Luang Prabang Day 4, 30 January 2006

This morning I caught the sai bat ceremony in the street. It seems that this is a daily activity among the locals. Lining the streets were the Thais and the Laotians. But this particular morning I saw a couple of westerners also participating in the ceremony. It was over soon. I was in a hurry to get some breakfast and head back to the guest house because I am meeting up with Kaew.

I first met Kaew when I was looking for a guest house when I arrived at Luang Prabang. He had an available room in front of the house which I did not like because it was likely to be noisy. So I ended up not getting any room in the guest house where he is working. He seemed to be a sport about it because when I passed by the next morning to inquire about the bikes, he said hi to me because he remembered me. I was planning to go to the Pak Ou caves or the buddha caves to I pased by his guest house to enquire whether he can make any arrangement for me. He said it would be expensive. It cost $30 dollars. I figured, this would be the same cost as entering Disneyland in 2001 only the place I will see is probably better. We arranged to meet at his guest house at 9am.

So 9am on the dot I was on my way to his guest house and he was riding a bike from somewhere and he greeted me in the street. He led me to the boat pier and he told me that we are going in his half brother's boat. The boat is not bad. It was actually longer than the boat that Cocoy and I took to go around Tonle Sap and it cost the same for half a day per person. First stop was going across the Mekong river. The people were very busy with their morning activities. People were tending to their farms, washing their clothes, men were fixing their boats, some women were washing their onion leeks before these are sent to the market.









Then we went up to go to the temple. I thought that I would not be climbing up any mountain today but I was wrong. Along the way, we had to pay an entrance ticket to the abandoned temple. The the little kids were selling flowers or birds. One of them was a little girl called Muan. She was so persistent that she followed us up the hill. I told her that I can take her pictures and she obliged. Anyway she looked so cute holding the basket holding the birds in her hands. I hope her pictures come out nicely.






Then it was a walk downhill to go to the next temple and the temple in the cave. It was hot in the cave and we did not stop there fore long.






I was also in a hurry because Seng had been calling twice. So we had to cross the sand dunes in the middle of the Mekong to reach his boat and we were on our hour and a half trip going to the Pak Ou cave. The trip was quite pleasant. The scenery mostly green. Then with the constant drone of the boat, I was lulled into a nap. Until I remembered that I still have not yet updated my travel diary so I did some writing.

I think it was a good idea for me to hire the boat by myself because, I work slowly when I take my pictures. In fact a lot of people whom I have taken pictures of complain that I take too long a time. If I joined a group, the people I will be going with will not understand the time I am taking so in this way it was worth it.

We finally got to the cave. The cave was really small with the opening looking like the opened mouth of a dragon with the stairs zigzagging up to where the buddha statues are. I took some colored and black and white photos here. It is just annoying that some people do not care that they are blocking the light. So I have to patiently wait. Finally both brothers indicated to me that they were hungry. After all it was already 3pm. So we headed across the river.







The restaurant we went to belonged to an elder sister of Kaew. A younger sister is working with them. We ordered the usual fare. The surprise though was the somtam which tasted differently and was quite spicy. The two brothers ordered lao beer. Pretty soon both of them were turning red, not because of exposure to the sun. After our meal we have to head back to Luang Prabang. We stopped by the sand dunes where the rocks are because I wanted to take a picture of the mountains with the rocks on the foreground. I also asked Kaew if he wanted his picture taken. He agreed to do so. I asked if Seng wanted to do so as well. But then he had already taken off his clothes and was bathing in the river. So I continued working on Kaew picture and soon a freshly bathed Seng joined use and he also agreed to have his pictures taken. I think I took 2 pitures of Seng in Black and White and the other photo of Kaew was taken in color because the hasselblad already ran out of film.

After this we were on our way back to Luang Prabang and watching the scenery turning gold basking in the light of the setting sun.

I met up with Kaew and Seng for dinner. They led me to a very popular Korean barbeque place. In cold weather, this is actually a good idea because the charcoal is providing some heat to you as well as cooking your food. We ordered more Lao beer for both brothers. He was selling me the idea of going to his home town. I told him, I will pass by his guest house the next day because I will borrow a bike after I visit Bong's family to take their pictures. I went to the market to buy some oranges and tamaring. I am quite tired. I headed back using a tuk tuk who was trying to volunteering to take me to a disco. He was even trying to pick up more passengers along the way. When I got home, I changed to my jammies and went to sleep.

Luang Prabang Day 3; 29 January 2006



I had a late start. Moving to a very clean guest room which was very quiet made me sleep very soundly that I could hear myself snore. I missed the monk offering parade this morning. But then I had the crazy idea that today being the start of the new Lunar Year, I should try to scale Wat Phou Si. This is a small temples at the top of the highest hill overlooking Luang Prabang. So I took each step as slowly as I can and when I get tired, I would stop and take photos of the winding stairs and the frangipani trees. This way I can catch my breath. So little by little, I was able to make my way up to the highest point of the hill. As I was getting higher, the path was becoming narrower and narrower. But there are many aged frangipani trees lining the way so I felt very safe going up.





When I reached to top, I felt a huge sense of achievement. This is because lately, I feel more like an old man. I can remember the time that I could do this in a breeze. At the top, several Laotians came to make their offerings. I am wondering if they celebrate the Lunar New Year, because they do have a Lao New Year which is celebrated at the same time as Songkran. I also noticed that when they left, they would ring the bell 3 times. So after they left the shrine, I took my turn in ringing the bell 3 times. I also found out that there was another way down from the person handling the entrance tickets. However that takes another 100 steps. So I decided to go down the way I went up. Besides, I was in a hurry to go back to the guest house because I needed to meet up with Bong so we can go to Kwang Xi waterfalls.

I was late in meeting Bong. I got back at the guest house at 9:30 am. When I passed by his house, I saw him talking to neighbors. He was quite relieved to see me. I told him that I need to go back to the guest house first because I need to take a shower. Besides, I still did not find the time to have breakfast. So when I met him, he took me to the same place we had lunch yesterday. I just ordered a quick fried rice so we can be on our way. I asked Bong if it might be a good idea to order food to take with us. He said that there are eating places in the area we are going to. So off we went.


The trip was fine enough. We saw a lot of tourists on bikes. Bong thought that they are on their way to Kwang Xi waterfalls as well. But then the suffering started when we hit the dirt road when my head and my back started to get jarred. My teeth was chattering from the jarring and I thought I was having a headache at the same time. It was good we took several stops so I can take some pictures because this provided me with some relief. On one of the stops, we met 3 girls, probably friends who are were playing on the road. They started talking to us. They seem to understand my Thai. I asked them if I can photograph them and the more aggressive one agreed for the three of them. I told them to smile and the leader broke into laughter when I clicked the shutter. We then said goodbye to them. Each of them said they were glad to meet me and asked me not to forget them. Unfortunately, I did not ask for their names. But I am sure I will not forget them because of their sweetness and innocence. I will always remember them as my 3 little friends.

On another stop we met farang who was walking with his bike. He was quite sweaty by this time. He told me that he had been biking for 30 minutes and was just going where the bike will take him. He asked how far away the waterfalls is and Bong said another 30 kilometers. In a bike, he will probably get there by the afternoon.

We got to Kwang Xi waterfalls by past noon. I was not yet hungry so we started looking at the waterfalls and see what pictures I can take. The first thing that caught my eye were the two monks sitting in the balcony overlooking the waterfalls. The one that I noticed was the monk with the tattoo on his arms. I asked loaded my hasselblad and started putting the tripod base which has become very difficult to do. It seems that my hasselblad was a bit devirginized and the tripod base is not big enough to fit the hasselblad screw hole. When I was ready I asked the tattooed monk if I can take his photo. They agreed but they seem to want to take a photo together and the monk I approached covered his tattoos with his saffron cloth when I posed them for their photograph.


The older monk explained to me that his friend was a tour guide and he fell ill. So he is accompanying a Swiss man on his visit to Kwang Xi falls. He also told me that he had been a monk since 1995. What a coincidence. That was the year I started working in the current company I am affiliated in. He mentioned to me that he came from a town in the northern part of Laos where only 70 families live. He is the only member of their family that managed to obtain higher education. I noticed that the Swiss was waiting to leave, so I excused myself from the monk. But I got their e-mail address promising them to send them their pictures if these come out well.

Bong and I had lunch at one of the eateries. The food was not great. In fact later, Bong and I agreed that we should have ordered food at the restaurant in Luang Prabang to bring toKwang Xi.

After lunch, I took some photos of the falls with a couple of them with me and Bong together. I let Bong stand at a spot so I can focus the camera on him and I can use the self timer and run beside him before the camera takes the picture. I was finished soon enough. So I was ready to go back to town.









Bong had other ideas. He asked me if I want to go to the top of the waterfall. I told him that I will try. At first the way was made of steps carved out of the side of the hill. Then they becamed steeper and higher. Finally when we got to the mid point, we found a very long wooden stair which was a little broken at the last step.
It did not help that the way it connects to was so narrow with a very deep drop. So I was literally crawling when I got to this point, till it got better. There were a few local kid running up behind me. There were even a couple of tourists who passed us by. I was taking my time because I want to reach the top.

When we got to the top, the sun was shining intensely, that there was dappled light on the ground. We did the roundabout way to get to the top of the fall. There were a couple of puddles that we had to go through. At last we found the way to the top f the fall. There was nothing special about the place itself. But then it was the second hill I climbed today so I took another photograph of myself in the water before it falls.

We descended the same way we came up. There was one lagoon where the water was quite green. Bong told me that Laotians are afraid of this type of water because people who fall into this water are never seen again. After taking my pictures, we went down the hill. By the time we got to the parking area it was already 5:30pm. I told Bong I will not stop to take another photograph. I broke my promise twice. But then midway, he stopped at a hmong village. At first I started taking pictures of the children, pretty soon everyone was asking me to buy their friendship bracelet. In a panic I backed out. Before I went, I gave the two girls who posed for pictures 1000 kip. What a difference from the girls we met that morning.

We got back to the guest house an hour later. Business seemed to be good for them because they told me that all their rooms had been taken.

Luang Prabang Day 2; 28 January 2006



I awoke early this morning. In fact too early to the sound of a drum beating. It may have been the beat of the drum that is sounded to awaken the monks to their morning prayers. It may also be just someone next door chopping pork or vegetables for the morning meals. Who knows? 4 am is still too early for anyone to rise. It did not help that I did not fall asleep easily and to be suddenly roused out of my sleep like that, I am unable to get back to the deep slumber I was briefly enjoying. Tossing and turning did not help and I was suddenly feeling itchy. It may be my imagination. But the way the guesthouse looked like is not helping. So at daybreak, I put on my jeans and put on an extra tshirt and two layers of sweater and braved the cold morning air. There were people in the street and I just followed them. I noticed that most of them are from Thailand. They were making their way to Sisavangvong road to make their morning offering to the monks that will pass by the road. I even volunteered to one that I can take their picture if they want. Some women were selling things that were being offered to the monks.


When the procession started, each of the laity placed a small dollop of rice to the monk's begging bowl. At the end of the road are some poor kids who were begging for food as well. So this is where I saw the divide. The Thais and Lao on one side making their offering and on the other side the westerners and people like me taking pictures of the event. I tried to be as discreet I could . It was over in a few minutes. But it was a great experience. I then took some street shots of the grey foggy street and then went to a restaurant to have my breakfast. For Bt. 60.00 I got to have a piece of croissant and hot chocolate. The hot chocolate was quite sweet so I asked the waitress to add more water to the cup. Then back to the guest house I went and prepared to take a shower and get ready my things. When I got downstairs, Bong was already waiting for me, so I went ahead to pay for my $10 room and asked Bong to help me with my things. Then off we went to the other side of town.

Our first stop was Bong's house so we can keep my things there and we started walking around their community. I noticed the guest house at the corner that was having a party last night. Bong told me that it was a guest house and they were inaugurating the place, explaining why there was a lot of singing going on. Their initial rate was $15, a bit steep to what I am prepared to pay. So we haggled and settled on $13. But then at mid-day when we got back to the guest house, a farang couple was enquiring about room rates and they said the rate was $15. However, when the farangs hesitated, they lowered their rates to $12. I said, how come they were giving a better rate to the farangs? I demanded that my rate be improved to $12 as well. This time Idecided to stay there for a period of 6 nights. So hopefully tonight, I will have a good night sleep.

This morning before doing any tour, I decided to have Bong take me to the Luang Prabang Guest House in the outskirts of Luang Prabang. Translation--it takes one hour to get to town with no traffic at all! We got lost 2 times and I was getting concerned why we were having a hard time finding the place. We eveltually found it. They had a couple of log cabins that were decently appointed. The rate of $15 per night that they were charging was fair enough. There were no places around it that is interesting to photograph so I decided to cancel my reservations. But then prior to getting there, we got lost and found a much much better place, the Lao Spirit Resort. The cottage will cost $63/night. There is a nice river view. They said they have elephant trekking. The cottage is quite luxurious. So it would be good to pamper myself before I return to the reality in Bangkok. I e-mailed my reservations tonight and am hoping I will get an answer tomorrow.

So, back to town we went. I got my room reservations in the new guest house settled and at an improved rate to boot. Bong took me to a riverside place for Lao food. We had a feast. One of the new dishes I tried was laab made of bamboo shoots. We also had a delicious spring roll. I also liked the fact that they made the chicken crispy in their fried rice. All these cost me BT170.00. I am getting to like this place everyday. I can have a feast for less than BT200.





So after lunch we started our tour of Luang Prabang. We started our tour at the Palais Royal. The temple outside the palace was very nice. As I was entering the temple itself to take a picture of the carved door, the caretaker opened the door revealing the magnificent interior of the place. I then went inside the Palace. Photographs are not allowed. In a way I was relieved of having to carry my heavy back pack. The palace is small compared to the magnificent palaces in Thailand. But then it is well maintained. The throne room glistens because of the coloured glass mosaic on the wall. If you are familiar with the pastoral embroidery on the traditional laotian blanket, they this is the type of pattern used on the walls of the throne room. Access was also provided to the private quarters. The bedrooms were relatively simple. Imelda's Malacanang bedroom was more luxurious. To me the Palace is just a very big house for the late royal family of Laos.




Next stop were a series of temples that is now a blur to my mind. Honestly, by this afternoon I am literally watted out. One of them I had to climb up very slowly. Bong told me to use the one near the road beside the river. He was trying to tell me the stairs there was not so steep. I was being head strong and he let me have my way. I then found out what he was trying to say in Thai that I could not figure out. So it pays to listen to the locals for they know better.





The last wat we passed by was on the way to the guesthouse. It is a very important wat known as wat Visount. I took some more wat photos but then struck a conversation with a Lao monk. He seemed to want to practice his english so we talked for what felt like half an hour. I was surprised to find out that men in Laos become monks for 3 years, versus a month for the guys in Laos. He also advised me to talk to the monks first and they may even allow me to take their picture.

We then headed back to the guesthouse. I needed find an internet place and was told to pass by the night market which at 5:30 pm was already being set up. Along the way I was taking pictures. Then I suddenly realized that I forgot the blanket that I bought last night at the previous guest house. I made my way there and the girl manning the counter knew exactly what I came back for and returned this to me. After this, I went to the photo exhibit of an English photographer on the Lao people. In here synopsis, one thing struck me. She said, the Lao may be poor in material wealth but they are rich in spiritual wealth. Something like this. I just hope that they retain this admirable trait and that they will not sell their souls for money. So this is the end of the day and I am typing day 2 of my blog. I tried getting into Le Elephant, they were fully reserved. Perhaps this is their way of screening guests. I will try again later this week. Tomorrow, Bong will meet me at 9am and we will go to the waterfall. On Monday, I will probably take the slow boat to the buddha cave. I may also try to have a massage because my back hurts from carrying the back pack. So more tomorrow.