Luang Prabang
On the bus ride from Vang Vieng to Luang Prabang we had to brave very high mountains with steep cliffs (no guard rails of course!) and it was a lovely ride. In the villages, the people would wave to us and the children would run after the bus. There were thatched huts spotting the hills and gardens and rice fields. The sky became suddenly very dark and it started to pour. It was raining like never before and surely, the driver couldn't see where he was going but he continued on as though nothing was wrong. It actually started to hail (during hot season!) and the wind was whipping our little minivan all around. We passed by a few HUGE boulders that had fallen from the cliffs and i thought for sure that we would either fall off the cliff or be crushed by a boulder. After about a grueling half an hour, it let up and we passed out of the mountains. The good thing was that when we arrived in Luang Prabang the weather was cool and misty with clouds snaking around the mountains and rising up from the rivers.
Luang Prabang is located at the confluence of the Mekhong and Chan Rivers and there is a beautiful hill in the center of town that has a temple and the Buddha's footprint. It's a nice place to watch the sunset over all the town. The city used to be the capital of the Lan Xang kingdom (also known as the Lanna kingdom which included parts of northern thailand). Much of the architecture in the town has a distinctive style-the roof eaves hang very low to the ground and there are beautiful mosaics made of metalic glass. The temples are sooo colorful so i fell in love at first sight.
The murals tell the story of the Jataka which recounts the Buddha's previous incarnations (I think they explain his 12 lives before he was Siddhartha).
And of course the best part of the town was, the food:
This is a picture of the river moss that we were wild about. I brought back about a pound of the stuff as well as some Laos Lao. I figure we can have a "Laos" night in Lampang. We loved the special Luang Prabang salad which was made from watercress, boiled egg, other veggies, peanuts and a sweet sauce. I think we ate it every day in Luang Prabang! We also enjoyed the sticky rice and Laap- minced pork (or tofu) with mint and coriander, garlic and chili. it's super spicy but the sticky rice cools it down.
tomorrow i will tell you the story of the cave.
Luang Prabang is located at the confluence of the Mekhong and Chan Rivers and there is a beautiful hill in the center of town that has a temple and the Buddha's footprint. It's a nice place to watch the sunset over all the town. The city used to be the capital of the Lan Xang kingdom (also known as the Lanna kingdom which included parts of northern thailand). Much of the architecture in the town has a distinctive style-the roof eaves hang very low to the ground and there are beautiful mosaics made of metalic glass. The temples are sooo colorful so i fell in love at first sight.
The murals tell the story of the Jataka which recounts the Buddha's previous incarnations (I think they explain his 12 lives before he was Siddhartha).
And of course the best part of the town was, the food:
This is a picture of the river moss that we were wild about. I brought back about a pound of the stuff as well as some Laos Lao. I figure we can have a "Laos" night in Lampang. We loved the special Luang Prabang salad which was made from watercress, boiled egg, other veggies, peanuts and a sweet sauce. I think we ate it every day in Luang Prabang! We also enjoyed the sticky rice and Laap- minced pork (or tofu) with mint and coriander, garlic and chili. it's super spicy but the sticky rice cools it down.
tomorrow i will tell you the story of the cave.
posted by Jen @ 10:02 PM
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