As you embark on your Laos tour, the poetic ancient capital of Laos, Luang Prabang, showcases the prominence of Mount Phousi on its skyline. Sitting atop the highest point in the city, Mount Phousi captivates the attention of visitors, offering breathtaking views and a sense of grandeur.
Alluring mount Phousi
It is said that: “If you have not visited Phou Si, you have not been in Luang Prabang”. In Laotian, “Phou” means mountain and “si” means color, Phousi is a tourist highlight of Luang Prabang. Mount Phousi is a 100 meters high hill lying in the heart of Luang Prabang and is bordered on one side by Mekong River and Nam Khan River. From the foot to the peak of the mountain, there are 329 red brick steps between two white railing. Halfway up the hill is Wat Tham Phou Si and at the summit is Wat Chom Si, which is both Buddhist temples. The entrance fee is 20.000 kips per person. Climbing on the winding stairs, you can walk slowly then take a rest and admire beautiful champak flowers along the way to forget the tiredness. Once to get to the peak of Phousi, you will be overwhelmed by the overview of the ancient town. Luang Prabang is so beautiful and magical!
Commonly, getting to the peak of Phousi, tourists should not forget to come over the Wat Tham Chomsky and ask for a paper telling fortunes and future by traditional Chinese diagrams. Some local people come and bring bird cages to dedicate then release them back to life. According to the conception of local people, releasing the bird back to life means letting the bad things go away and hoping for lucky things, better life and happiness.
From the summit of the mountain, overlooking the Mekong are two legendary mountain Phou Thao and Phou Nang with the love story of Laotian. The other side is Nam Khan gentle river, the important source for people living on two sides of the river.
Poetic sunset on Mount Phousi
Mount Phousi is magnificent and majestic with many colors: the fresh green of the foliage, the pure white of champak flowers, the garish red of phoenix flowers, the old moss of temple roof, the yellow of Chomsky tower, and the color of brilliant sunset gradually dumping down Luang Prabang and Mekong River. This gorgeous sunset is the reason for attracting tourists, makes the small tranquil mountain turn into bustling in the gloaming.
Tourists often sit on the steps of the tower towards to the west, where you can admire the best moment of sunset. When the sun is less dazzling, it looks like a giant ball hanging on the peak of the green mountain. Space is dyed by splendid yellow color then the sound of the camera turns on simultaneously. Far away, the Mekong River reflects the sunshine like a golden mirror, sometimes, it breaks into thousands of sparkling golden pieces. The sunshine makes the faces of people admiring the beauty of sunset become more radiant and bright. No one cannot vibrate in front of this kind of beauty, spectacular, marvelous, and gorgeous.
Only half an hour, the sun disappears gradually behind the mountains. Some people slowly walk down to ready for the night market, some are infatuated with the sun and stay longer to catch entirely the romantic moment. Watching sunset is worth the effort on Mount Phousi.
