Laos — Exploring Luang Prabang (ຫລວງພະບາງ/ຫຼວງພະບາງ), Laos — part 1 of 3
Exploring the town — what did I find?
September 2015
Luang Prabang (ຫລວງພະບາງ/ຫຼວງພະບາງ), Laos, is an interesting town, and I was unsure what to make of it.
Luang Prabang (ຫລວງພະບາງ/ຫຼວງພະບາງ) is small, and yet, it has an international airport. The town is quaint, with a tremendous number of temples. It is also quiet, or it was when I walked around on a Sunday morning.
Besides the temples, the town has numerous guest houses and hotels. In some areas, it seemed like every house was a guest house. Where are all the people coming from to fill these guest houses, and why are they coming here?
Along Main Street, which was closed to cars, there were a lot of tour operators. Again, it was a surprising number for a town of this size.
On one street, I found the mannequin shown in the photograph below.
You will find his hand gesture very rude if you are from the UK.
What was odd was the town felt deserted.
The town was almost worryingly quiet.
Where was everyone?
I did see one helpful sign outside the White Elephant tour operator, and I thought it was some great advice.
Their dos and don’t were:
- do check your money at exchanges (particularly nearby)
- do visit Utopia — go for a drink and relax all-day
- do exercise caution and wear helmets, renting bikes
- do climb Phousi at sunrise from the back
- do observe the colourful monk procession
- do brave the heights of the communist-era bridge
- do cross the Mekong and visit an abandoned temple
- do dance and drink at a Lao dísco
- don't walk the streets alone late at night
- do eat at a Las sindad
- do visit two of the three waterfalls
- don't engage in undesirable behaviour with local females
- do swim with the children under the old bridge
- do listen to the 4:00 pm rhythmic beat of Wat Sene drums
- do leave your comfort zone and visit a Lao hospital
- do spend a unique overnight in a Hmong hill tribe homestay
- do kayak on one of the four tributaries of the Mekong
- do mountain bike to a Lao village and visit the Tadse Waterfall
- don't stay less than three nights in Luang Prabang
- do combine multi-days of mountain biking, trekking, and Kayaking
- do meditate or do yoga in the aesthetic gardens of Utopia
- do respect Lao culture, tradition and customs by wearing more and thinking more
- do photograph this board for future reference
It all seemed like good advice, and I wondered how many of the 23 I would manage to do during my stay.
