Marilyn's Odyssey: Laos, Luang Prabang

October 11th we started the next leg of our journey as we flew from Bangkok to Luang Prabang in Laos which for us is the 75th country we have visited. How blessed we are. Laos is officially Lao People’s Democratic Republic and is a socialist state with its hundreds years of monarchy ending suddenly on December 2nd, 1975 when the communists took over. Laos is the only land locked country in Southeast Asia with a population of 6.7 million people. Economically Laos relies on generating power from its rivers and selling the electricity to its neighbors. Since the 1980’s when the country opened to tourists this has also become a big source of income. The average wage in Laos is 235 dollars US a month so these people work very hard for their money. It is primarily a Buddhist country and is Bilingual with the two main languages being French and Lao. Laos has the sad recognition of being the most heavily bombed country in the world per capita. Between 1964 and 1973 during the Vietnam War the USA dropped 2 million tons of bombs on Laos. Many of these bombs lie in areas still unexploded and every two weeks someone is killed or injured by coming across one of these unknowingly. How very tragic and we were told it is often children at play. As we flew in we observed what a mountainous and green country Laos is with several rivers winding their way through the mountains. Easy to see why river travel is so important to the people of this country.

Luang Prabang is a city of 400,000 and the old part of the city has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site because of its exceptional fusion of Lao traditional architecture and 19th and 20th century European Colonial style architecture which is remarkably well preserved. There is not a building over two stories in the whole city giving it a very quaint feeling. Luang Prabang is the spiritual center of Laos and there are 33 temples which are called wats throughout the city. The wats are the center of each community and are the gathering place for the neighbourhood. There are over 700 monks in the city so it is a common sight to see the saffron robed men and boys walking about. Boys as young as 8 become novice monks to earn merits for themselves and their families as well as to get a free education so especially for the poorer families this is a good option for their sons to get educated.

After arriving late in the afternoon we wandered through the night market which is set up every night on the main street and definitely caters to the tourists. Dinner was a delicious tasting menu at the Coconut Garden which including drinks cost 24 dollars!

Our first day in Luang Prabang we spent exploring several of the wats which were all different in size and the number of monks. The adornments were all beautiful. We visited the Royal Palace which is now a museum and holds some of the beautiful artifacts left from the monarchy. The mosaic walls in the main rooms were outstanding. No photos were allowed so they remain in our mind. We spent some time in the local market which sold every kind of food imaginable. Many locals were sitting on makeshift stools having a bite to eat before doing their daily shopping. Villagers come down from the hills to sell their produce every day, arriving early in the morning as it is first come as to where you set up. Many looked exhausted which is understandable and several had small children with them. Quite a life. We went to visit the Center for bomb clearing. They showed us a short film of the bombings and the work they are doing to clear the land. Parts of the film were very sobering and hard to watch. Before dinner we fit in our daily massage which we are really going to miss when we arrive home. We had dinner at the Three Nagas where we were seated in a lovely private garden with two other tables and entertained by Laos dancers. A full day.

Busy morning market where locals come to shop

Little one sits amongst his mother’s creations on the sidewalk outside our hotel

These items are all made from recovered bombs. Now that is recycling!e

Older lady selling her vegetables though she is probably not that old in a country where the life expectancy is 65

Locals having a meal in the market. This food is very cheap to our standards but you have to take into account their wages

Such industrious people

This lane was lined with the villagers who had come from the mountains to sell their meat and produce

Several sentiments to live by were posted in the grounds of the wats

The temple on the grounds of the Royal Palace

The three headed elephant is the symbol of Laos

Tuk Tuks are everywhere and always eager to give you a ride

Two baskets over the shoulder are a very common sight and a easy way to carry a load. About 30% of the people have a car but gas is very expensive so they drive when necessary. Scooters on the other hand are abundant and we saw as many as five on one at a time. Most do not wear helmets and compared to home the children never do. If anyone has one on it is the adult where as we are so protective of our precious little ones.