Today was quite different to most of our days as we were given the opportunity of sleeping in. This was an exhilarating experience on its own, more for some than others as a small number of us were extremely fatigued from the day before. At 9:30 we embarked on a visit to the Royal Palace, which in modern times, is simply known as the National Museum of Luang Prabang. It was the residence of the last king of Laos “Sisavang Vong” before his death in 1959. First we had our photo taken in front of the temple in the museum complex by not only Hung and Mr. Daniels but a random stranger as well.
In the museum, most if not all, of the original possessions were still inside. The walls were painted depicting a range of scenes and festivals the Laotian people participated in and there were many cabinets that contained swords that the boys stared at in awe. Everyone was complaining about there being many cushioned seats but they had “do not touch” signs on them and the most humorous part of the museum was how the king and queen had separate sleeping quarters due to the king having a snoring issue. You may think the king was likely to have been a traditional guy but in fact, he had a nice assortment of Ford cars and a Toyota Jeep. Also, whenever representatives of other countries visited they brought many gifts for the royal family. Interestingly, Australia gave them a boomerang which was quite a comparison to the moon rock the Americans gave them.
Next we drove to a Buddhist Temple which is widely acclaimed as the most beautiful temple in Luang Prabang. Jack our tour guide explained the story of the Buddha’s bodyguard snake “Naga” who could turn into anything he so desired. We then explored each of the buildings in the complex, having to take our shoes on and off several times, just as was the case with every other temple. So, by the end of the experience we were able to take our shoes on and off in 5 seconds flat. The Temple complex consisted of a large stupa for the last king of Laos, several smaller stupas which looked very much out of place, some monk quarters and the main temple. Inside the temple there was a large golden Buddha (no surprises there). The temple itself was absolutely gorgeous and made mostly of gold and copper.
We were then given the grand independence of being able to choose our own venue for lunch and most of us went into cafe’s owned by Laotian people, but we ate western food like pizza, burgers or fries. Then we were led by Jack through many streets whilst members of the group sang songs which at first sounded nice and were fun to listen to but by the 5th song became a bit annoying. We finally arrived at the Lamache cafe where we all started the `Great Race` in a staggered procession. The tasks included riding tuk tuks, gathering fruit, climbing mountains, sending postcards which will arrive home later than we will, and eating sticky rice with sausage. The winners of the race were Claudia, Edie, Chris, Saskia, Murray and Matt. Congratulations you win a yellow tourist t-shirt handpicked by Miss Werba.
The rest of the day included free time after the `Great Race`, a very compelling traditional Laos Baci ceremony and a lovely meal. Overall, it was an enjoyable day filled with glee.
Arthur and Isabella
