Laos is a hidden gem among its more popular neighbors – Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, etc. My partner and I were there in end of April this year in a quaint Laotian town called Luang Prabang, which is also a UNESCO world heritage site.
It took me just two days to start feeling the soul of this place. This city is pristine and untainted : both in its geography and people. The Mekong river that lines the city with bamboo bridges for pedestrians to cross, authentic Laotian cuisines, houses with complete tile ceilings (no concrete ones) makes for a great rural and timeless setting. The people here are so content, happy and friendly! Their culture is rooted with Buddhist principles and simple living.
Laos is also a country of interesting contrasts, it is a deeply Buddhist country run by a communist government (vs other Buddhist democracies like SriLanka and Bhutan). It is a place where people are content despite some poverty. It is the most bombed country in the world but still has an optimistic society.
Memorable experiences in Luang Prabang:
Utopian Chilling: Lazing around in Utopia bar with a spicy Papaya salad (local dish) and hot chocolate, looking upon Mekong river, falling asleep while reading – this was so much like my personal definition of “chilling”
Volunteering: We signed up for half a day of volunteering at Big Brother Mouse learning center, talking to local youth who are keen to learn conversing English. These kids were simple hearted, hardworking and funny too. Most of them came from agricultural families that were hardly making ends meet. In the 4 hours we spent there, we learned a lot about Laotian family structure, education system, childhood in the country; we came out with a feeling of respect for the society and an admiration for these young adults.
Watching sunrise from Mt PhouSi: Luang Prabang is surrounded by mountains and is located at an intersection of two rivers Nam Khan and Mekong. Buildings are not more than 2-3 stories providing a clear view of whole town from top. Imagine that! We started our climb at early morning at 4.30 am and reached the top in 30 minutes. The sunrise was so beautiful, we found ourselves surrounded by a mesmerizing view of the town turning from night’s grey shade to different hues of orange and yellow with sunrise. The sight of this town waking up is something I am never going to forget! Another interesting observation was ALL the houses in town have ceramic tile roof-tops and no cement roof-tops at all!
Luang Prabang night market: Since the town shuts by 7-8 pm, we were strolling in the night market for almost 3 nights, with nothing else to do and were far from getting bored. It has some really cool handmade items (handmade bags, paintings by local artists, clothing, souvenirs, etc) . We just need to have an eye to look for the items of value and the skill of bargaining. Night Market street also boasts of some of the popular restaurants in Luang Prabang like Blue Lagoon, Tangor, Coconut Garden.
Trying the unique Lao cuisine: We tasted and learnt a lot about authentic Lao cuisine in this amazing restaurant called Tamarind where the staff while serving also explain how each dish is made and the ingredients used. Since Laos is landlocked without any trading port, its flavors have not been shared with the world much which makes it more covetable. We had the set dinner menu at Tamarind, highlights were bamboo soup, herbed fish, sticky rice dessert with coconut and lemongrass chicken. The tamarind, lemongrass and coconut flavors were refreshingly delicious!
Bike around the city: We rented bicycles for around four days to travel within the city, we remembered all the directions by day two, thanks to the small perimeter and Mekong river acting as a compass. For going out of town, highly recommend using the scooters (especially if it’s not too hot outisde) to sink in the local setting.
Almsgiving ceremony: Laos is known for a sacred ritual of almsgiving. Every morning around 5.30 am, locals line up on either side of certain streets with their home cooked food to donate to the monks who would be walking through those streets. There is pure silence throughout and you can feel the sanctity of this practice right away.
UXO, a wartime legacy: 270 million bombs were dropped by the USA on this poor little country during Vietnam War. Even to this day, a few people (mostly children) die or get severely injured every year by some of those unexploded bombs in agricultural fields etc. This organization makes efforts to remove some of those unexploded bombs and prevent some deaths. It was heart breaking to see how some parts of the country was destroyed during Vietnam war.
Spotting the French influence: Laos was a French colony for a long time until 1940s. This influence can be seen in the architecture, with large colorful windows on white painted buildings, cafes serving baguettes and popularity of coffee. Spotting these French signs was like playing a fun treasure hunt game.
Ethnic melting pot: Luang Prabang consists of locals from many ethnicities who migrated from the mountain ranges, nearby China, etc. Each tribe has its own way of dressing, traditions, music, bead styles which is very interesting to see ij the local museum and we were surprised by their uber cool fashion sense.
Kuang Si waterfalls: The stretch of dense and lush greens on all of the 40 km ride from Laos to Kuang Si waterfalls gave us an indescribable joy, it felt like traveling back in time by 50 years and we were humming our favorite songs all along the way. The waterfalls are three layered with 50 metres height with clear waters and are a popular destination for tourists. First we did a nice trail to reach the top beyond the waterfalls. After returning, we climbed to the top of waterfall, bathed, played silly water games till evening and came back all drenched with water on our clothes and happiness in our hearts.
By end of the trip, I developed a sense of belongingness with Luang Prabang. It’s also special since this is out first travel post wedding and we will always look back fondly to this one week’s memories!
Stay & hospitality: We stayed in two hotels Kiridara and Lotus Villa boutique hotel. Both are in peaceful localities and the breakfasts were delicious! Especially those signature tamarind jams, fruits bowls & Laotian options. My favorite part about Lotus villa was service! When they double billed us for the bike rent twice by mistake & realized it the next day, they called us to know our next address and travelled about 10 kms to give it to us. And what I liked the most about Kiridara was the ambience and those beautiful sunsets from our room balcony
balladofnature 