Luang Prabang

Luang Prabang is a UNESCO World Heritage town. And it sure is purty. Temples galore, and the heart of it is small enough to wander about with ease. The Mekong winds its way around the town, and all in all ’tis a nice place. The former capital of Laos.

So went for a wander around town. Some of the temples sport the 5 tiered roofs. The relief on this temple shows the second-to-last incarnation of Buddha on his way to enlightenment.

The palace is worth a walkabout I reckon. Not that they have kings any more. Inside is a copy of the Pha Bang. A 50kg gold image of the Buddha. Seeing as it was seen to confer divine legitimacy upon whatever ruler possessed it – the pha bang has been the source of many wars. The original is said to reside in a bank vault in Vientiane, though there’s a rumour it was given to the Russians in return for aid..

There was a painting on the inside showing some of the terrible things that happen to Bad People. One adulterous couple is being chased by rabid dogs (up a thorny tree with crows waiting at the top to peck their eyes out!). Murderers are being boiled in oil, and liars are being hung by their tongues.. cool eh!

Had a quick walk up Mt Phousi, before another massage.. back still is sore from a squash game before I left NZ!! Perhaps a trip to the chiro in Dublin is called for.. Nice views from the top though

One room was interesting – the diplomatic gifts that they received from different countries. America (Nixon) gave a piece of moon rock with an inscription along the lines of ‘This rock to promote peace and unity amongst all nations‘. This after they’d dropped one bomb every 8 minutes for 9 years.. slightly hypocritical you might say. I’m so never going to be let into the US to visit my sister in January ;)

Anyway, after that had a wander around Wat Xieng Thong (temple of the golden city) The mosaic is of the Buddhist tree of life. Luckily the original temple from 1560 (looks like a hen they say) still exists as the Chinese never razed it when they captured the city.