Luang Prabang, Laos

1. Leaves, 2. Boat landing

1. Buffalo traffic jam, 2. Winding road

Gavin and I spent 6 days in Luang Prabang, one of the prettiest and most romantic little towns I've ever visted. Located 425 km north of Vientiane at the meeting point of the Mekong and Nam Khan rivers, Luang Prabang was the royal capital of Laos until the country became communist. Now, it's experiencing rapid growth due to an influx of tourists within the last 5 years. Thankfully, the growth has been more along the lines of eco-trek operators that help spread some of the tourism wealth to less populated areas, rather than mega-hotels filled with busloads of camera-wielding travelers that one sees in Cambodia. Unsustainable development has been somewhat checked by Luang Prabang's designation as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, but while we were there the sounds of guesthouse construction were pervasive.

*EDIT: The NY Times just did a thoughtful piece on Luang Prabang. But I'm not quite ready to believe the assertion of one of its quoted figures that "In order to preserve heritage, you must keep poverty."

So, here's another little travel guide based on our trip... Photos (and commentary) are on my Flickr site. First, a map from Travelfish to get you acclimated. Also, Hobomaps makes a more detailed map of Luang Prabang; be sure to pick one up if you plan to explore the area by foot or bike.

We slept
Satri House
A restored French colonial villa, built at the turn of the 20th century as a royal residence, that exudes an aura of faded glory and bygone elegance. Rooms were filled with locally handwoven silks and Lao antiques, and the sunny bathroom was gorgeously decorated with rustic country scenes set in mosaic. I felt like a princess! It's about a 10 minute walk south of the main tourist drag in a blissfully quiet area.

We saw
Royal Palace Museum
In the throne room, intricate mosaics depict scenes of everyday Lao life. In the secretary's reception room are various diplomatic gifts from visiting dignitaries. President Nixon gave a piece of the moon and a miniature replica of the Apollo 11. You'll be required to leave your shoes and belongings in a locker at the entrance, and picture taking is not allowed.
Phousi Hill
The steps up to That Chomsi, the stupa perched at the top of the hill, are steep, but it's worth the climb to see such great views of the town and river from above. The ticket booth is halfway up the stairs, so you can decide midway if you want to complete the hike.
Tat Kuang Si
On our fourth day in Luang Prabang, we hired a tuk tuk to take us to the Kuang Si waterfalls, about a 40 minute ride away. It was about $20 for both of our round trips. The morning was still foggy and cold when we left the hotel, and speeding up the side of the mountain left my fingers numb, but the ride afforded many scenic views: we saw women plowing misty rice paddies, farmers leading disinterested buffalo, and spirited schoolchildren walking and biking to school. Our driver stopped to let us take photos.
The waterfall feeds into several levels of clear blue pools. Some fellow tourists braved the cold to take a dip in the swimming holes, but it was a bit too chilly and crowded for us to venture in. There are wooden changing rooms nearby should you decide to go for a swim.
Luang Prabang Rescue Centre
Right inside the entrance to the waterfall park is the Luang Prabang Rescue Centre, where some bears and a tiger that have been rescued from poachers are on display (in separate enclosures). You can give a donation, find out about the circumstances that landed them there, and learn the evils of poaching. Their enclosures look fairly sturdy.
Pak Ou Caves
To get here, we hired a longtail boat from the charter boat landing on the northern tip of the peninsula. For $24, Gavin and I shared the 2-hour upstream ride with a very talkative Welsh lumberman on holiday. The longtail boat is a long and narrow covered wooden boat with a car engine in the motor room. Along this scenic route we saw lush farmplots on the riverbanks, saffron monks' robes hanging out to dry, a floating gas station guarded by a rooster and a mahout bathing his elephant. The Pak Ou Caves are comprised of two parts, lower and upper, both filled with small and medium sized Lao-style Buddha statues. Each has been left there by locals and pilgrims who return every Lao New Year to wash them. Local children sit on the steps to sell caged sparrows to tourists. Releasing the sparrows is supposed to earn you karmic points.
Tak Bat (Alms giving)
Ok, actually we didn't see this, the local early-morning procession of saffron-robed monks through town. This living tradition takes place every morning at about 6 am, as faithful Buddhists sit along the roadside and put sticky rice into each monk's basket as he passes. Though I was curious to see it, part of me felt that this sacred tradition was something purer without my intrusion; I'm content to simply know that it occurs, and to view other people's photos of it. I read that in recent years, due to the influx of tourists, the procession has become somewhat of a spectacle, with some overzealous photographers startling the monks by leaping out in front of the procession. Plus, 6am was a bit too early for the both of us night owls. If you go, take note of this advice.

Temples
It seems you can't turn around in Luang Prabang without tripping over a temple. Visiting them all in one day would not be impossible, but would probably be pretty tiring.
Wat Xiengthong, one of the most beautiful wats in Luang Prabang, is situated at the northern end of the peninsula formed by the Mekong and Nam Khan rivers. There are elaborate mosaics on the temple buildings depicting religious, folkloric and everyday Lao scenes. We were walking around Wat Wisunara, the oldest operating temple in Luang Prabang, just when the monks began playing the drums as they do every late afternoon at about 4pm. The rhythmic sound was powerful and haunting. Following the Nam Khan to the east, we came across Wat Phol Phao, where there's a golden stupa surrounded by a grassy area that seemed to be a popular with studying students. There's a wonderful view of Phousi Hill from here and its a good place for a picnic. Continuing along the southern bank of the Nam Khan, we came across Ban (Village) Pha Nom and it's attendant temple, Wat Pha Nom, a quiet area from which to contemplate the river. There are also a village (Ban Xiang Mene) and temples, some abandoned, on the western bank of the Mekong. You can take a boat from the landing behind the Royal Palace Museum. You might find yourself, as we did, "adopted" by a school-age child who wants to show you around for a donation. However, it's best not to encourage begging. For the most part, most money transactions are low-pressure and nearly haggle-free in Laos, and we saw nearly no begging -- a far cry from my experience in Cambodia. Hopefully, as tourism develops, Luang Prabang will persist in developing its locally-based economy without relying on handouts from tourists...

We learned
Weaving
At Ock Pop Tok
On my second day in Luang Prabang, I visited the Ock Pop Tok Weaving Center (just a little southwest of Phousi Market) for a 1-day weaving class. Laos has a rich history and well preserved tradition of weaving. There are numerous design motifs specific to the varied Lao ethnic groups, some of which are based on the animistic religious traditions that preceded Buddhism in Laos. During the 7 hours I spent there, I learned about the process of harvesting silk, tried my hand at preparing natural dyes (tumeric = yellow, sappan wood = purple, indigo leaves = green) with a mortar and pestle, and spent about 4 hours on a hand and foot operated loom creating an 18-inch swatch of fabric. Maeng was a skilled and patient teacher and Seng was a terrific translator.
Cooking
At Tamarind
Starting at 9am with a trip to Phousi Market, the class at Tamarind lasts about 6 hours and covers everything from selecting ingredients, using appropriate substitutes, preparation, presentation and, finally, eating. Joy is a Luang Prabang native who is tolerant of the funny food preferences of foreigners. Thankfully, however, most of our group shared an adventurous palate, and after spending hours pounding herbs with our stone mortars and pestles, we prepared and sampled fried caterpillars, jaew (a dipping sauce) spiced with chiles and bugs, buffalo orlam (a rich and hearty stew redolent with strong flavors from lemongrass, dill, juniper, chilies and basil), mok pa (fish steamed in a banana leaf), and a raw beef laab (salad) "cooked" with citrusy limes.
Three phrases in Lao
Hello: Sabaidee!
Thank you: Kawb jai
Thank you very much: Kawb jai lai lai
It's delicious: Saep lai!

We shopped
Phousi Market
Phousi Market offers an endless array of produce, meat, fish, spices, snacks and condiments, as well as housewares, textiles and clothing. We picked up a souvenir bamboo sticky rice container (tip khao), several meters of silk, and a barbeque grill, all for a fraction of the going prices in town.
Ock Pop Tok
Handwoven Lao textiles are available everywhere you turn in Luang Prabang, but a select few shops offer higher quality silks for higher prices. Ock Pop Tok runs a small shop on the main drag in the town center, and a larger gallery further up the peninsula, both offering high quality clothing and home decor with traditional and contemporary designs.
Le Pavilion de Jade
Every evening, walking back to our hotel, we passed this quiet shop housed in a restored French colonial building. On display are fine quality silks and antiques curated by the knowledgeable proprietor, who enthusiastically explained the various motifs to us and taught us how to distinguish real silk from fake. The shop is located around the corner from the Satri House.
Ban Xang Khong Weaving Village
For fun, we decided to walk to the weaving village, located across the Nam Khan, to the west of the airport. It was a peaceful and scenic, if a bit dusty, 40 minute stroll. There are a number of houses-turned-shops here that sell the village's handicrafts. Lao Textile Natural Dyes, run by the Douangdala family, has an especially high quality selection, as well as antique tapestries and ethnic costumes. You might see some weavers in action depending upon when you go. There are also shops selling crafts made of handmade mulberry paper, although these tended to just be cheesy souvenirs.

We ate Lao food (here's a brief glossary) at
Street stalls
Tasty food is available everywhere you turn, and some of the best is available from street stalls, many of which sprout like mushrooms after 5 pm. In town, the few blocks southwest of the Royal Palace Museum is a fresh produce market in the AM. At sundown, along the road between the Phousi Hotel and the Mekong, there's a night market where you can get sausages, grilled sticky rice, whole skewered grilled chicken, plus a whole lot more. In the evenings, pancake carts are active, one very popular one hanging out just south of Phousi Hill. On many a trek along dusty roads outside of town, we found refreshment in a bowl of pho or a bag of beverage (carrying your drink in a bag turns out to be very convenient, especially if you're on the go, on a bike or a motorscooter).
Phousi Market
Between early morning and noon is the best time to hit the market for fresh food. We had spicy bowls of pho one afternoon, and a big fat $1 bahn mi on another.
Somchan Restaurant
We didn't try any other riverside restaurants but this one, located on the southwestern end of the peninsula overlooking the Mekong. A good sign in their favor was that they were the only one that didn't list pad thai and hamburgers on their menu. The flavors in our duck soup and wild boar laab were bright, fresh, verdant, and on one visit we were accompanied by their adorable resident puppy which, in my book, instantly adds a few stars to the experience.
Malee Lao Food Restaurant
Located in the southern part of town, along Manomai Road about 350 meters southwest of Wat Manarom, Malee offers the local version of barbeque on a unique grill that is part grill, part hotpot. For 30,000 to 40,000 kip ($3 - $4), you'll get a serving of your selected meats or fish, a big basket of vegetables and vermicelli noodles, a couple of sidedishes (we got papaya salad and fried eggplants), and a few chunks of porkfat to grease the grill. So good we went back twice, despite their tendency to blast boyband hits from the 90s.
Tamnak Lao
A diverse range of freshly prepared Luang Prabang specialties is on the menu here. The ua nor mai (crispy bamboo shoots stuffed with pork) and orlam (beef & herb stew) were delicious! You might need to make a reservation for dinner on weekend evenings during the high season (November - February).
Tamarind
For a demystifying introduction to Lao cuisine, Tamarind offers a variety of different themed tasting platters, a binder of information so you can read up on what you're noshing on and helpful servers who make the rounds explaining the different dishes and how they're eaten. Tamarind, run by Joy and his Australian wife Caroline, also gives daily cooking classes that include a market tour.

We ate French food at
Restaurant Brasserie L'Elephant
Kind of pricey by Lao standards, but there's attentive service and decent food here in one of the fanciest restaurants in Luang Prabang. The goat cheese salad was quite yummy, and my lamb shank was pretty tender and juicy. You might need to make a reservation for dinner on weekend evenings during the high season (November - February).
Arisai
We liked this French restaurant better than L'Elephant. It's smaller size and open kitchen give it a friendlier atmosphere, and if the jolly chef spots your hungry eye from the window, he'll call you in to have a seat. We had a refreshing watercress gazpacho, an unpretentious and tasty Provençal stew, and some country paté to go with the wine. You might need to make a reservation for dinner on weekend evenings during the high season (November - February).

We took tea and coffee at
JOMA Bakery
Popular among expats, it's along Sisavangvong, just past the Post Office if you're coming from town. Simply a good place to rest your weary feet if you desire air conditioning with your caffeine fix. I had the disoriented feeling that I was in my college town coffee shop in upstate NY, though.
Sala Cafe
On the left bank of the Nam Khan River, just south of the Apsara hotel, this is where I had my first sip of Thé Mariage Frères, which really is an astoundingly good tea. You can sip it while gazing across the river at the verdant handkerchief farmplots and strolling saffron-robed monks...
A nondescript Lao coffeeshop facing the Mekong River
We savored the quiet atmosphere and the delicious coffee served Lao style, with a layer of condensed milk on the bottom that you stir in according to your taste.
Various other cafes and bakeries on the crowded main drag might look promising but are really not worth mentioning. Lasi Cafe does have free WiFi, should you need it, though.

We got around
On foot
Luang Prabang is mostly flat and not spread out, so it's a great walking town with lovely temples every few meters.
By bike
Before we went to Laos, we read internet rumors that bike rentals to foreigners had been banned in Luang Prabang "for safety reasons." I'm not sure if that's true but Gavin was able to rent one pretty easily. While I was taking my class at the Ock Pop Tok Weaving Center, Gavin explored the fringes of town on two wheels.
By tuktuk
For too-far-to-walk destinations, we arranged a tuktuk from our hotel. You can also find them roaming the streets looking for passengers. Some are modified scooters (with a covered platform and two wheels stuck to the back) but the nicer ones are modified pick-up trucks (with railing and roof welded to the platform). It's best to agree on a price with the driver before you start off.
By boat
There are numerous boat landings along the eastern bank of the Mekong. From the charter boat landing on the northern tip of the peninsula, you can hire a longtail boat to go to the Pak Ou caves. From the landing right behind the Royal Palace Museum, you can join locals crossing the river to the other side.

We got there
By Lao Airlines from Vientiane
Some backpackers like to take a bus, and one couple we met were making the trip by bike, but we travelled from Vientiane in style: by Lao Airlines. There are several flights a day and you can book tickets online at Lao Airlines. Don't worry, the planes flying between Luang Prabang - Vientiane are the French-built ATR-72s.