Jan 29th Luang Prabang - Hanoi

Jan 29^th Luang Prabang - Hanoi

The Water Melon temple

We checked out of the hotel at about 10:30 and were picked up by Ken and Noi at about 11:00. We drove to the Wat Visoun or Wat Wisunarat. This dates back to 1513 and the reign of King Wisunarat (Visoun), Wat Wisunarat is Luang Prabang’s oldest temple and was once home to the Prabang Buddhas. The history of the temple is colourful with it being originally crafted from wood before being burned by Chinese raider in 1887. It was rebuilt using stucco and brick and retains some original pieces including a stupa that was created in 1503 along with some other small Buddha icons although many were stolen during the raid. It has an interesting design and has a larger rounder top and is locally know as the watermelon temple. 

A high price to pay for a bit on the side.....

The next stop was Wat Aham which is in the same compound as Wat Visoun.  Its historical significance lies in the fact that it was once the residence ofSangkharat, the supreme head of Lao Buddhism. The Wat is surrounded by two prominent banyan trees which are regarded as spiritual shrines.  The last Wat was Wat Mai this is one of the city's most sumptuous monasteries. Its wooden sǐm (ordination hall) has a five-tiered roof in archetypal Luang Prabang style, while the unusually roofed front verandah features detailed golden reliefs depicting scenes from village life, the Ramayana and Buddha's penultimate birth.  Inside, there are some amazing paintings of the life of the 1st Buddha plus some very graphic scenes of what will happen to you if you break one of their equivalent of the 7 deadly sins.  The punishment for adultery seemed particularly brutal!!

When built in 1821 to replace a 1796 original, this was the mai (new) monastery. The name has stuck. It was spared destruction in 1887 by the Chinese raiders who reportedly found it too beautiful to harm. Since 1894 it has been home to the Sangharat, the head of Lao Buddhism.

The modern temple housing the Prabang Buddha

Ken then announced that the National Museum was going to close soon and that maybe we wanted a drink somewhere to kill some time. We stopped for a drink before persuading him to drop us off opposite the National Museum at the base of Mount Phousi while they went for lunch as we were not bothered. At this point the sun came out and Tamsin and Kim got some good photos of the pavilion in the grounds of the museum that houses the 2,000 year-old, 83-centimetre Prabang Buddha, which is made from solid gold.

The architecture of the building has a mixed of traditional Lao motifs and French Beaux Artsstyles, and has been laid out in a double-cruciform shape with the entrance on one side of the lower crossbar. Above the entrance is a three-headed elephant sheltered by the sacred white parasol, the symbol of the Lao monarchy. To enter you must remove your shoes and palace any cameras in a safe box as no photos are allowed. There are a variety of Royal religious objects on display in the large Entrance Hall.

On the right of the entrance is the King's reception room, where busts of the Luang Phrbang and, later, Lao monarchs are displayed along with two large gilded and lacquered Ramayana screens. The room's walls are covered with murals that depict scenes from traditional Lao lifestyles, painted in 1930 by the French artist, Alix de Fauntereau. Each of the walls is intended to be viewed at a different time of day, depending on the light that enters the windows on one side of the room, which matches the time the day depicted.

On the left of the Entrance Hall, the secretary's reception room is filled with paintings, silver and china that have been presented to Laos as diplomatic gifts. These objects are grouped by "socialist" and "capitalist" countries. An interesting exhibit donated by the USA is a piece of moon rock taken by one of the Apollo missions!

The next room to the left was once the Queen's reception room. Large Royal portraits of King and Queens painted by Russian artist Ilya Glazunov in 1967, are hung on the walls.

In the far rooms are the Royal Family’s bedrooms and living quarters. The bedrooms have been preserved as they were in 1975 when the King was forced from the palace. There is a dining hall and a room that contains Royal seals and medals.

Cor - chavtastic.....

As we headed out of town for the airport Kim asked that we quickly pop back into Wat Xieng Thong to take photos in the sunshine. The bling shimmered.  We also saw yet another bride posing for photos....she was quite lovely.

Here comes the bride.......