Kathleen
Luang Prabang – Cote d’Azur of Laos
February 21-25
No, it isn’t on the ocean, but it feels like it is where all the cool kids come to hang out in Luang Prabang. Of course, the outstanding difference is that none of the travellers staying at the slew of lovely guest houses and resorts seems to be Lao. Luang Prabang, with its striking position at the confluence of the Mekong and the Nam Khan has been around since about 700 AD. It has had several names and has been the seat of a bunch of different kingdoms/states. The French had a brief stint here and left a fair number of stately colonial buildings. The temples and colonial buildings have survived here better than elsewhere in northern Laos, as the prevailing loyalist government prevented them from getting bombed by the US during the “Vietnam War”, unlike the majority of northern cities.
The main industry, certainly in the lovely colonial center, seems to be tourism and the accomodation standards far outstripped the other places we had stayed in Laos. We were overjoyed with our guest house located right where the two rivers meet. We had an amazing adjustable bed (most of the beds have been rock hard), a lovely shower, and a gorgeous restaurant hanging over the cliff where they served the included breakfast. We enjoyed some of the best Lao food we have had in Luang Prabang, rode bikes around the city and over the bamboo bridges, got $15 massages, took a moped out to see some lovely waterfalls, and in general had a lovely, relaxed time.
The night market felt a bit overdone with stalls selling similar wares going on for a tented, clausterphobic, half-mile, but we also learned about some of the local crafts that our coming back to life after a serious decline. It is hard to really believe, giving the quantity and similarity of items on offer, that all the items on sale (scarves, dresses, bags, jewery, paper goods, etc. etc.) are actually made locally and by hand, but then again, there are no promises being made to that effect either. I bought an anklet with little elephant charms hanging off of it…..it may have come from Thailand, but it was cute and cheap and I doubt I will really be wearing long pants much in the coming months, so it seemed like a no-brainer for $6.
It was hard to leave Luang Prabang and our fabulous bed, but after a very relaxing four days, it was on to see a few more places in Laos before heading to Cambodia.