From the moment I arrived by train I was charmed by Luang Prabang, Laos. It is so pretty and green, with small, attractive buildings and gilded temples. Every road looked like a picture. I loved walking those streets and stopping into French bakeries, little shops selling handmade goods, and visiting temples.
I had been kind of templed-out in Vientiane, but here my curiosity and interest were renewed. The setting was nicer, but the temples were also a bit different. More Buddhas and some of the temples had fabulous and intricate inlaid design on the exterior.
There is not a lot to do in Luang Prabang unless you want to do yoga or cooking classes or some similar activity. I didn’t mind. I was happy to stroll around and take in the atmosphere. In the evening, I had dinner and cigars on the main drag.
It rained pretty much the entire time. Not a heavy rain, but a constant one. I didn’t mind that either. It only made everything seem more green and serene, and it didn’t make me feel guilty for sitting on patios.
Cigar smoking in Luang Prabang was perfectly acceptable. Not indoors, but all the patios were fine, though I was absolutely the only person smoking cigars and I felt a little weird having a cigar with my yogurt/chia seed bowl at the café of a yoga studio. There was this one cool and tiny bar (Artisan Bar), just hidden down a side street. The bar had an elegant art deco/Hollywood glam décor, extremely dim lighting, and excellent cocktails. The bartender told me that sometimes they let people smoke cigars in there, but not on the night I was there. (Too busy, he said.)
Day Trip to Kuang Si Falls
On my second day, I met up with Chains, whom I had met at the train station in Vientiane, and we went on a day trip to Kuang Si Falls that was organized by his hostel. Kuang Si Falls is waterfalls and a park about an hour outside of Luang Prabang. It was beautiful and then there was a gruelling hike up a million stairs up to a series of lookout platforms in the trees. It was worth the climb, looking out over the green valley.
I’m sure the views from the road were also beautiful, but I slept the whole time.
Back in Luang Prabang, I had a quiet night with a cigar and some tasty green dumplings.
On my third and final day, I got up early for monks and a hike.
Alms Giving: A Cautionary Tale
Every morning, around sunrise, the monks walk in a procession along the main roads in their saffron robes, with empty bowls in hand, to receive offerings of food, like sticky rice or oranges. Along the street people line up with their items to offer and put them in the bowls of the monks as they walk past. The whole thing is a very serene and magical scene to witness. It is utterly quiet – or rather, it should be.
Obviously it is something that tourists want to witness and photograph, and that is fine, but there are rules. Well-publicized rules. There are literally signs all over the city advising people to dress modestly, keep a distance from the monks, and be quiet. They also advise you not to follow the monks; just sit at a distance and observe and take (flash-less) photos. That’s not difficult, right? I got to Sakkaline Road at maybe 4:30am and sat on the opposite side of the street from the procession and observed and took photos from a distance. Not so for all visitors. Busloads of tourists arrived and swarmed the scene, sticking their cameras right in the monks’ faces, shouting, and running around. It was gross. But I had a few minutes of peace and quiet before the hoards stormed in. I probably could have had a calmer experience from a side street, but I wasn’t sure what the route was and didn’t want to miss it, so I picked a central spot.
Stairway to Heaven
I then hiked up Phousi Hill. It is a mountain in the town with stairs heading up to the top. The entrance is just across the main road from the National Museum. The views are great, but it is the hike is the best part. It is up about 300 stairs elaborately carved with serpents, and all along the climb are small temples, stupas, and golden Buddhas set into the rocks and trees. It is like ascending into the heavens. (You pay a very small entrance fee of about $2 half-way up.)
I visited the National Museum (fine but not great) and went to the market for breakfast where I had some thin, sweet, milky bean soup and coffee for breakfast. A final stroll through the streets and then it was time to say adieu to Laos.
Laos was great. I would love to see more of it, just as a would the other countries in Southeast Asia. Fortunately, I was about to see a little more of Vietnam, as I was flying from Luang Prabang to Hanoi.
