Luang Prabang - Laos - 2007

 I had a 4-week Indochina trip in May-June 2007.
(Melbourne – Bangkok – Thailand – Laos - Vietnam - Cambodia -Thailand – Bangkok - Melbourne)
After a week in Thailand on my IntrepidTravel tour we crossed the Mekong River at Chiang Khong into Laos.

After 2 days cruising down the river on a motorised longboat we reached Luang Prabang.

Luang Prabang (or Louangphrabang), was the royal capital and seat of government
 of the Kingdom of Laos until the communist takeover in 1975.
The city is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.










Our Guesthouse, Thongbay, on the outskirts of Luang Prabang






Our Guide, Chan, and his wife
















A Village near Luang Prabang












The new village school



The older building at the village school







Mangos
































A walk in the countryside near Luang Prabang





































Through a rubber-tree plantation



































Kouang Si Waterfall near Luang Prabang
A lovely place for a refeshing swim









































Rescued animals at Kuang Si Falls
Born probably in January 2003, these Asiatic Black bears were well cared for by their mother.
  In the spring their mother thought that it would be a good idea to bring them out their den to explore the forest.
  Also in the forest were hunters looking for young cubs and the only way to get them was to kill their mother.
  They were confiscated by Lao authorities.
Asiatic black bears are characterised by a white V on their chests.








Phet, an Indochinese Tiger (Panthera tigris corbetti).
Indochinese Tigers are smaller,darker and less bodily-striped than the Bengal tiger found in India.
Phet is a victim of illegal wildlife trade.  Her mother was killed by poachers in February 2000.
  Her 2 brothers did not survive either.
By the time she was 4 days old, Phet had already been sold 4 times by illegal traders.
 Capture stress, malnutrition, ringworm infestation and diarrheoa had already taken their toll on Phet.
 She was in extremely poor condition and had lost most of her hair by the time that she had been rescued.
  Phet has made a full recovery thanks to Care for the Wild International's Tiger Adoption Program.
  She will depend on human care for the rest of her life.











Luang Prabang
As part of the World Heritage plan, new buildings are limited
 and development must be in keeping with this historical place.





















































































































This ancient royal city is located on a peninsula formed by the Mekong and Khan Rivers.
  In the centre of town is Mount Phousi and from here there are great views of the surrounding temples and hills.




















Golden Buddha footprint






Lao cooking school at our Guesthouse
We made, cooked, and ate spring rolls, chicken curry and lap beef





























We got up at 5.15am to go into town to see the monks collecting alms for themselves, the poor and orphans.

 Waiting for the procession of monks.
  I saw a monk take food out of his pot and put it into a plastic bag and give it to this boy.
  Our guide, Chan, told us later that the boy was probably an orphan.





















5000 Lao Kip .... less than $1


An anti-smoking march






The former Royal Palace, now a museum.
  It was constructed between 1904-1909 during the reign of King Sisavangvong.
  Although very small, it was better decorated than the Forbidden City in Beijing.
  We saw clothing of the former Royal Family, the King and the Queen's bedroom
 and some gifts to the nation from foreign countries.
  The building also houses the famous Luang Prabang Buddha image, after which the city is named.













At Luang Prabang airport before our 45-minute flight to Vientiane.




Our plane, a Xian Turboprop MA60, made in China