L A O S - Luang Prabang

[AlexK]

Next time, one day, when we go for photo-trip and I don't bring her along, then I promise you I WILL try these poison drinks with all of you, and we shall all stay up the whole night... outside...

Cannot like this. Later she get angry with me. :sweat: :sweat:

 

[SereneXMM]

Cannot like this. Later she get angry with me. :sweat: :sweat:

Aiyah... you are a good man, AlexK.
I trust him in your hands.

Some more for day 2.

SG D2-01
Inside the slow boat.

SG D2-02
Getting ready for war.

SG D2-03
So brave. Climb so high up to take picture at Pak Ou Cave.

 

[LowLights]

Wow :thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:

Thanks LowLights. Still got lots to learn from you. Also, your powerful poisons.[/QUOTE]

You too kind .. we learn from one another ..

Poisons also share share leh :bsmilie:

 

[SereneXMM]

Lunch at Phousi Guest House Restaurant after coming back from Pak Ou Caves.

SG D2-04

This dish every day also eat. It is called Laaps (pronounced as Laap).
Actually it is minced meat.
SG D2-05

Spring roll also got. Laos version.
SG D2-06

Laos Papaya salad. Like Thai salad like that.

Everyday eat water melon and dragon fruits.

 

[limwhow]

T R A V E L O G U E

Day 3

I know you guys have got loads of photos for Day 2 and Day 3.
Just upload them and share while I slowly go on with this travel log, can?

Day 3 was very exciting because early morning 6am we were all up waiting to walk out
to Sisavangvong Road near the school to take photos of the morning monks procession.
It was quite cold on that morning. I refused to put on my jacket because I knew a little later it will be hot.
But the walk out from the New Daraphet was quite jiak lat cos the air was biting cold.
Serves me right....

Many of our fellow shooters have put up their monks' photos already.
But here is just a few for record purpose, to remind ourselves that Day 3 morning was Monk procession shoot.
D3-01

Did anyone notice the icon of Luang Prabang at the background?
This morning he was very stylo - wearing overcoat and all that - hands pointing here and there directing the traffic.
He also lighted up a cigarette and acted cool. Haha...

My panning shots.
D3-02

My humble close(r) up.
D3-03

After our monks procession photoshoot, we walked slowly down and turn in via Ramayana Hotel to the Morning Market.
It was around 7-8am and the air was nice and cool. The Laotian themselves also go to this market to do their grocery shopping.
D3-04

I find it interesting how they any how chaplunk put all their merchandise together.
Banana and raw fish and all hum tum together. At the end of the day, I don't know if I am eating raw banana mixed
with fish and raw vegetables or what...
D3-05

 

[limwhow]

Cannot like this. Later she get angry with me. :sweat: :sweat:

Aiyah... you are a good man, AlexK.
I trust him in your hands.

There, AlexK.
You heard it from the horse's mouth. :bsmilie:

 

[limwhow]

Day 3 - continued

Morning Market

It was very colourful at the Morning market.
All kinds of spices.
All kinds of local ingredients out in the open.
D3-06

All types of fragrant rice.
D3-07

Not to mention my favourite!
Sigh... too bad we forgot to indent this item for our stay at Luang Prabang.
Missed out the Le Pork Knuckle Laos Style this time round.... haha...
D3-08

I never figured out what this stall holder was peng kang-ing.
Looked like roti prata.
But as it was only Day 3, I dare not try. Sekali kena diarrhoea then got to tahan another two more days... hehe...
D3-09

 

[AlexK]

T R A V E L O G U E

Day 3

I find it interesting how they any how chaplunk put all their merchandise together.
Banana and raw fish and all hum tum together. At the end of the day, I don't know if I am eating raw banana mixed
with fish and raw vegetables or what...



Maybe this .......

 

[limwhow]

...
I find it interesting how they any how chaplunk put all their merchandise together.
Banana and raw fish and all hum tum together. At the end of the day, I don't know if I am eating raw banana mixed
with fish and raw vegetables or what...

Maybe this .......

Wah lau.. this one takes the cake, man!
Raw, head-less snake with raw fish and vegetables.
Mix this with the Cobra and Scorpion poison, and we can all have raw Laotian Sashimi...
and party the afternoon away loh....:bsmilie:

 

[limwhow]

I think all of us can remember this Wat right at the end of the Morning Market.
On Day 3 morning, we did our first round of shooting here. (Day 4 we would be here again).
D3-10

Outside this Wat, I met Rudy.
He said to me: "There is a monk inside. Go in. Go in. Go and shoot him."
I thought to myself: "Monk! Ok, man. I'm on it."

I went inside stealthily, only to find that the monk has turned his back on me.
What happened? Oh... I saw KH creeping up slowly on him a little further down.
"Aiyah... this monk is shy lah..."
The shy monk reading.
D3-11

By the time I got out of the Wat, every body was hungrily waiting at the end of the Market.
... all waiting eagerly to go back to the Villa for breakfast.
Hey... it has been a cold and early morning out, hasn't it?
D3-12

 

[euterpe]

[I never figured out what this stall holder was peng kang-ing.
Looked like roti prata.
But as it was only Day 3, I dare not try. Sekali kena diarrhoea then got to tahan another two more days... hehe...
D3-09

Oh this is some biscuit - I tried it, taste like love-letters we eat for CNY.

 

[limwhow]

Oh this is some biscuit - I tried it, taste like love-letters we eat for CNY.

Oh you are indeed a brave person, euterpe!
Aiyah... looks like I missed out something delicious here eh? :bsmilie:

 

[limwhow]

Day 3 - continued

Day 3 was another interesting day.
Continuing from where we left off, we did the early morning monks procession, we did morning market.
After breakfast, we walked out of our Villa, turned left and came to the Royal Palace Museum.
Here is a series of record shots of the RPM.

The Cannon outside the Main Hall.
D3-14

Through the Main Gate.
D3-15

Some interesting story about the Royal Palace Museum:
The last second King of Laos, King SisavangVong died in 1959.
The Communist took over and Laos PDR was anti-royalty.
The last king, King Sisavang Vatthana, his Queen and his Prince was reportedly banished
far north in Laos where they were slowly starved to death.
Thus, until today, the Laotians believe that the Royal Palace Museum is still haunted by
the ghosts of these three members of the Royal family, and after dark, usually no one dares enter the RPM.

We were lucky.
Adrian kept his words and gave us all a Tuk Tuk ride from the RPM all the way to the end of LPB,
just outside the biggest Wat in LPB - Wat Xien Thong.
D3-16

A short walk from the main road into Wat Xien Thong...
vngks just can't resist taking a shot of the scene here.
D3-17

So many interesting sights.
So many exciting artefacts.
So little time.
Here is what I found in a small corner of the first temple in WXT.
The face of the miniature Buddhas have been worn off over the years.
D3-18

 

[Numnumball]

Truly enjoying this thread, never been to Laos..quite an eye opener..tks for sharing

 

[limwhow]

Truly enjoying this thread, never been to Laos..quite an eye opener..tks for sharing

Hello, Numnumball.
I thank you on behalf of the whole team.

 

[limwhow]

Day 3 - continued

The day was beginning to be hot here at Wat Xien Thong.
Overlooking the Mekong River, this magnificent temple was built by King Setthathirat in 1560.
I'm sure many of us remembered the first hall we came to on the right side after the entrance was this one.
The Funeral Carriage Hall. Contains the ashes of members of the Royal family.
D3-19

(D*rn! I didn' know about the ashes until much later. I stayed inside there for so long, not knowing why
every body else quickly left this hall without telling me. Eee---err..)

A couple more from the Funeral Hall.
D3-20

D3-21

To all of you fellows who left SereneXMM and I inside the cool Funeral Hall...
Share with you all some of the images that I took here.
My Sifu, AlexK has a very nice picture of the qian inside this hall - http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4036/4422102047_88d41c003d_o.jpg
I actually witnessed two Laotian young man came in to kneel down and pray for a qian.

It is a hot day. But a bright, sunny day ideal for outdoor photography.
Here is the wihaan (Laos term for a vihara, a shrinehall) next to the main sim (ordination hall) in WXT.
D3-22

(Sorry for sensor dust)

I walked over to the other side of this wihaan and saw the mid-day sun.
Tried a shot with the wihaan as a silhouette.
D3-23

(Sorry for sensor dust)

 

[limwhow]

Here. This is the main sim of Wat Xien Thong.
Classical low-sweeping Laos style roof.
D3-24

This is the Red Chapel behind the main sim.
I talk so much also no use. I only managed to take photos of the outside and forgot
all about going in to view the very famous reclining Buddha statue inside, the one which Lonely Planet
describes as having flowing robe... I wonder if any one in our team managed to go inside?
D3-25

There are many monks, young novice monks here at WXT. But for some reasons i found it very difficult to photograph
them as majority of the monks in Laos are rather camera-shy.
D3-26

SereneXMM, Imran and I spent don't know how many hours shooting here at WXT, not knowing that these good fellows were
patiently sitting here at one corner, suffering in the heat and waiting for us!
Pai seh ah..., ladies and gentlemen! Sorry sorry. The lunch should have been on me, not LowLights (haha...)!
D3-27

Hiding in the back, AlexK was quietly contemplating the 300 steps he was going to climb up Mount Phousi that
very evening....

 

[AlexK]

Bravo limwhow, you have done a great job preparing the Luang Prabang trip travelogue. :thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:

 

[limwhow]

Bravo limwhow, you have done a great job preparing the Luang Prabang trip travelogue. :thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:

My most sincere gratitude to your kind compliments, Sifu 大哥.
But I am sure it would not be complete without some more photos from you, vngks, Stevepow, LowLights, toolbox22, Euterpe, james, nleong...
:bsmilie: Come on, ladies and gentlemen - put up some more of your good works to share!

 

[stevepow]

My most sincere gratitude to your kind compliments, Sifu 大哥.
But I am sure it would not be complete without some more photos from you, vngks, Stevepow, LowLights, toolbox22, Euterpe, james, nleong...
:bsmilie: Come on, ladies and gentlemen - put up some more of your good works to share!

Ok Sir.

Your wish my command

Can't recall the name of this temple. Input please.

Main entrance to the temple

sorry crop is abit too tight

Enough ????