One of the highlights for most visitors to Laos is the former Royal capital of Luang Prabang in the mountains of the north. Designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1995, Luang Prabang had over 65 vats in the 18th century, 30 of which still survive intact today. There is little traffic on the streets of Luang Prabang and monks in orange robes carrying black umbrellas to shade themselves from the sun are a familiar sight.
The Royal Palace, now the National Museum, was built in 1904 for King Sisavang Vong and retains many of its original features as well as an interesting assortment of gifts presented to Laos from various foreign nations.
Luang Prabang’s best known temple is Vat Xieng Thong, built in 1560 with the low sweeping roof characteristic of Luang Prabang temple style. Other important Luang Prabang temples include Vat Visun, known as the ‘Watermelon Stupa’ on account of its stupa’s unusual spherical shape, Vat Aham and Vat Mai.
The best views of Luang Prabang are to be had from the top of the 100 metre-high Mount Phousi. The temples at the top are new while lower down the hill are some of the oldest temples in Luang Prabang which are now abandoned.
An interesting day trip from Luang Prabang is a journey by boat on the Mekong River to the mysterious Pak Ou Caves. The caves carved out of a towering limestone cliff are crammed full of thousands of gold lacquered Buddha statues.
To the south east of Luang Prabang, near to the town of Phonsavan, is an even more mysterious place, known as the Plain of Jars. Over 300 enormous stone jars are scattered over a wide area of hillside. Nobody has yet discovered where they came from and what they were used for, but they are believed to be over 2000 years old.
The rural village of Pakbeng sits on a hillside beside the Mekong halfway between Luang Prabang and the Thai border. Pakbeng is used as an overnight stop on the river journey from Huay Xai and is a good place to meet some of the ethnic minorities of northern Laos.
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