Final hours in Luang Prabang

Waking up so early in the morning made us hungry. It's nice that we found this cafe at the street where we were watching the monks' alms-giving ceremony.


















JoMa Bakery Cafe was still closed so we had to wait a few minutes before it opened... There were little coffee tables outside the restaurant so we were able to sit down while waiting. It was quite chilly this morning so we can't wait for a cup of Lao coffee!
























The menu was on a sign outside, so we already know what to order once JoMa opens...























JoMa's interior was relaxing and beautiful. The design was a mix of modern furniture, rustic floors and paintings... It still had a Lao feel to it despite the contemporary elements.











































Freshly brewed Lao coffee!!!!

















Same same for me... Nothing beats bacon and sunny-side-up eggs for breakfast!
















D is a coffee and a pastry/bread person during mornings... He had this mouthwatering giant waffle with whipped cream!

















After breakfast we walked back to the hotel and saw this confused vehicle, take note of all the stickers... Is it a Honda? A Toyota?

















A sign that says "World Heritage".























We still had another hour before checking out, so we decided to walk to the National Museum. It was still closed so we passed by the side entrance and took a few shots.






























































Again, outside our hotel a monk was going about his daily routine. We were getting ready to leave already.






















Good thing there was a tuktuk station/waiting area in front of our hotel. We negotiated for a tuktuk to take us to the airport at a minimal price of 5 USD. It's nice that he easily agreed so we quickly loaded our backpacks and off we went to the airport!





















































La khon, Luang Prabang!!! Khop chai!




Next stop,
































:)

Woke up early in the morning to witness the Alms Giving ceremony

We had a flight to catch at midday today, but still we woke up extra early since we wanted to witness the much anticipated day-to-day ritual of the monks, which is the alms giving ceremony. This picture was taken in front of our hotel, Bouakham Chantasack, while the sun was just about to rise.

















I felt like it was such a holy experience watching the monks walk barefoot with their little bowls/baskets waiting to be filled with hot sticky rice from the locals and the tourists. They just pass by quickly, a blur of orange robes getting their baskets full, and walking almost the entire town in a span of about an hour.


At about 6: 35pm, at one of the streets near the Mekong, this was the scene of locals waiting for the monks. There are many rules to be observed during alms-giving, and one of these is that women should always have their heads lower than the monks, the reason why they are sitting down. Men, on the other hand, are allowed to stand and be on the same level as the monks.


















Most of the people in this line seemed to be locals, as they were quick in handling the hot sticky rice, and some had plastic bags filled with food already, ready to be distributed to the monks. It's as if they have been doing this ritual every single day of their lives.


























































Some of the monks carry plastic bags full of food which come from locals. Whatever food comes inside their bowls would be their food for the rest of the day. Maybe that's why they have lean bodies. Regulated eating does have its benefits!


















It is rare that a monk would look into a camera lens. We felt at times that they were shy or maybe just didn't want their picture taken.




















































































Little baskets of sticky rice are sold by vendors in the streets around Luang Prabang. Our hotel offered to cook some sticky rice for us, but we hesitated as we wanted to just watch during our first visit. Maybe someday when we come back we'll be able to take part in the ceremony. :)


















Grills on the fence of a house were placed with balls of sticky rice...



















In another house, a little mountain of sticky rice was formed as well... These were probably leftovers from the many times they have offered alms to the monks.


















Many tourists were there as well to watch the ceremony. Some of them took part by purchasing some sticky rice from the vendors. These vendors even let you borrow their scarves to cover up, or to lay on top of your clothes to be more respectful of the monks' attires.

















Empty sticky rice baskets left on the street waiting to be collected by the vendors who sold them.

















It was such a humbling ceremony to watch... It is said that the monks don't want to do it anymore because sometimes they get sick from the sticky rice or other food that the tourists buy from vendors. But they have no choice as the government dictates for them to continue the ritual as it attracts tourists.


Next, we have to find some breakfast for ourselves! :) It's our turn to eat!

Day 3 in Luang Prabang, Laos -- Fresh produce market, Wat Aham, Wat Vissounarath, and sunset at Phousy Hill

Mornings in Luang Prabang start with vendors carrying their merchandise in poles, on their shoulders.
















A street away from our hotel is the Morning Fresh Produce Market. This is an open-air market, with only just tents and umbrellas erected for vendors to facilitate their selling.































A vendor ties pots of sticky rice together, which are returned to her after the customers use it for the alms-giving ceremony every morning.


















More pictures of the LP Fresh Produce Market:
































Some bags of snacks for sale, like the Khai Paen, which is dried river weed. Along with some other goodies!


















It's always a delight to see stalls selling the Lao baguette, which is always stacked on top of each other, in the open! These are used to prepare sandwiches for the hungry locals and tourists alike!































We walked along the Khan River , which is the opposite side of the Mekong River to reach the next temples on our list.
































A monk was peacefully crossing the river through a wooden bridge on stilts.


















After a few minutes walk we reach the Ban Aham or Wat Aham. We didn't spend much time here as we wanted to save energy and cover more of the town. Just took a few pictures then crossed the path to its adjoining temple.


















Wat Aham is home to several weathered stupas before reaching its main chapel.






































Again we see children-monks under a tree, who were at the moment having some play time.


















Wat Aham is connected to the famous Watermelon Stupa or the That Pathum. It is located in Wat Vissounarath. Locals call it the Watermelon Stupa or That Makmo, because of its watermelon-rounded shape. That Pathum means Stupa of the Great Lotus.

It was very beautiful, since its stone has weathered and the sunlight cast good shadows on the huge stupa.






































We exited on the supposed entrance of Wat Vissounarath, on the other side of Wat Aham.

















We were satisfied with the temples we've visited in LP, so we wanted to go back to the hotel early in preparation for our flight the next day. But not before visiting Dara Market.
















Dara Market was filled with merchandise and some silks, but after seeing the LP night market, nothing could come close to its ambiance, and completeness of mementos.































Walking further we saw some fruit and snack stands on another market...

Cute little pumpkins for sale!

















And some more stalls selling the Lao Baguette and coffee.

















We also passed Wat Phonxay Sanasongkham. Some preparations were being made for a feast or an occassion inside, so we didn't linger.





































We made our way back to the hotel to have lunch at the nearby Cafe de Malee. Our outside table was situated on the Mekong River, with a view of the longtail boats departing and arriving. One can observe that some of these longtail boats are already homes to the owners of the boat. Inside they are equipped with television sets, radios, and bedrooms!


























































Our meals at Cafe de Malee... Some tuna for me, which turned out to be canned tuna sauteed in some kind of sauce:


















And D making the right choice with his Pad Thai:

















A jeep-full of child monks passed by while crossing the road to our hotel. They were very cute in their bright orange robes.

















After a good mid-afternoon rest, we proceeded to climb Phousy Hill. Phousy Hill or Mount Phu Si is a 100-meter high hill which is right in the center of Luang Prabang. It was only a few minutes walk from our hotel.


Of course we had to climb the 340 steps up the hill!
























A painted sign on one of the posts said 190 more steps up!
































The sun was just about to set, so we were just in time!
























The area up in Phousy was very crowded with tourists already. It wasn't a surprise to see so many people since the view on top was magnificent! It provided everyone a panoramic view of beautiful Luang Prabang and its surrounding mountains.


























































We witnessed another beautiful sunset.
























:)