Before I decided I should be a travel blogger instead of a lawyer, I’d never even heard of Luang Prabang, Laos. Pretty much all I knew about Laos was that during the 1960’s and 1970’s, it had the misfortune to share a border with Vietnam. In researching our trip to Southeast Asia, I read that it’s not wise to wander off established paths in many parts of Laos, including in Luang Prabang province, because of the risk of setting off unexploded ordnance (UXO). Over nine years, the United States dropped more bombs per capita on Laos than on any other country in history. Thirty percent didn’t detonate, leaving them still lying in deadly wait for an unsuspecting child, farmer — or tourist. I’m glad we went anyway.
Flying over the Mekong River into Luang Prabang.
We flew to Luang Prabang from Chiang Mai, in northern Thailand on Lao Airlines. When I booked our flight to Luang Prabang, I somehow missed the fact that a Lao Airlines plane of the same type, a turbo-prop ATR-72, had crashed into the Mekong River the previous month, killing all on board. Had I known this, I might have been more perturbed when the flight attendant recited the safety instructions in “English”, and the only two words we understood were “seat” and “belt”.
Our one hour flight was blessedly uneventful. (Mr. and Mrs. Excitement prefer not to be excited on airplanes). We were able to obtain a tourist visa upon arrival at the Luang Prabang Airport by shelling out $35 USD. (Bring an extra 2 passport photos if you want to do this). We took a shared van from the airport into Luang Prabang, trying not to inhale any aerosolized sputum from one van mate’s tubercular sounding cough.
Luang Prabang street scene with French colonial buildings.
This wooden style Lao house had an interesting architectural feature, a wall constructed from discarded televisions
We visited Luang Prabang in January during the high tourist season. However, the town did not seem impossibly crammed with tourists. French language and cuisine were more in evidence in Luang Prabang than anywhere else we visited in Southeast Asia. Indeed, our first meal was at a French owned restaurant along the main street. Many of the visitors seemed to share our Baby Boomer demographic. Luang Prabang is not known for its nightlife — not a problem for Mr. and Mrs. Excitement.
We spent three nights in Luang Prabang at a guesthouse a block from the “real” market where the locals buy their provisions.
Chicken for sale in the Luang Prabang outdoor food market.
And the rice to go with it.
We decided not to go on tours out into the countryside, but rather to explore the city itself on foot. Over our two full day stay, we did the following:
Walk along the Mekong River to Where it is Joined by the Nam Kahn
The bank of the Mekong River through Luang Prabang is lined with small outdoor restaurants and bars. The kitchens are often across the street, making service somewhat slow and inefficient by Western standards. If you banish your Type A personality and go with the flow, you’ll enjoy a pleasant interlude. Try to catch a sunset over the Mekong.
Sunset over the Mekong River & long tail boats.
We wandered down to the seasonal bamboo bridge that crosses the Nam Kahn River. This bridge looks kind of rickety and is rebuilt each year with the understanding that it will be washed away during the rainy season. We paid $0.62 to test our nerves and cross to the other side.
Seasonal bamboo bridge over the Nam Kahn River.
Climb Phu Si
This large hill is visible day and at night, when the golden stupa of one of its temples is illuminated. We managed the ascent of 328 steps with only a few stops to catch our breath look around.
Switchback stairs to ascend Phu Si
There are small temples at the top, but if you are not on a religious pilgrimage, the climb is for the 360 degree view of Luang Prabang, the Mekong and Nam Kahn Rivers and the surrounding hills. There is a small charge (about $2.50 USD) to make the climb.
Looking down on Luang Prabang & the Mekong River from our ascent up Phu Si.
We visited two museums:
The Royal Palace National Museum
The Royal Palace was constructed in French colonial style in 1904. The last reigning king lived there from 1959 until being deposed by the Communist Pathet Lao in 1975. I found it kind of chilling that all the explanatory signs in English simply end with the date 1975, with no explanation as to what happened to the Royal family. Apparently, they were removed to a remote “reducation” camp where it is believed the King died. The state rooms are quite elaborate while the royal living quarters actually seem somewhat spartan. There is an interesting collection of gifts to the royal family by various heads of state, including a moon rock from the United States. On the grounds is a separate building in which the King’s collection of now vintage cars is displayed. There is also a quite nice Buddhist temple.
Temple with classic Lao roof on the grounds of the Royal Palace Museum.
There is a small charge to visit the museum (about $3.75 USD). You will need to dress modestly as you would to visit a Buddhist temple, with shoulders and legs covered. Shoes must also be removed and bags must be left in a locker. The grounds also house a Buddhist temple. The museum is closed on Tuesdays and is closed for a period at mid-day.
Traditional Arts and Ethnology Centre
Opened in 2007, this non-profit museum’s mission is to “collect, preserve and interpret” the traditional arts and lifestyles of the diverse Laotian ethnic cultures. We spent a good hour in this small, well curated museum where films augment the collection of artifacts in explaining the daily life, crafts and beliefs of these groups. Although we did not dine there, the museum has a well-regarded cafe, serving ethnic minority cuisine. The Centre also supports handicraft production by over 600 Lao families and is committed to the principles of fair trade and sustainability.
The museum is currently open from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. It is closed on Mondays. Free for Laotians, admission for foreigners when we visited was 25,000 kip ($3.11 at today’s exchange rate).
Wats (Buddhist Temples)
The hammer and sickle of the Communist Party flag.
Since 1975, when the last king was overthrown, Laos has been the Lao People’s Democratic Republic and the red hammer and sickle flag of the ruling Communist Party is much in evidence. The Pathet Lao were not very successful in tamping down the practice of Buddhism and other tribal religions. Their acceptance of UNESCO’s help in preserving their religious patrimony and architecture in 1995 is evidence of a change in policy. You will come across a number of wat complexes in the city. Some have an admission charge. You are welcome to enter them if you are modestly dressed and remove your shoes.
In a ceremony known as Tak Bat, everyday at dawn, there is a procession of Buddhist monks along the Mekong seeking alms. During this silent procession, townspeople give small gifts of food placed into the monk’s bowls as they pass. We did not attend this, partly because we were not looking to be anywhere other than in bed at dawn and partly because apparently, it is often the scene of tourists behaving badly.
There are a number of restored Buddhist temples to visit.
Buddhist monks are very much part of the Luang Prabang scene.
Night Market
There is a street night market from 5:00 to 10:00 p.m. on the main street in town every night with all manner of handicrafts and other items for sale. You are expected to bargain. We were so bad at it, that one vendor proposed a lower price than what we offered.
IF YOU GO:
It goes without saying (right?) that you MUST research visa requirements for countries you visit BEFORE you get there. US citizens should avail themselves of the State Department’s very helpful country reports to research requirements and country conditions. You can access the Laos report here. I found that for Southeast Asian countries, what looked to be official websites for visa and travel information, did not always provide correct information.
Currency: We were able to obtain Lao Kip from an ATM at the airport and from ATM’s in town.
Where to stay: Luang Prabang accommodation choices run from 5 star hotels through shared dorm hostels. We stayed at the well-located, laid back, Manichan guesthouse which I picked out based on TripAdvisor reviews and which was fine for our purposes. Our high season rate of $45 per night, was for a basic en suite room and included a robust breakfast, served in the outside courtyard. There was some street noise, but it was easily compensated for by our white noise app. There was free wifi which worked best in the courtyard.The guesthouse is owned by a multi-lingual Belgian, Peter, and his Lao wife, Manichan. Peter can arrange all sorts of tours and provide restaurant recommendations. We actually purchased lunch twice at the guesthouse which was prepared with fresh ingredients right from the nearby market.
[This blog post has been added to the Thursday Travel Photo Link-Up at Budget Travelers’ Sandbox.]
