I’ve stayed in Luang Prabang most of this week now, and whilst not being rushed off my feet there has been absolutely plenty of things to see and do.
Exploring the old city has resulted in me finding numerous french bakeries and coffee shops set in the colonial era buildings. At the roadside stalls set up to sell fresh baguettes for 10000 kip (80p) with any toppings you like, today I had chicken with salad, very tasty. Then the other evening in the night market I had a vegetarian feast, where stalls set up and for 10000 kip again you get to balance as much as you can on your plate, choosing from a range of noodles, rice, vegetables, tofu, spring rolls, fried bananas, not bad at all. I don’t have a picture of this feast, but this pork noodle soup deserves a mention:
I climbed the hill that overlooks Luang Prabang to get a good view of the city, it was 324 steps up, with Wat Phou Si ontop, but the view was more impressive than the temple.
Walking down the other side were various Buddha statues, my photo shows golden statue worshippers that were arranged around a standing buddha.
Luang Prabang has a museum that is housed within the old royal palace, inside the detail was exquisite, the coronation room walls had been totally covered with a mosaic mural (photos weren’t allowed inside sadly). Round the back I enjoyed the old royal car collection the most, with huge old classic american cars such as 1950s and 60s Ford Lincolns and Continentals, that had been received as gifts. Here is the temple in the museum grounds:
