We had such good luck with Noy on our waterfall quest, that we decided to use him again for a tour of the sights of Luang Prabang.
Noy grew up in the country on a farm. His mother passed when he was quite young. His dad moved to Vientianne. When he passed, Noy was on his own.
Often, orphans and children that parents cannot afford to raise are sent to the temple to become monks. The government pays for them, and as children, they are expected to attend school.
We started our tour at the royal palace, occupied until 1975 when the monarchy was overthrown by the communists and it was turned into a museum. Pictures were not allowed inside, but it was quite interesting as many of the rooms maintained the decor from when the royal family lived here. It wasn’t completely ostentatious, except for rooms where they would meet other dignitaries.
Other Stops
Although I didn’t get pictures, we stopped at Ok Pop Tok, a textile museum and gallery (beautiful handmade artifacts), a paper-making stop, and the Golden Temple, high on a hill.
Local’s Market
There is much positive to be said about the Luang Prabang night market. But is really is designed for tourists. There are great bars, restaurants, massages, and souvenirs. Noy wanted to show us the market that the Laotians use. It is a little more “real” than the tourist version.
Sunset
For our last stop, he rushed us to a temple for the sunset. We arrived with a young monk pounding a gong.
We rushed down for the sunset, but it had already set. Still beautiful.
All-in-all, a good day.
I would have enjoyed this day with you! Thanks for updates …. Quite amazing – we’re settling into some colder weather here 😂. Mmmm – no temples or open markets 🙄.
What a trip you guys. If you are still in Luang Prabang there is a Coffee place with a terrace next to the Mekong river that has the best banana bread ever served with an Amaya if espresso butter. There are not than many coffee shops places with a terrace there so it might not be hard to find it, if still there it is worth it