Travel: Luang Prabang, Laos
Thani Talk ~March 2014
Luang Prabang: Essence of Small Town Life in Laos I have now been to Luang Prabang four times, the first as a cheapskate backpacker many years ago and then three times in the last few years, and I love it. Despite having many more travelers now, Luang Prabang is essentially still a small, chilled out town. Situated in the north centre of Laos nestled between the Mekong and the Nam Khan rivers, it is only a one hour 40 minute flight from Bangkok on Bangkok Air or Laos Air. I have been told that a bigger plane will soon start to fly that route, and it will only take an hour (less than getting into town from Nichada) followed by a 15 minute drive to the town. So a trip to Luang Prabang is perfectly do-able for a long weekend. Luang Prabang is a UNESCO World Heritage listed site and has therefore kept its charm with beautiful low rise French colonial buildings and many Buddhist temples and monasteries, making it a very photogenic city and pleasant to walk and cycle around. Another way to get there if you have more time is to take a boat from Chiang Rai. I have stayed in a few different places but most recently the Mekong Riverview Hotel, which as the name implies is directly on the Mekong River. It is run by a Swedish man called Urban and is just beautiful. He has slowly been developing it over the last five years, renovating old houses and adding rooms as he goes, and the place oozes charm. The rooms were lovely, the staff helpful and friendly, and it has a restaurant over-looking the Mekong, just perfect for having a glass of wine or an icy cold BeerLao watching the sun go down, while munching on deep fried crunchy buffalo strips and dried river weed (both tasting way better than they sound!). Things to do in and around Luang Prabang including: Climb the 389 steps to top of the hill to the Wat Chom Si. Although it is beautiful to do this at sun set it is also a MAJOR tourist attraction and was a bit crazy for our taste – we ended up leaving before the sun actually set as the place got swamped by camera wielding tourists. Get up early to watch the monks receive their alms – in January when we just went it was a chilly 8 degrees at 6am – so be prepared! Go to the Night Market right in town that is full of beautiful hand-crafted goods. Cycle around the town. The hotel we stayed at had some that we could borrow but there are a number of places to rent them around the town. Take a boat and do a trip along the river stopping at a small village where you can watch beautiful handmade paper being made and then stop at a temple or two. There are also some caves worth visiting too. Get out into the Laos countryside. You can do tours to some impressive waterfall and Elephant parks. There are also mountain bike tours. And last but not least save a few hours to chill out at one or more of the many cafes and fantastic restaurants along the river or in the small streets of this charming town. There are a number of excellent restaurants around town, we enjoyed a lovely traditional Lao meal at Tamarind, and the Elephant has a good reputation for traditional French cuisine. The Coconut Garden and the Blue Lagoon as also recommended. Definitely one for the Bucket List while in Southeast Asia. Enjoy! Cathy Sackett 14