Golden Temples Galore

Wednesday 20 October 1999 – Wednesday 27 October 1999           

Luang Prabang has become a major tourist attraction because of its historic temples (around 32 of the original 66 built before the French colonists arrived are still standing) and because of its beautiful scenic setting, surrounded by mountains and situated on the banks of the Mekong river.  It is an eclectic mix of attractions:  gilded temple roofs; crumbling French provincial architecture; orange-robed Buddhist monks sheltering from the sun under their black umbrellas; and colorful Hmong, Mien and Thai hill-tribesman on their way to or from the markets with produce from their neighbouring villages to sell.  But despite the relatively large number of tourists who visit, Luang Prabang retains its lazy charm and we found ourselves staying much longer than we had planned.  For us the best way to soak up the atmosphere was to wander aimlessly through the small streets and alleyways and sit chatting with the monks as they took their afternoon breaks in the grounds of their temples.  

The number of temples seemed endless.  Referred to as wats, each is a Buddhist compound in which monks reside.  Without monks, they are not technically speaking  wats.  Typically, a wat will comprise a chapel where the monks are ordained,  a library where the scriptures are stored, a drum tower, various stupas, a courtyard or open-air meeting place where the monks listen to Buddhist doctrine or sit to study, and finally the monastic quarters where the monks sleep and eat.  Many wats also have a spirit house for the temple’s reigning earth spirit, although spirit worship is illegal in Laos today.  The style in which the temples were built is reminiscent of those seen in Thailand; many of  the temples are decorated in gold relief with exquisite carvings and images.

As impressive as the sights were, the highlight of our trip was our encounter with Oliver Bandmann, a mesmerising German who lived in Luang Prabang and ran the Baan Khily Gallery, which specializes in traditional saa paper products hand-made from mulberry bark.  Through him we were introduced to Bonnie Baskin, an art restorer who was in Laos on assignment, and spent many a fun evening with the two of them and other friends of Oliver’s who gave us great insights into the history and culture of this wonderful country.

It was Oliver who introduced us to Amkar, a boat owner with whom we spent two days and nights puttering up  the Mekong river and camping out overnight on the riverbanks. It was magical to fall asleep under the stars listening to Amkar on his guitar and by day to stop off in remote villages and visit caves containing literally hundreds of Buddha images.  To say nothing of fishing with worms.

Back in Luang Prabang, we were lucky enough to witness one of Laos’s annual festivals, the Awk Phansaa, which marks the end of the rainy season.  People make boats of all shapes and sizes out of banana leaves and decorate them with candles, flowers and incense and then float them on the river with offerings in a custom known as lai hua fai.  The day before the festival there had also been boat races, in fact we had watched villagers practicing on the river whilst we had been upriver with Amkar.

It was a magical evening; Oliver had invited us out for dinner after which six or more of us climbed into Amkar's boat and took out onto the river.  We watched from the river as people on the banks lit the candles on their banana boats and set them out to sea.  Even though rain clouds had obscured the full moon, the flickering lights reflecting in the water still looked magical and we let off fireworks from the boat to celebrate the festival.  Sadly, it had been raining before dinner and the procession that filed through town, complete with their beautifully crafted boats, was drenched.  But not even the rain could dampen their spirits and the whole village looked a picture with candles lit along the streets and in the temples, and glowing stars hanging from people’s houses.  Certainly an evening we shall never forget.