Stunning Luang Prabang building: at some point, this is supposed to house the Pra Bang, the golden Buddha statue that gave Luang Prabang its name.

Sinuous dragon staircase up to the wats on Phonsi mountain. These stairs are tiring to climb in the heat of the day!

Laos is filled with monks, mostly young. AD has been on a hunt for senior monks, but no luck yet. Many young Lao men cannot afford to stay in school, so they become monks for a period for the education. Unlike in, say, Thailand, monks in Laos work very hard. We saw young boys clearing brush, replacing roof tiles, sweeping streets, and so on. The wats are always hung with laundry: gorgeous saffron robes drying.

This is one of the wats that gave Luang Prabang its UNESCO World Heritage status. The beauty and complexity of the roof can hardly be reproduced in a picture.

Typical Luang Prabang street: much French colonial. It's not all wats, although they are everywhere!

Another gorgeous wat.

These are the murals of the Buddha's life on the wat right across from our hotel in Luang Prabang. The wat no longer functions directly as a wat; rather, it is a training place for monks to learn traditional Lao crafts. It is supported by NORAD, among others. These murals are used to teach children about the Buddha and his life.

The wat across the street, from a different angle. Every morning we were awoken by the monks' drumming as they walked the streets of Luang Prabang, doing the alms walk where people fill their begging bowls with food. Luang Prabang is filled with signs begging tourists to behave respectfully during this ceremony.