The pearl of Southeast Asia, Luang Prabang

May 2016 in Luang Prabang, Laos

In the junction of two rivers, the Mekong and Nam Khan, against a scenic mountain backdrop, right beneath mount Phou si (150 meters high steep hill) lies one of the most charming places in the world – Luang Prabang. Never, in a million years, had I expected to find this pearl … in Laos. Or Asia for that matter. But there it was – a UNESCO World Heritage Center and a multiple Wanderlust’s annual award winner in Top City category, a gem I had never heard of before.

Coming to Luang Prabang was like coming home. No doubt I ‘had been’ there before, or so it felt. French Alpine Maritime village? Could have easily been. Built by European colonialists, European way in 19th and 20th century Luang Prabang is a remarkably well-preserved fusion of traditional and colonial architecture. 

Not only had I been there before but I actually knew ‘everybody‘ there. Wherever I went I bumped into familiar faces. Hello here and hello there. Chat here and there. How have you been? Exchange information. A drink together. Dinner. There was always someone I knew wherever I went.  It wasn’t just the feeling – I really did know them. They were my downstream Mekong co-travelers – and now familiar faces and friends  – and why not – after all we all sat in the same boat. 

Tidy, clean, picturesque streets, flower decorations, lovely guest houses, romantic alleys where some of the most romantic restaurants were hidden was so un-Asian experience I kept forgetting I actually was in Asia. The alleys of Luang Prabang were walkable, manicured oasis – a far cry from the rat-infested poorly lit and scary back alleys of other Asian cities and towns.

Many of the guest houses were originally 5-10 room colonial villas turned into hotels as was my hotel. I loved my hotel, and I loved my room. The room was on a small side but I didn’t care. I loved the house. I loved the interior. I enjoyed it so much that I extended my stay by 4 or 5 days. Corner room right on the river, not more than 100 easily walkable and paved meters from the pier. Yes, I chose it carefully – with my 20 kg suitcase in mind. Little that I knew …

Boat disembarking. The guy in the picture is my savior and hero. He carried my suitcase all the way up

Some smart greedy aXXXX moved the slow boat up/downstream traffic to another ‘pier’ in the middle of absolutely nowhere some 7 km away so that tuk-tuk mafia could extort extra money from tourists for a ride into town.

There went my smart hotel planning. I had to say bye-bye to the luxury of a short distance walk on a paved sidewalk and face the nightmare of disembarking the boat on a makeshift jetty and then making it alive and in one piece to town. In another words: wading from the boat, climbing 100 meters right up slippery, muddy hill with all the luggage as mysteriously there were no porters ‘eager’ to help and then interacting with tuk-tuk mafia that only saw dollar signs once you approached them to purchase a fixed price tuk-tuk ticket and did the best they only could to cheat you out of your change.

Accidents while climbing that hill are not uncommon. Few people broke their body parts falling backward, pulled by the gravity of heavy backpacks.  

(And btw, this is happening everywhere in Asia; piers, bus stations are being relocated long long out of town forcing tourists to overpriced taxi or tuk-tuk rides. E,g, my Yangon – Mandalay bus ticket was USD 7 but taxi to bus station was USD 10)

Night market

Like many other small Asian towns, Luang Prabang comes to life first in the evening. Nothing much happens during the day. Only a few tourists wandering around. When the night falls the town comes to life. Night market opens and restaurants along the banks of the Mekong fill up as do the local bars and pubs. 

A word of advice. Be careful with local vodka, called vadka, and whiskey served during happy hour (and beyond). They are cheaper than water and the quality is thereof. (Probably homemade)

Backpacker’s paradise

What you could and by all means should try is food served at buffet-type-stalls. For a pocket change you get a plate which you can fill up to the brim with local delicacies. Plenty of food for little money. It goes without saying these places are very popular with backpackers

Stairs to the monastery and sun set

Before dinner ‘the whole town’ takes a hundred (or was it two hundred?) step stroll up mount Phou si. Not to say hello to the monks that live in a monastery on the top but to watch the sunset. Every night the place is jam-packed with sunset lovers…  

Luang Prabang is a must stop while visiting Laos. But it is still not all the town has to offer. There is more. Much, much more. Its major attractions are not in the town itself but outside. Multi-tier waterfalls. I visited the largest of them Kwang Si Waterfall & Bear Rescue Center about 30 km out of town. If there is a paradise somewhere on Earth, this is it. 

Kwang Si Waterfall & Bear Rescue Center