Luang Prabang Laos

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Luang Prabang Laos: This precocious little girl danced and jabbered for me until I pulled out the camera. Suddenly she stopped, spellbound by the camera.

Luang Prabang Laos: At the early morning market vegetables, fruits, fish, meats, etc. are laid out for sale along one particular side street. Here are racks of dried fish.

Luang Prabang Laos: At the early morning market vegetables, fruits, fish, meats, etc. are laid out for sale along one particular side street. Mushrooms, etc.

Luang Prabang Laos: At the early morning market vegetables, fruits, fish, meats, etc. are laid out for sale along one particular side street. Here, seaweed I think.

Luang Prabang Laos: At the early morning market vegetables', fruits, fish, meats, etc. are laid out for sale along one particular side street.

Luang Prabang Laos: Fresh air hardware store at the early morning market along one particular side street.

Luang Prabang Laos: At the early morning market. This woman had the biggest fish on display this day.

Luang Prabang Laos: At the early morning market this lady is brewing a pot of delicious smelling breakfast soup that a steady stream of buyers wanted.

Luang Prabang Laos: At the early morning market everyone is still bundled up against the chill.

Luang Prabang Laos: This is near the area of the evening market catering to interests of tourists.

Luang Prabang Laos: Wat Manorom is one of the many Buddhist temples in this small World Heritage city.

Luang Prabang Laos: Wat Manorom is one of the many Buddhist temples in this small city, recently declared a World Heritage site.

Luang Prabang Laos: Typical street scene.

Luang Prabang Laos: Here is that five headed serpent guarding a temple.

Luang Prabang Laos: River boat waiting for passengers either up river to the Thailand border or down river to Vientiane.

Luang Prabang Laos: River boats heading to either the Thailand border or down river to Vientiane.

Luang Prabang Laos: Several airlines fly into this tiny, but popular tourist attraction.

Luang Prabang Laos: The main forms of public transportation in town; there were no regular city buses.

Luang Prabang Laos: I took this shot to show the hammer and sickle on the sign, a reminder that this is still a communist country... The People's Republic of Laos.

Luang Prabang Laos: I don't know who this guy was, but he does look fearsome. The statue is located on the grounds near the museum.

Luang Prabang Laos: This shows how traditional houses were covered. Now, new construction is more conventional.

Luang Prabang Laos: Some of the fabulous colorful fabrics being offered for sale to tourists on the street everyday. This is a selection of hand woven silk "scarves" and tablecloths.

Luang Prabang Laos: Some of the things being offered for sale on the street everyday. These embroideries tell stories.

Luang Prabang Laos: Some of the things being offered for sale on the street everyday.

Luang Prabang Laos: This is one of the unrestored temple structures.

Luang Prabang Laos: At the airport construction workers labor to add more parking space and new structures.

Luang Prabang Laos: A view from the air just after taking off for Phonsavan and the Plain of Jars.

24 January 2003

Hello from Luang Prabang Laos.

Arriving in the afternoon by plane in the Chinese built, two propeller aircraft from Chiang Mai, I spent four days in this delightful little village time has forgotten. Trying to find good value accommodations proved to be a problem and I ended up in the just adequate $35 Phousi Hotel before discovering the $32 guesthouse, Luang Prabang "Bakery." where I spent the last three nights before flying out to Phonsavan and the Plain of Jars.

Located smack dab in the middle of the little village shopping section, the rooms opened on a balcony overlooking the colorful shopping activity below. As the several rooms available for renting shared the same structure as the bakery, excellent food was always available only steps away from a place to take a nap! Shortly before my visit Luang Prabang had been designated a World Heritage Site, greatly increasing its popularity.

I need to write something more about my impressions of this remarkable village from my journal notes. MORE TO WRITE FROM JOURNAL NOTES.

Peace,
Fred Bellomy

Luang Prabang Laos: The lady watching these little kids seemed delighted with my attention and indicated I should take their pictures; telling the kids all to "wai" for me, a gesture of greeting and respect.

Luang Prabang Laos: Some of the things being offered for sale on the street everyday... not the kid.

Luang Prabang Laos: At the early morning market vegetables, fruits, fish, meats, etc. are laid out for sale along this particular side street.

Luang Prabang Laos: At the early morning market vegetables, fruits, fish, meats, etc. are laid out for sale along one particular side street. Here are banana buds; never learned how they are prepared for eating.

Luang Prabang Laos: At the early morning market vegetables', fruits, fish, meats, etc. are laid out for sale along one particular side street. Here live catfish.

Luang Prabang Laos: At the early morning market vegetables, fruits, fish, meats, etc. are laid out for sale along one particular side street.

Luang Prabang Laos: At the early morning market there is plenty of fresh fish for sale.

Luang Prabang Laos: The sign in front of the entrance to the $60 Phousi Hotel where I stayed the first night.

Luang Prabang Laos: Here is the drum that woke me that first morning at 04:15 at the Phousi Hotel where I stayed the first night.

Luang Prabang Laos: This is one of the residences for the "monk people" as one of my guides referred to them.

Luang Prabang Laos: More dragons guarding one of the Wats (temples).

Luang Prabang Laos: River boats waiting for passengers. This is a busy river.

Luang Prabang Laos: River boats: lots of boats and lots of passengers, some tourists and many local people. The river is a principle transportation feature.

Luang Prabang Laos: Mekong River scene.

Luang Prabang Laos: Here a bunch of teenage monks are beating the Hell out of a giant drum. I don't know if it is training or preparation of a new drum skin.

Luang Prabang Laos: Looking down one of the little side streets next to the main covered market.

Luang Prabang Laos: Some of the things being offered for sale on the street everyday.

Luang Prabang Laos: Some of the hand made things being offered for sale on the street everyday.

Luang Prabang Laos: Some of the extraordinarily beautiful things being offered for sale on the street everyday - here gorgeous hand woven silk fabrics.

Luang Prabang Laos: Some of the things being offered for sale on the street everyday.

Luang Prabang Laos: It's a Tuk-Tuk and you can tell by the tuk-tuk-tuk sound the engine makes.

Luang Prabang Laos: Sign in front of the Guest House I used the last three days of my stay. The food might have been prepared by a French chef it tasted so good.

Luang Prabang Laos: Luang Prabang Bakery Guest House where I stayed the last three nights of my four night stay in this delightful city. My room with a balcony is at the far right on the second floor.

Luang Prabang Laos: A pretty girl became interested in my tiny camera and encouraged me to take her picture. Her mother to the right in the background watches.

Luang Prabang Laos: A pretty girl became interested in my tiny camera and encouraged me to take her picture. Her mother had been watching and insisted on my also taking her picture!

Luang Prabang Laos: This girl is removing rice cakes from a drying rack. She seemed glad to show me her work.

Luang Prabang Laos: A local joker gave this pet monkey a cigarette to play with. The monkey, to its credit tore the thing to shreds, sniffing and tasting as he went.

Luang Prabang Laos: At the early morning market vegetables, fruits, fish, meats, etc. are laid out for sale along one particular side street. These buffalo hooves don't seem to have been cleaned in preparation for market.

Luang Prabang Laos: At the early morning market vegetables', fruits, fish, meats, etc. are laid out for sale along one particular side street.

Luang Prabang Laos: At the early morning market vegetables, fruits, fish, meats, etc. are laid out for sale along one particular side street.

Luang Prabang Laos: At the early morning market: this is a pile of resinous wood kindling.

Luang Prabang Laos: At the early morning market along one particular side street sellers do a brisk business.

Luang Prabang Laos: This is near the area of the evening market catering to interests of tourists where more permanent display stands have been erected.

Luang Prabang Laos: At the early morning market sellers don't ask, "Paper or plastic?" Everyone brings their own tote basket, sometimes two on a shoulder pole.

Luang Prabang Laos: At the early morning market. This is a shot down one of the narrow alleys leading to the market street.

Luang Prabang Laos: Not must business traffic yet. This is late afternoon near the area of the evening market catering to interests of tourists.

Luang Prabang Laos: This is a shot looking into the entrance of the Phousi Hotel where I stayed the first night.

Luang Prabang Laos: "Don't it always seem to go, that you don't know what you've got 'til it's gone." Here we see the government effort to pave all the dirt roads used by the new hoards of tourists who have discovered Luang Prabang.

Luang Prabang Laos: River boats waiting for passengers to either the Thailand border north or down river to Vientiane.

Luang Prabang Laos: River boats moored along the bank awaiting passengers.

Luang Prabang Laos: One of the hoards of foreign tourists photographing some of the river boats waiting for passengers.

Luang Prabang Laos: River boats all constructed with the same design here in Laos, something I've noticed during my travels throughout the world... "when something works, why mess with perfection?" seems to be genetically established in human beings.

Luang Prabang Laos: Another Wat (Buddhist temple) To quote a former governor of California: " When you've seen one Wat, you've seen kilowatts. "O.K. It is not exactly a direct quote, but Ronald gave me the idea.

Luang Prabang Laos: A sign on the grounds of the museum.

Luang Prabang Laos: I don't know who this guy was, but he does look fearsome. The statue is located on the grounds near the museum.

Luang Prabang Laos: Some of the things being offered for sale on the street everyday.

Luang Prabang Laos: Some of the things being offered for sale on the street everyday: here piles and piles of hand woven silk fabrics.

Luang Prabang Laos: Some of the beautiful hand made things being offered for sale on the street everyday.

Luang Prabang Laos: Some of the things being offered for sale on the street everyday. Here the brightly colored silk weavings can be seen.

Luang Prabang Laos: One of the dilapidated old building along the main street through town.

Luang Prabang Laos: With so many Buddhist temples in the town there naturally are hoards of monks... most seem very young... perhaps 18 to 24 years of age. Several spoke to me in English.

Luang Prabang Laos: At the simple airport lobby entrance.

Luang Prabang Laos: A view from the air just after taking off for Phonsavan and the Plain of Jars.

Luang Prabang Laos: A view from the air just after taking off for Phonsavan and the Plain of Jars. The town sits on the finger of land surrounded by the river and a tributary in the center of the picture.