Living the Life in Laos! (Part 5): Chasing Spirituality in Luang Prabang

- November 26, 2025, Wednesday.

- Luang Prabang is one of the places I've visited that has a high density of temples in a single area. Almost every block had a temple, big and small. Each one has its own character, its own history, and own community of monks. I guess this is what adds to the calming "vibe" of Luang Prabang.

- I woke up really early in the morning to participate in what is called "sai bat" or "tak bat". Happening every morning from 5:30 to 6:30, monks go out of their temples to collect alms, often in the form of food like sticky rice. This takes place along the main street, and I suppose this happens in almost every block. In the past, only locals would do this. These days, it has become a highly commercialized tourist activity, while locals giving alms to the monks now happen outside the city center where they reside. Tourists need not worry about what to do. Once they are on the main street, there will be ladies standing near their designated spots on the street, and will sell a ready-made offering bucket, complete with a traditional scarf lent to tourists (worn as a sign of modesty). Prices are not high too, so the only thing to do is to go, pay, sit down, and wait for the monks to come.    

The monks are here!

I'm pretty sure I had some cultural faux pas here and there, but it was my first time and I just did what the lady who sold me the bucket of offerings told me.

It was quite the experience.

More monks!

- I honestly felt it was a chaotic was to show spirituality, or respect. The sai bat is supposed to be a sacred practice, not a tourist activity, so people tend to be very quiet and will observe proper distance and other customs related to the ritual. Now, tourists often chatter too much, and some don't even follow guidelines like not approaching the monks if not participating in the almsgiving. Of course I tried to be as respectful as possible. 

- I took a nap at the hotel after participating in sai bat, before talking a rather peaceful early morning stroll. I walked the whole main street all the way to Wat Xieng Thong. Built in the 1500s, the temple is one of Laos' most important temples. Not only was its land donated by the Lao royalty, but it was also where coronations were held apart from other significant Buddhist rituals. The details of the temple are well-preserved too, despite all the wars and invasions Laos has gone through.

Wat Xieng Thong.

Details of the roof.

Entrance to the prayer hall.

Everything is ornate!

Red chapel.

Mosaic at the back of the main prayer hall.

From afar.

Carriage room.

This whole structure is a royal hearse omg.

- Nearby is the Wat Sensoukharam. It was built in the 1700s and is one of the biggest monasteries in Luang Prabang. The main prayer hall was closed when I went there, but there was lots to see around the temple grounds! 

Wat Sensoukharam.

Side view of the main sim/prayer hall.

A variety of structures.

It also has a big standing Buddha chapel.

Royal funeral carriage.

A boat used during the Indochina War in the 60s and 70s.

More boats.

- Before continuing my day's adventures, I skipped the hotel breakfast and had a really traditional Lao breakfast. I found a simple local restaurant along the main road and ordered myself a bowl of khao soi. Khaoi soi is a noodle soup dish that has variations across Laos, Myanmar, and Northern Thailand. The Lao version, which I had, was a bit spicy, rich in vegetables and pork bits, and had a side plate with more vegetables and herbs to go with the soup. It was OK for me, not because it was bad but only because I'm not too much of a fan of clear-soup noodle dishes in general (it's either a rich broth noodle soup dish like ramen or laksa, or without soup at all like stir-fry noodles). But over all, I liked it for what it was.

Khao soi!! - With plenty of vegetables (yay!!) and a big cup of iced coffee. 

This was the restaurant I went to for khao soi. I saw some other locals eat there too, so it must be good albeit not fancy looking.

- I later rode a tuktuk to Wat Manorom, which is a few blocks away from the city center. It is a major Buddhist temple that houses the oldest Buddha statue in the city, a center for Buddhist primary education. Although it is said that the Buddha in the main hall was made in the 14th century, the temple may or may not have been built at the same time. The temple's exact date of construction is still something people debate about.

Wat Manorom.

Look at the child monks.

At the sim.

I wanted to take a photo of this cat with the Buddha at the back, and a novice monk passed by. So much depth (spatial, not metaphoric) in this photo I like it haha.

Entrance to the sim.

Thank you Buddhist monk for opening the sim for me, I feel special huhu. (And see the big ancient Buddha in the middle.)

- A few blocks closer to the city are two temples found side by side. Enter one temple and you can also access the other temple without needing to go out. These are Wat Wisunarat and Wat Aham - very memorable for me because my accident on my first day in Luang Prabang happened right outside wat Wisunarat (literally so, because the accident happened outside one of the temple's main entrances.)   

- Wat Wisunarat was built in the 1500s and is one of the oldest still-operating temples in the city. The temple is recognizable for it's stupa outside the prayer hall. Officially called That Pathoum (Great Lotus Stupa), it's more fondly called the "Watermelon Stupa" because of its round shape. It is unusual for the Southeast-Asian stupas to appear this way, and may have been influenced by South-Asian stupas (perhaps, Sri Lankan).

Watermelon stupa.

Inside the sim.

More Buddhas behind the big Buddha.

- Neighboring Wat Aham was constructed much later, probably in the 1800s, and is known for its two stupas outside the main sim. These two stupas are said to hold the two guardian spirits of the city. 

Wat Aham.

Two chedis in front of the sim.

Inside the sim of Wat Aham.

- On the way back to the main street, I passed by the Traditional Arts and Ethnology Centre (TAEC). TAEC was founded in 2006 not just as a museum, but also as a social enterprise. The museum has a small but rich exhibit on the various ethno-linguistic peoples of Laos.

Hmong clothes.

The exhibit was arranged by group.

FANCY SEEING A TBOLI ATTIRE HERE!!!!

There was a special exhibit on cultural appropriation vis-a-vis how local designers are properly modernizing traditional looks. It was a project in collaboration with many designers around the world such as Philippines, Mexico, and Laos.

- That afternoon I visited the Heuan Chan Heritage House. Heuan Chan means "House of Chan", owing to the original owner of the house back in the early 1900s. The original owner was a former officer of the palace so he was able to have a large house. Today, the house functions as a museum, a restaurant, and a venue for Lao culture classes (cooking classes, crafts). 

Ritual hall.

Lao traditional attires for formal occasions or rituals.

Kitchen.

Traditional musical instruments.

Crown, often used for Lao ballets.

I look like I'm part of the exhibit,

Cats feeling too comfy.

Magazine cover photo material hahahaha.

If I could only be this chill all the time.

It is a pretty huge house!

- I took some time to take a short nap at the hotel because it was too hot, and because I was up really early for the day. That night, of course I had to back to the night market for one final stroll before I leave Luang Prabang the next day. As usual, I went to Phan Boun for dinner to try another Lao platter.

I realized I didn't get to take a photo of this part of the night market, which is the food court. It had too many people and it was so loud so I went back to Phan Boun.

This time, in Phan Boun, I had bamboo shoot soup, fried pork belly, papaya salad (som tam), steamed pork, and banana slices in coconut milk for dessert.

- Luang Prabang was a gift that just kept giving. There were just so many things to do, see, and learn. It is a good blend of nature and culture, shopping and relaxing, and all the elements combined. I'm very happy that I got to finally visit Luang Prabang!