is done here. These women have been weaving since they were girls, my teacher was 10 when she learnt from her Mother and Grandmother. She is now in her late 30s and a 'Master Weaver'. Laos women and their crafts have been a significant part of Laos village life and economy. They sit at their looms together and work and talk with their children on their backs or running around being looked after by other members of their families or communities. This womanly connection has inspired me right through my travels and I sometimes wonder if we women in the West have lost that connection with each other as we have become more affluent, educated, busy and spread out. As I have reflected on this I have become very grateful for the women in my life who are my friends and family. I am very grateful that these women care about me, love me and are part of my life. You inspire me, uplift me and I want to be a better person because of my relationship and association with each of you. I hope you know who you are and how important you are to me.
The nearly finished product. I was so excited by what I was doing and would have loved to have spent more time weaving.
We love these young Buddhist monks. They look so happy, young and fresh as they wander around the town. There are three monasteries in Luang Prabang which are also schools for these young monks. They wake at 4.30am every morning for meditation and at 6.30am they come out onto the street for their alms giving ritual. We got up early in the morning to participate ... the monks walk past with a basket and people place food in them. It is a silent ritual and there are certain protocols to be followed like we are not allowed to stand higher than them, touch or talk with them, photograph them too directly. We enjoyed being part of it ... we bought sticky rice as our food contribution. I like sticky rice.
We came across a wonderful museum, very small and dedicated to the women in Laos and the work they do in their families and communities. These are some of the samples of their work. These women are trained from a very early age in the craft of weaving, paper making, farming and caring for children. These crafts are considered to be very important and carry a certain status for Laos women. This is a sample of their work. This panel was in the front of a women's skirt.
This skirt is beautiful. The material is woven and then made into a skirt.
A sample of silk weaving. We bought ourselves a wall hanging that looks a little like this, it is beautiful and I cannot wait to hang it up in our lounge. I really had to restrain myself from buying more, I would have loved to have gone bananas!
Scarfs that have been woven by Laos women and sold under Fair Trade. There is quite a movement in Laos with the help of expats to lift the economic return for these women. They also help to train them in business so they can be more self sufficient economically.
We came across this beautiful old Mercedes on the street ... over the road was an old Citroen Light 15, Pete owned one when he was a teenager.
My favourite Hot Chocolate stop.
Laos' version of Mr Whippy.
A sunset trip on the Mekong!
Boat families. These people live in their boats on the Mekong. All snuggled up and ready for bed.
We visited these baguette stands often ... they made the best sandwiches. They have nutella and peanut butter and banana, who doesn't like peanut butter and banana?
I visited the waterfalls ... Pete was back in our hotel room sick. I walked past the bear zoo on my way into the falls. I have never even seen a bear in the flesh before. I went for a swim here with all the other tourists. The pools are beautiful and cold. I also managed to visit the butterfly sanctuary.
This photo is for you lucy ...
There is a lot of glass used in the decoration of the Buddhist Temples here. When the light catches them they are magnificent. I love their detail in the dressing up of these beautiful buildings.
These Mosaics surround the outside of the oldest Temple in Luang Prabang. It was built in 1560.
The reclining Buddha ... beautiful.
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