Luang Prabang Temples: Wat Mai Suwannaphumaham

07/12/2013.Reading time 2 minutes.

Luang Prabang Temples: Wat Mai Suwannaphumaham was once the principle royal monastery and the repository of the gold Buddha that Laung Prabang derives its name from.

Virility On Tap!

14/09/2013.Reading time less than 1 minute.

These should have been in my superstition gallery. And certainly not under the harmless old wives tale category, considering the number of creatures that have had to give up their lives for someone’s imagined increase in libido. R was informed by our boatman, that the contents of one of the jars was elephant penis! Not […]

The Serpent Guardians Of Indo China

17/06/2013.Reading time 3 minutes.

Veneration of animals as symbols of powerful cosmic forces, far predated the advent of organised religion. The worship of serpents seems the most prominent and widespread among these animist beliefs, with evidence to suggest its practice across ancient civilizations ranging from the Hopi Indian tribes and Mayans in the Americas, to those in Egypt, India, […]

Luang Prabang = The Patterns Of Wat Sene

11/05/2013.Reading time 1 minute.

The Wat Sene Souk Haram (from the Sanskrit Sukharam) also known as the temple of 100,000 treasures, is one of many beautiful temples in Luang Prabang. Its facade and doors are heavily gilded and every inch of space on its walls, columns and even under its roof is covered with stenciled patterns. The secondary structures […]

Luang Prabang – Lost In The Details

02/03/2013.Reading time 1 minute.

These are two images from the Wat Mai Suwannaphumaham, in Luang Prabang. The first is the generic landscape view of the red interior nave and altar, with its array of gilded Buddhas. Gorgeous enough. Take the trouble to perambulate around to the back however, and you will be rewarded with this peculiar, but stunning detail […]

Mekong Sunsets

11/01/2013.Reading time 2 minutes.

They say warm weather is conducive to spectacular sunsets. But that doesn’t explain why the sunsets on the Mekong were so much more memorable than any I have witnessed in the subcontinent…..and there have been many. I am a West coast girl remember? Whatever the reason, those moments spent in anticipation of the radiant feast […]

Luang Prabang, Laos – A Glimpse Of The Sacred

06/01/2013.Reading time 8 minutes.

An unending line of orange robed monks walking upto Wat Xiengthong stop for the Alms ceremony on the way.

Laos Travel: Experiencing Luang Prabang, its tranquility and identity as a practicing Buddhist city steeped in ancient traditions.

Luang Prabang – The Temple Of The Golden City

29/12/2012.Reading time 4 minutes.

Wat Xieng Thong — Seated Buddha Pavilion

On a peninsula gently cradled in the palms of the Mekong and the Nam Khan rivers, sits the picturesque royal city of Luang Prabang. And crowning it, like the mythical jewel on the forehead of a Naga, is the Wat Xieng Thong. A confluence of rivers is sacred to Asian communities. And that is the reason this auspicious spot was […]

Vientiane – A Day In The Languid Capital City Of Laos

27/12/2012.Reading time 18 minutes.

View of the red and gold decorateive pediment of the sentinel shrine of Wat That Luang Neua from the courtyard of Wat That Luang.

Why you should not skip Vientiane, Laos. This fully updated 2021 travel guide covers the best things to do in Vientiane in a day.