Mekong river
The strip of land on top is where the airport is!
Absolute bliss.
Luang Prabang.....quiet, peaceful, clean, quaint and charming, is a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1955.Luang Prabang is a city where time seems to stand still.
From the time our little plane landed on a small strip of runaway until our return a few days later, the wonderful serenity persisted and it truly felt magical and romantic.The city is jewel-like: tiny and compact.I would never have thought about visiting Laos if it weren't for my friend Alex.Again it is truly a shame that many other Asians have truly neglected Laos as a must visit place except for a few Japanese and of course the Thai people.But I guess it could also be a blessing in disguise as it is still unspoilt by the tourism industry.
Luang Prabang is small, and just about everywhere can be reached by foot.Walking and travelling by bicycle is the best way to see this tiny city.The french influenced architecture(Indochine) with french headings everywhere was evidently unique to see in this part of Asia.There were splendid and numerous Vats all over Luang Prabang with beautiful buddhas everywhere and I think I only managed to see a few.The tallest peak in the town of Luang Prabang is called Mount Phousi and it gives a bird's eye view of the whole town and the surrounding areas (though i had to huff and puff all the way up in the humid surrounding, it was absolutely worth it!).One could see the majestic and historical Mekong winding past Luang Prabang on one side and the river Khan on the other.
Alm's giving at 6am for the monks and novices is an ancient practice that is even now carried out every morning; tourists and foreigners alike find it a very unique and solemn ritual.Sighting a monk or a novice walking about or doing their everyday chores (this includes playing with cats, catching monkeys, enlightening tourists about buddhism and getting to practice their English and French and watching the world cup among other things!) was truly an experience.One is greeted with a chorus of "sabaidee" (hello)by the warm and friendly Laotians everywhere and at any time of the day.
There isn't any lack of activities for the tourists either.Mountain biking,river rafting,visit to the waterfalls,elephant rides and also jungle trekking are among the activities a tourist could immerse themselves in.I also managed to visit Phet(a cub tiger) and her bear buddies(who to my friend's amazement all stood on their hindlegs whimpering for us to hand over some bananas).
I also managed to indulge myself a bit at my friend's sister, Peng's Spa Garden with a relaxing Laotian massage.Her little spa is in a typical Laotian house painted red and white with wooden interiors and soothing music in the background.The fragrant aroma of oils emanated from within the house before we even entered the place.Services were good and reasonably priced.And for someone who truly doesn't appreciate tea, I found their herbal tea quite yummy.
Breakfast,lunch and dinner could be had at various cafes and restaurants although JoMa Cafe(for their whole wheat bagels) and l'elephant(yummy goat cheese salad!) were my favourites.I was a bit unlucky with Laotian meals though as whatever i ordered always turned out to be a mediocre dish.And to my surprise every place and shop accept USD as 10,000Laotian currency is equiv to 1 dollar and it beats having to carry bundles of Laotian money.
Handmade mulberry paper(which I couldn't get some for myself unfortunately!),umbrellas,silk,cotton sheets,cute little(or scary looking!) handmade toys all could be bought as souveniers at the night market or various shops.
Eventhough I was woken up every single morning at approximately 6am by the friendly neighborhood rooster, I had a wonderful time otherwise and it is truly a charming place to visit.