Craft Village: In the morning, the governor's wife picked us up and took us to a craft village where they weave silk and make paper. I bought a silk shirt and Peep bought several paper bags and a few drawings.
Mom stayed with the governor's wife while Peep and I went with uncle back to the city.
Pak Ou Caves: We rented a boat to take us up the Mekong on a 2 hour journey to the Pak Ou Caves. The Tham Ting (lower cave) and Tham Theung (upper cave) contain more than 4,000 images of the Buddha. These caves were first updated by the kings and were looked after by villagers from across the river. The picture immediately above on the left is from within the lower cave showing just a small portion on the Buddhas. The second picture is of a lion carved into the cave wall in the upper cave.
Ban Xang Hai: After visiting the caves, we rode directly across the river for lunch. We then turned back and headed to Luang Prabang, stopping once at Ban Xang Hai, the whiskey village. The first shop we came to was selling Lao rice whiskey, but did not show the distillation process. Apart from that, the rest of the village was just a bunch of souvenir shops selling the same things you could buy anywhere else in Luang Prabang. Needless to say, this stop was quite disappointing.
Vat Xiengthong: After returning to Luang Prabang, we parted ways with uncle to visit some of the old Buddhist temples. The first temple we visited was Vat Xiengthong. This temple was built by King Say Setthathirath in 1559. The first picture is of the main temple, while the second picture shows a newer building housing the funeral car of the king.
Vat Sene: This is the second temple we visited in the city. It is also very old and contained among its temples is a small structure with the foot of Buddha and a large statue of a standing Buddha. This Buddha is constructed of brick and concrete, and covered in gold leaf. It has been damaged and half destroyed by the many battles fought in Luang Prabang, but has been reconstructed.
Phou Si: Standing in the middle of Luang Prabang is a single mountain, Mount Si. There are two paths to the top, both consisting of over 300 steps, one being steeper than the other. Once at the top, the view is spectacular. You can see the city in every direction. You can also see both the Nam Khan and the Mekong. Also at the top is That Chomsi, a brilliant structure that can be seen for miles around.
We spent the rest of the evening walking around the city, stopping at one of the travel agencies to sign up for a 1/2 day guided tour on Sunday, before getting something to eat and retiring for the night.