Temples, English convo and more in Luang Prabang

After the National Museum I did some more wandering around town. The streets got quieter the further out I got.

Kids at primary school.

Lies.

Visited a number of temples along my walk.

Even dogs want to pray!

This temple had an interesting exhibit of meditation photographs.

This one, Wat Xieng Thong, was one of the "must see" temples in town, as it is the most historically significant temples in Luang Prabang and a national symbol of Buddhism.

The mosaic inside this building resemble those in the National Museum Palace.

The main sanctuary.

While trying to pray in the main building, a group of tourists were posing for photos in front of the Buddha. They were loud and giggly and one of the men taking their photo kept backing up until he bumped right in to me. I gave up and left and went into one of these tiny buildings that were scattered throughout the grounds. Only one person could fit inside at a time, so I was guaranteed some peace.

This cat kept sticking his tongue out. I'm sure he just ate, but I like to think it was at the rude tourists.

Walked back along the Mekong.

It was very peaceful.

I then went to an organization called Big Brother Mouse, which helps get Lao books into the hands of Lao students to improve literacy. They also have drop in hours twice a day where native English speakers can go chat with students so they can practice the language. I spent the full two hours there, talking with students from age 10 to 17 about all sorts of things. It was a fun time, and gave me a chance to learn about local life while helping out a bit. Most of the kids came from farming families, some quite far, and were in the city for school. One boy, who walked me to the market when the session was over at 7pm, was then on his way for a 2 hour private English class then had a 45 minute bike ride home.

Once at the night market I met some friends and we got some street food (mostly gyoza) and fruit shakes for dinner. Did some shopping at the full, crowded, claustrophobic market, where we got to meet our local guide Lee's mother and his son. Then a few drinks before packing to leave this enjoyable town.