What, where, how?
Luang Prabang is located in north central Laos, at the confluence of two rivers: the Khan and the Mekong. The city used to be the capital of the Lao kingdom, and is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
I arrived in Luang Prabang on a flight from Chiang Mai, which was worth taking not only because of the long and arduous overland journey I avoided, but also for the sake of experiencing the Lao airlines (small plane, only one flight attendant, no seatbelt control) and seeing the city’s tiny airport, surrounded by green (a new, bigger one has apparently been opened since my May 2013 visit, however).
The goodies
As for the town itself, it is charming and slow-paced. There weren’t many tourists around in May, possibly because the end of the dry season is marked by peak temperatures, making it really hard to function outside air-conditioned interiors, not to mention trying to do any active sightseeing. The owners of the guesthouse I was staying at recommended going out early in the morning and coming back for the day, but I enjoyed sleeping in far too much to take their advice. But I will say that the sun in Luang Prabang felt the most incessant out of all the places I visited from mid April till mid June on my 2013 Southeast Asian tour.
So much so that climbing Phou Si (pronounced in a way that invariably cracks English speakers up) , the hill located in the center of town, was a truly challenging and sweaty endeavour. Completely worth it though, both for what you’ll find on the way
on the way to Phou Si, Luang Prabang
on the way to Phou Si, Luang Prabang
Phou Si, Luang Prabang
as well as for the views from the top
view from Phou Si, Luang Prabang
view from Phou Si, Luang Prabang
view from Phou Si, Luang Prabang
and finally, watching the sunset, which is what most people come here for.
Phou Si sunset
As you would expect, Luang Prabang has some beautiful temples (Theravada Buddhist in this case) that deserve a visit.
Buddhist temple
Buddhist temple
inside a Buddhist temple
Buddha statues
My favorite thing though was strolling along the river banks (especially on the Mekong side) and simply looking at the water and the boats.
The Mekong
The Mekong
The Mekong
Be prepared though that you’re bound to be stopped by the boatmen recruiting for their Mekong trips. Since May was very quiet tourism-wise, the men remembered me and it was getting increasingly difficult to say ‘no’ to them, especially that they were genuinely nice and nowhere near as pushy as the touts in the neighbouring countries tend to be.
In general, I found the Laotians to be rather shy but quite friendly. Perhaps not as friendly as I expected, since a lot of travellers consider the Laotians to be the friendliest nation in Southeast Asia, but that might be partly due to the language barrier (most locals speak only very basic English).
Can we talk food now, please?
The local cuisine surprised me in a good way, because for some reason I didn’t expect the food to be a highlight, especially after Malaysia or Thailand. I was wrong though! Lao cuisine is very tasty… and extremely spicy. As much as I love spicy Asian food, I have my limits too, and a particular dish I ordered for lunch once almost burned my throat. Apparently the pain was showing in my face, because an amused waiter helpfully rushed to my table with a glass of water, which allowed me to save face and finish the meal.
Western food lovers will be happy to hear that due to its French colonial past, Luang Prabang abounds in restaurants and cafes serving French cuisine. A French-style breakfast is what you’ll normally start your day with here (go for the Lao coffee though!), and in the evening crepe stalls pop up along the main road. Luckily, still no McDonald’s has opened its doors for business in Laos, and my recommendation is always to go for the local goodies (wherever you are). Especially if they are anything like the below!
meal by the Mekong
sampling platter @Tamarind
Excursions, attractions and the like
Food aside, the Sisavangvong Road closes to traffic in the evening and becomes home to the Night Market that goes on until 10 pm. It’s a good place to get your souvenirs from, or at least to get introduced to local art and craft. My personal favorite were small samples of local tea and coffee, packaged in little hand-woven textile bags.
One day I decided to explore the outskirts of the city, crossing the Khan River over a bridge that had an extremely narrow and shaky pedestrian walkway (which served as proof that my fear of hights, although moderate, is still a factor).
I then wandered around the area, holding a map over my head to protect myself from the scorching sun, when a guy on an old-school motorbike stopped and asked if I needed help. When we started talking, it turned out that he saw my map and thought that maybe I got lost (I guess not many tourists take a stroll that far from the city center and at this time of day). He was an American living in Laos for a number of years now, and judging from his smile and friendly demeanour, he was perfectly happy where he was, on his run down motorcycle and in the simple, almost rural surroundings.
the rural side of LP
After a while I got to a bamboo bridge, which I crossed feeling like a pioneer who gets where no other tourist goes, but my pride vanished as soon as I was asked to pay for the crossing by a lady seated in a little house at the end of the bridge. Evidently I was neither the first nor the last foreigner following that route.
bamboo bridge
In contrast to the above, the urban face of Luang Prabang would like something like this:
urban side of Luang Prabang
when it’s this hot, a nap is the best idea
urban side of Luang Prabang
Alms giving goes commercial
What is considered one of the main “attractions” of Luang Prabang is watching the monks collect alms at dawn near Wat Sensoukharam. Unfortunately, this tradition has now lost all its authenticity, with tourists flocking to the ceremony, being allowed to participate in return for a fee. There are stories going round about how outrageously the foreigners can often behave, dressing unappropriately and shoving cameras in the monks’ faces. Furthermore, some locals, tempted by an opportunity of making easy money, sometimes sell low quality food to tourists for the alms giving, which results in the monks getting ill from the offerings in some cases. Worst of all, apparently it is the government that insists on continuing with the ceremony nonetheless, threatening having the monks replaced by lay impersonators if the need arises, only to maintain a show for the tourists. With all that in mind, I chose to pass on the experience.
One that I was involved in completely involuntarily happened on my way back to the airport, in a songthaew shared with a guy from my guesthouse and an couple picked up on the way. For the first leg of the journey we were involved in a conversation (the usual “where are you from” and “where have you been” type of thing), but one of the guys seemed more and more distracted, and when the songthaew suddenly stopped, he jumped out and started talking to the very confused looking driver, and then helping him with one of the wheels. Later on it turned out that our companion is a mechanic, and that he could hear that something was wrong with one of the wheels long before the songthaew stopped. When it finally did stop, he found the wheel to be compeltely loose, and the expression on his face pretty much told the story of what could have happened, but fortunately hasn’t.
Afterwards we witnessed some sort of VIPs arriving at the airport, welcomed by soldiers, officials and ladies with flowers. And when that was over, we finally boarded the plane to Vientiane (unfortunately the Lao capital didn’t make much of an impression, which is why you won’t read about it on this blog).
Final thoughts
Overall, I’d say Luang Prabang is probably every bit as charming and atmospheric as it is portrayed in guidebooks and travel publications. At the same time though, I couldn’t help but feel as if I found myself in a somewhat Disneyland-like, too-good-to-be-true little world that is far removed from the reality of the rest of Laos. What I regret is not having enough time to see more than just Luang Prabang and Vientiane, but there’s always the next time I suppose.
