Actually the wall is not silver, it’s gold paint, and it was the wall of Wat Vixun in Luang Prabang. The silversmiths of Luang Prabang were legendary, however, and we watched them at work. The monkey belonged to Dave Welch, an IVS volunteer living in Luang Prabang. He later came down with malaria, and they packed him in ice and flew him back to Vientiane. 

Malaria has always been endemic in Luang Prabang. Henri Mouhot, the French explorer, died from it and is buried on the other side of the river.