The view of the Luang Prabang valley taken from Mount Phousi.
Our choices were Tokyo, Shanghai, Sydney...but finally J & I settled on Luang Prabang as our Chinese New Year holiday and first major getaway of 2009. Laos had never really ranked high on my list of places to visit but I had heard nothing but good things about the jewel of the Mekong. So armed with a Travefish guide (instead of the usual Lonely Planet), we set of to spend 5 days in LP, along with a French NFF.
To get to Laos from Kuala Lumpur, the choices are to take Air Asia to Vientane and hop on Lao Airlines to LP, or pass through Bangkok and take Bangkok Airways. Lao Airlines doesn't have the most stellar reputation, but it's extremely convenient to book on their website. Another option is to take I had no problems with the flight whatsoever, so I wouldn't tell people to stay away. A short transfer through Vientiane and we were on our way to the UNESCO heritage site of Luang Prabang.
I thought 5 days in Luang Prabang was too much but in a place where time hardly moves, it's just right. The pace is peaceful, the days long and nights short, with so many spots to explore both in and out of the town, for the days I was there I gave up looking at my watch, or expecting to have party nights out. I walked, biked (!), relaxed, read, observed, savored.
So in no particular order, here are my personal recommendations for the full LP experience:
1. Stay
Villa Senesouk on Sakkarine Road opposite the Wat Sene. Quiet digs beside a pretty good breakfast place, a mere 5 minutes walk to the center of town and a few minutes to the Nam Khan River. The staff is very helpful, and if you would like to see the monks begging for alms at 6:30am, all you have to do is stumble out of bed to the front of the hotel to witness this amazing sight.
The courtyard of Villa Senesouk.
I loved the look of their reception area.
Monks in a line.
A lot of the monks are really young. They said its the best way to ensure they are educated and they have food and shelter, in a country which doesn't have enough for everyone.
The first monk at dawn.
So in no particular order, here are my personal recommendations for the full LP experience:
1. Stay
Villa Senesouk on Sakkarine Road opposite the Wat Sene. Quiet digs beside a pretty good breakfast place, a mere 5 minutes walk to the center of town and a few minutes to the Nam Khan River. The staff is very helpful, and if you would like to see the monks begging for alms at 6:30am, all you have to do is stumble out of bed to the front of the hotel to witness this amazing sight.
The courtyard of Villa Senesouk.
I loved the look of their reception area.Monks in a line.
A lot of the monks are really young. They said its the best way to ensure they are educated and they have food and shelter, in a country which doesn't have enough for everyone.
The first monk at dawn.
2. Eat/Drink
More fine dining by the NamKhan River at The Apsara. They had the most delicious desserts!
Dinner at L'Elephant.
3. Bike
Rent a bike and explore the streets of LP, and the especially scenic riversides and markets. As for myself, I was just happy I could still ride a bike. As they say, you never forget. But It was tough going downhill!
4. Cook
Tamarind Riverside was the preferred choice to spend our last day learning to cook Lao Cuisine, over Tamnak Lao whose owner (or booking agent?) seemed difficult to deal with. After a Phousy market visit, the Tamarind guys take you to their open-air class location 20 minutes outside of town beside hills and a body of water (looked like a stream more than a river), but it was really inspiring scenery even if some of what I cooked didn't come out as expected.
The very popular Lao sticky rice which I was never really interested in eating. Its too heavy a meal!
Chicken in lemongrass. The skinny failure is mine and the one on the left is what its really supposed to look like.
Ah finally, after cooking 5 dishes, including dessert, we sit down to enjoy the fruits of our labor.
5. Temple Hop
You will never run out of Wats to visit in LP, each one different from the rest. I was impressed at the elaborately decorated homages to Buddhism, strikingly different from the simplicity of the river surroundings. But the most impressive Buddhist shrine for me, was 200+ steps up the center of town at Mount Phousi. I couldn't believe that they could have the highest vantage point in LP smack dab in the town centre, like a man made Eiffel Tower. Towards sunset, people flock to the peak to catch nature's best show like it was a spectator sport, and the other side of the mountain affords beautiful views of the valley and river.
Fighting the crowds for a view.
Sunset. Sigh.
6. Shopping
Nothing beats the Luang Prabang Night Market for bargain buys. I bought a couple of pashminas and scarves for US$3 - 5 each, plus 2 handmade bedcovers for US$20 - $30 each. Just walking through the market is an feast of colors and shapes!
They start setting up these colorful tents towards sunset.
These are children's books made out of cloth. Cute!
How can you not buy anything from this adorable boy. I think I ended up with 2 useless bracelets.
7. Go Outside Town
In one day (which really isn't enough), we decided to take in the two major sights in Luang Prabang out of the town, which are the Pak Ou Caves and the Kwang Si Falls. They are both an hour away from LP, in opposite directions. No need to book a formal tour, as you can just ask one of the tuktuk/jeepney drivers to take you there at a negotiable price.
Thousands of Buddha images can be found inside Pak Ou Cave.
The water is so clear at Kwang Si it looks like a well maintained water park.
8. Donate A Book
Fine Dining at the 3 Nagas for our first lunch.
Pizza Luang Prabang for that river weed preparation I liked so much.
More fine dining by the NamKhan River at The Apsara. They had the most delicious desserts!
Dinner at L'Elephant.Breakfast at the Morning Glory Cafe beside the Senesouk Guest House. We spent the most enjoyable time checking out Lonely (Hot) Boy having breakfast, and we later ran into him at the bike rental shop. He tried to give us directions, but as usual, the girls were too tongue-tied and sober to invite him to bike around with us!
Must try: the strong Lao coffee.
Another must try of course, is the local beer.
An extensive wine and liquor collection can be found at Pack Luck Liquor Bar, at not bad prices. Try the one at the center of town, because their other branch attached to the guest house is always empty.
Hive, the most "happening" spot in LP of course shuts down by midnight.
Must try: the strong Lao coffee.
Another must try of course, is the local beer.
An extensive wine and liquor collection can be found at Pack Luck Liquor Bar, at not bad prices. Try the one at the center of town, because their other branch attached to the guest house is always empty.
Hive, the most "happening" spot in LP of course shuts down by midnight.3. Bike
Rent a bike and explore the streets of LP, and the especially scenic riversides and markets. As for myself, I was just happy I could still ride a bike. As they say, you never forget. But It was tough going downhill!
4. Cook
Tamarind Riverside was the preferred choice to spend our last day learning to cook Lao Cuisine, over Tamnak Lao whose owner (or booking agent?) seemed difficult to deal with. After a Phousy market visit, the Tamarind guys take you to their open-air class location 20 minutes outside of town beside hills and a body of water (looked like a stream more than a river), but it was really inspiring scenery even if some of what I cooked didn't come out as expected.
The cooking students.
The very popular Lao sticky rice which I was never really interested in eating. Its too heavy a meal!
Chicken in lemongrass. The skinny failure is mine and the one on the left is what its really supposed to look like.
Ah finally, after cooking 5 dishes, including dessert, we sit down to enjoy the fruits of our labor.5. Temple Hop
You will never run out of Wats to visit in LP, each one different from the rest. I was impressed at the elaborately decorated homages to Buddhism, strikingly different from the simplicity of the river surroundings. But the most impressive Buddhist shrine for me, was 200+ steps up the center of town at Mount Phousi. I couldn't believe that they could have the highest vantage point in LP smack dab in the town centre, like a man made Eiffel Tower. Towards sunset, people flock to the peak to catch nature's best show like it was a spectator sport, and the other side of the mountain affords beautiful views of the valley and river.
Fighting the crowds for a view.
Sunset. Sigh.6. Shopping
Nothing beats the Luang Prabang Night Market for bargain buys. I bought a couple of pashminas and scarves for US$3 - 5 each, plus 2 handmade bedcovers for US$20 - $30 each. Just walking through the market is an feast of colors and shapes!
They start setting up these colorful tents towards sunset.
These are children's books made out of cloth. Cute!
How can you not buy anything from this adorable boy. I think I ended up with 2 useless bracelets.
Cobra liquor: whether a novelty or as an aphrodisiac, it looks dangerously cool.
7. Go Outside Town
In one day (which really isn't enough), we decided to take in the two major sights in Luang Prabang out of the town, which are the Pak Ou Caves and the Kwang Si Falls. They are both an hour away from LP, in opposite directions. No need to book a formal tour, as you can just ask one of the tuktuk/jeepney drivers to take you there at a negotiable price.
Thousands of Buddha images can be found inside Pak Ou Cave.
The water is so clear at Kwang Si it looks like a well maintained water park.
8. Donate A Book
I was surprised to find a large number of secondhand books scattered in bookshops, restaurant and hotels all around town. There's a really good program to encourage literacy in LP called Big Brother Mouse. It encourages travelers to unlighten their luggage by donating books they are already finished with to the program, in order to make them available to the book-deprived kids in town. Most bookshops also encourage trade-ins. For someone who grew up as a bookworm, I can't imagine a world where I couldn't get a chance to read. This program is trying to change that in Lao villages, and I'm truly touched by the effort.
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