Luang Prabang

We had a great week in Luang Prabang, the city is so charming and the people are so friendly that it’s hard not to like. The city is tucked within a corner of the Mekong and Nam Khan rivers and it’s easy to walk from end to end. Every morning we would get breakfast from our favorite café and sometimes enjoy it on the hotel viranda. In the evenings, we would usually stroll through the colorful nightly market. We didn’t buy much (our packs are already too heavy) but its fun to watch the action. We ate dinner at a buffet in the market, only 5,000 kip (or 50 cents) for a big plate of different food, by far the best deal in town.

We spent a day visiting some of the many wats scattered throughout the city, our favorite being Wat Xieng Thong. There are 190 steps to the top, with beautiful Buddha statues along the way and stunning views of the city and the Mekong River. In a city of just 26,000 people, there are over 30 wats in Luang Prabang. Every day at sunrise, the beating of a wooden gong instructs monks to line up in preparation for filing through the street, barefoot and in single file. Carrying alms bowls, they collect offerings of sticky rice and other gifts from the kneeling villagers, who wish to receive merit by their actions. Many local women wake early each day just to prepare food for this ceremony.

After a few days, we arranged a trek to some Hmong and Khamu hill tribe villages. The trek itself was rougher than expected, through thick forest and streams and slippery hills. At one point, we had to cross the Mekong River and a man pulled up in an “I Love NY” t-shirt to take us to the other side. It was a memorable experience as the boat was filled with about 6 inches of water and it felt like we could tip over at any moment. Along the paths we met different groups of people, a couple of Hmong villagers growling like bears (jokingly) before we could see them in the scrub, a group of girls playing hide and seek behind a basket and a group of boys taking our pictures with handmade clay “cameras”. The villages were nice but we moved rather quickly through them along the 8 hour trek.

We arranged to have a traditional Luang Prabang meal at a place called Tamarind. There were so many different dishes served; mekong seaweed with sesame, leaves filled with buffalo/rice/peanut sauces, stuffed bamboo, laab (a dish with buffalo/eggplant/cilantro/lime), buffalo/pork soups and of course, lots of sticky rice. It was great to sample the unique dishes of Laos and to have someone explain how each dish was made (and how to eat it).

We spent one rainy day on the hotel viranda with our next door neighbor, Tommy. We met Tommy at a café on our first day in Luang Prabang and it was coincidence that he was staying in the same hotel in the room next door. Tommy is an interesting character, about 80 years old and full of stories, quotes and advice. He grew up in India, went to school in New Zealand and now runs a guesthouse in Thailand. He’s out there, I think a bit too much partying in the 60’s, but he was interesting and funny to visit with.

After 7 great nights in Luang Prabang, it was time to leave. We took a short 45 minute flight to Chang Mai and we’ll be in Northern Thailand for the next two weeks. Then we’ll be off to either Myanmar or Malaysia.