Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
er and mother respectively; the centre urn contained the remains of the king, which were
cremated in April 1961.
Besides protecting these funerary paraphernalia from the elements, the building houses
various
religious relics
. Among these are ornate wooden frames containing images of the
Buddha that were given to the monastery as offerings.
PALM-LEAF MANUSCRIPTS
The leafy garden beside Wat Xieng Thong's Funerary Carriage Hall contains some grand
bougainvillea, coconut trees and two grey-green fan palms. It was from this species of
palm that traditional
palm-leaf manuscripts
were made. Using a stylus to scratch charac-
ters onto the palm leaves, monks wrote down Pali-language chants and recorded historical
events that affected the kingdom. Before access to paper and cheap printing made palm-
leaf manuscripts obsolete, two or three of these trees could be found growing at every wat.
Outside the old city
The old city may have the highest concentration of monasteries, but there is plenty of interest
beyond, including an excellent museum, over twenty temples, several markets and a choice of
scenic walks.
Inthasone Road
, which becomes
Kitsalat Road
east of Sisavangvong Road,
divides the old city from the commercial parts of Luang Prabang, which, though newer, still
contain plenty of colonial-era mansions.
The most interesting areas within walking distance of the old city for tourists are the old
silversmithing district of Ban Wat That, south of Inthasone Road between Chao Fan Ngum
Road and the Mekong, now host to some of the city's best-value accommodation; the popular
bar and guesthouse area east of Phousi towards the Nam Khan river, where
Wat Visoun
and
Wat Aham
are the most historically important temples; and
across the Nam Khan
river it-
self, accessed (in dry season) by a rickety bamboo bridge. For some respite from the monastic
life, it's well worth hopping on a bike (or hailing a tuk-tuk) for the short ride to
Phosy Mar-
ket
, the city's biggest and most authentic, and the excellent
Ock Pop Tok
weaving centre,
2km southwest of the old city. Last but perhaps best of all, a boat trip across the Mekong to
Xieng Men
, in
Chomphet district
, will reward you with many venerable riverside temples,
as well as a relaxed rural ambience and good views back over the old city.
Traditional Arts and Ethnology Centre
Off Kitsalat Rd ∙ Tues-Sun 9am-6pm ∙ 25,000K ∙ 071 253364,
taeclaos.org
Tucked up a steep side road off Kitsalat Road, the small
Traditional Arts and Ethnology
Centre (TAEC)
provides an excellent introduction to Laos's ethnic groups, including the
