5 January 2013
Our early start was to go to see the monks walk through the streets with their alms bowls receiving gifts from the people. It was a special Buddha day so there were over 300 monks of every age walking in saffron splendour. People were lined up on the pavement sitting on mats with baskets of sticky rice and sweets. There are also strategically placed boxes where once a monk’s bowl is full he will take the overflow and put it in the box to be given to the poor.
Next up was a stroll through the morning markets where everything that could conceivably be eaten was for sale. We snacked on little rice cakes baked in little muffin trays and served in banana leaf baskets but decided that we should find the French bakery for coffee and breakfast.
Ingrid, Sarah and I then mooched around the streets finding textile and art galleries aplenty and some delightful handmade paper crafts, interspersed with cafe (and toilet) interludes. Luang Prabang is a delightful little French colonial town sited on a peninsular in the river so there are a whole string of cafes perfect for watching the sunrise and another group for watching the sunset over the Mekong.
We wended our way back home via the Red Cross centre where 50% of the proceeds from massages were returned to the community so we thought that it was important that we helped in such community service.
After such an exhausting time we felt a relaxing (rest of the) afternoon was in order. Despite the lure of sitting drinking cocktails watching the sunset over the Mekong we decided on a more restful option of dining at our guesthouse at a table overlooking a tributary river where we could hear the frogs croaking and the sounds of village life drifting across the water.
For this and other similar tours see:
Explore Asia with Intrepid Travel
(a range of different travel styles – see my post on travel styles)
Peregrine Adventures (Comfort tours)
Geckos Adventures (for 18 to 30s)
Note: After people telling me they had booked an Intrepid Tour on my recommendation, I now have affiliate links with the Intrepid Travel group of companies and may receive a commission if you book a tour online within a couple of months after clicking through to these sites. So if you are enjoying my tips and stories and finding them useful in choosing your own travel, please click on these links and help me to bring you more ☺.
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