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Hello Mekong (again)
On the way to Wat Xieng Thong we ventured up the main street again, which looked much better in the light and with the night market gone. We could see some of the French-Indo architecture that this location is known for (had a similar feel to Hoi An, another Unesco site we were at last year). I knew we were close to the Nam Khan river so I suggested we take a walk towards it. This gave us easily one of the best views of the trip with a footbridge made of bamboo in front of us, the wide banks of the river (exposed during the dry season) and green mountains in the distance. We followed the river, walking past more buildings in the old town on our left and restaurant tables perched on the edge of the banks on our right. As the river bent around the corner we found where the Nam Khan meets the Mekong (Luang Prabang is on a peninsula between the two rivers). Its the 4th location we've seen the river in the last 2 years, spanning across 3 countries. I will post a few pictures, where you can play spot the Monk (there are two to find).
Back to Wat Xieng Thong, it was the most picturesque temple we've seen, with various pieces decorated in glass mosaic that were glistening in the sunlight. The main sim was built in 1950 and was restored between 2010-2014. There was also a hall that houses the funeral carriage that transported the remains of the penultimate monarch of Laos, King Sisavong Vong.
After adding another ice coffee to our count (along with a pastry filled with almond cream from a french bakery) we headed into the former Royal Palace. It was build in 1904 and now houses artefacts from the old monarchy. The throne hall was full of gold leaf painted cabinets and more glass mosaics. It also houses gifts given to the monarchy from other countries, including a piece of moon rock from the US. Nothing from the UK though. On the way back to the hotel we stopped at one of the fruit shake stalls that are stacked along the main street. A mixed fruit shake costs 10,000 kip (80p)
Dinner was at a restaurant overlooking another part of the Nam Khan, although we arrived just after sunset so we heard the river more than we could see it! We shared a few dishes; duck coconut curry, pork with basil, mixed veg and a basket of sticky rice. It tasted more like it had a Chinese influence, I couldn't quite figure out what this might be (probably MSG!).
Something else of note is Tash has been adopting the asian mosquito repellant technique each time we enter our hotel rooms. This involves her flapping her scarf around as I open the door, to distract any unwanted visitors (she watched some locals do the same in Siem Reap).
Lao Sticky rice pots; 4
Lao coffees; 6
Locations I've seen the Mekong in; 4
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Tom Just read this to our car the way up North!