.png)
RTW Trip Day #45: Ock Pop Tok Natural Dyeing Class, Mount Phousi and Wat Exploring
- andrewsco3
- Nov 14
- 5 min read
12 November 2025
Steps: 13.002
This morning we went for breakfast at the hotel restaurant. They serve a lovely continental breakfast of pastries, cereals, cheeses and cold meats, plus they have an egg station. They also have great coffee which I always appreciate first thing in the morning.
Big Brother Mouse
After we had spent a few hours at Big Brother Mouse chatting with students to help them with their English skills a few days ago, I wanted to go back and spend some time browsing through their shop, as I hadn’t really had chance the other day.
The books are all locally published and are categorized into two groups: Lao-only titles and dual-language Lao–English titles.
I chatted to the owner a bit and bought a book to donate to schools in rural villages. I asked what the kids favourite book is and I was told it was “Bangkok Bob” which sounds fun!
Exploring Luang Prabang’s Temples (Wat’s)
While the girls headed to Ock Pop Tok for a natural dyeing class, I spent the morning exploring some of Luang Prabang’s famous temples, or 'wats' as they are known. There are dozens of wats scattered throughout the city, many of them along the main street so they’re easy to visit, and almost all are free to enter.
Wat Xiengthong
Wat Xiengthong is considered the most famous wat in Luang Prabang and it was easily the busiest one I visited, though still very quiet compared to many temples we’ve seen on this trip.
Entry was 30,000 Kip per person which is roughly 2 Canadian dollars.
The temples are stunning with intricate gold details across the exterior, and the inside was just as striking with statues, artwork and beautifully crafted features such as carved dragon heads.
Wat Souvannakhiri
Wat Souvannakhiri is just across the street from Wat Xiengthong and is much smaller and very quiet.
When I visited there was only one other person there, which made it a peaceful spot to wander for a few minutes. It's free to enter.
Wat Sibounheuang
Just another minute’s walk brought me to my third temple, Wat Sibounheuang, which is a small and peaceful wat tucked just off the main street.
It has a similar look to Wat Souvannakhiri, but this way was clearly where monks live, as there were bright orange robes hanging out to dry after being washed.
Wat Si Moung Khoun
Wat Si Moung Khoun is another beautiful temple, which is distinguished by the stone animals guarding the entrance!
Wat Sop Sickharam
This wat was really pretty, and they had lots of plant pots lining the temple, and a flowering tree right beside it that was beautiful.
Wat Sensoukharam
Wat Sensoukharam was one of the more impressive temples along the main street, as the building is covered in gold, along with a gold pagoda outside the main entrance.
There was also a separate temple with a tall gold Buddha statue inside.
Haw Phra Bang Temple
I had planned to visit the Royal Palace and National Museum, but when I arrived, there were probably ten buses of Chinese tourists already queuing for the 1:30 opening.
I decided it wasn’t worth paying to go inside and spending the whole time feeling frustrated trying to navigate that many people, so I gave it a miss!
Even if you don’t go into the museum, you can still admire Haw Phra Bang, which is probably the most beautiful temple in Luang Prabang.
It is located within the museum and palace grounds, but you can get a good view of it for free from across the road, where the steps to Mount Phousi begin.
Wat May Souvannapoumaram
Right next to the museum is Wat May Souvannapoumaram, which is a beautiful Buddhist temple that was built in 1796.
Entrance costs 20,000 kip per person, but it’s worth it for the stunning decorations inside.
Climbing Mount Phousi
Climbing Mount Phousi is one of the best things to do in Luang Prabang, although what would be quite an easy set of steps in a colder climate, certainly feels harder in the heat and humidity.
Even though it’s called Mount Phousi, it’s really more of a small hill. It costs 20,000 kip per person and takes about 15 minutes to reach the top.
I was sweating buckets by the time I reached the top after climbing the 328 steps to the summit.
From the top, you get a lovely panoramic view over Luang Prabang, the Mekong River, and the surrounding town in all directions. There is also a small temple you can go inside at the top too.
Ock Pop Tok
While I was exploring the Wat temples in town, the girls made their way over to Ock Pop Tok, which is a fair-trade textile centre that celebrates traditional Lao weaving and dyeing techniques.
They were collected from outside the Ock Pop Tok Boutique in town by a fun pink coloured tuk tuk!
Ock Pop Tok actually means “East meets West” in Lao, a phrase with a dual meaning. On one level, it reflects the partnership between its two founders: a British photographer and a Laotian weaver.
On another level, the name captures the enterprise’s mission: bringing together eastern textile traditions and western visitors.
Their Living Crafts Centre sits in a beautiful spot right next to the Mekong River, and they offer free tours to learn about the weaving process, meet local artisans, and see how traditional textiles are created from start to finish.
If you want a more hands-on experience, you can also sign up for one of their classes, such as:
Natural dyeing
Silk weaving
Batik
Bamboo weaving
The Natural Dyeing Class
Our girls decided that they wanted to do the natural dyeing class, as they wanted to make some tie dye t-shirts!
During the natural dyeing class, the girls were shown how to prepare dyes from plants, roots, and bark before choosing the colours they wanted for their shirts and napkins.
They got to stir the bubbling dye pots, before dunking their shirts in and watching them change colour.
They were so proud to take home something they had made themselves!
Their restaurant is such a lovely setting, we had some food overlooking the river and they even allow you to ‘weave while you wait’ so the girls had a go at bamboo weaving.
While we were waiting for the shirts to dry they also did a treasure hunt, which was the perfect level of fun / difficulty for our girls - they got a small prize at the end as a reward.
If you are travelling to Luang Prabang with kids, I highly recommend bringing the kids to Ock Pop Tok for a class, especially if you are homeschooling them while you are travelling.
Comments