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Published: December 8th 2012
On the atmosphere:
From the minute we stepped off the plane onto the tarmac of the little Luang Prapang airport, we felt enchanted. The airport was a small temple-like structure, with mostly wooden interiors, lending it a soft, welcoming quality. The passport control officer was a jolly little man who joked with out kids and pretty much set the tone, in terms of friendliness, for every Lao person we met for the next ten days.
As our friend Serge rightly put it: it is impossible to feel stressed in this town. Even though the historical legacy of Luang Prapang, as a formal capital and ancient kingdom, is quite important and regal, the town nevertheless feels like a tranquil provincial outpost. The general atmosphere in town is so mellow and pleasant, it’s like there is an abundance of positive energy oozing out of all those Buddhist temples! I defy anyone to visit and not feel beguiled.
We also happen to hit town during the best season, when temperatures were mild with a pleasant breeze swaying the green palm trees and keeping the skies a clear blue on most afternoons. Further contributing to this appealing color
pallet are the dark brown wood balconies and shutters on the plain white two-story colonial buildings dominating the architecture throughout the town. You can hardly walk 100 meters before you encounter the gold leaf covering of another aging temple, speckled with the common site of the bright orange robes of Buddhist monks. If it is not the monks themselves that you see frequently walking through town, it is their robes hanging on bamboo laundry lines in a corner of any given temple. The final inescapable dash of color comes from the large bougainvillea bushes growing all over town.
Luang Prapang stretches out into a relatively large town, nestled in a small valley surrounded by lush green mountains. However, most of the attractions are concentrated in the old city which consists of a small peninsula not more than a kilometer long and a quarter of a kilometer wide with one steep hill in the middle, named Phousi which means “Sacred Hill”. At the tip of this narrow strip of land is the convergence of the Nam Khan River with the grand Mekong.
On how we kept busy:
Our days in Luang Prapang consisted of a
very laid back pace and minimal planning. Most often, we would stroll into town and visit whatever struck our fancy, then dining at whichever nearby restaurant or food stall seemed most appealing. Rarely were we disappointed with either, as the options are so abundant! Some of our favorites were the
JoMa Café where we enjoyed impressively authentic tasting bagels and pumpkin pie (in honor of American Thanksgiving, of course), the terribly French
Banneton Café, the surprisingly high quality Swiss
Blue Lagoon (raclette and spaetzli… ya vol!) , and the family-friendly super relaxed forest lounge space at
Dyen Sabai. We also frequently enjoyed some wonderful local cuisine at the night market, though our true Lao feast was at the slightly up market and very popular Tammarind Restaurant overlooking the Nam Khan. Since we couldn’t offer ourselves a traditional American turkey dinner on Thanksgiving evening, we treated ourselves to a traditional Lao banquet at our hotel that night, complete with live dance show.
After a few days of this strategy of random sightseeing, we had succeeded in visiting the
Royal Palace, now serving as the National Museum, and a good dozen or so wats (temples and pagodas), including the
impressive
Wat Xieng Thong- formerly the temple of choice of the royal family, as well as the Luang Prapang’s oldest temple, the 500 year old
Wat Wisunurat. Requiring a little more planning, but well worth the 100meter climb, was our sunset hike to
That Chomsi at the top of Phousi. We also managed to make our way across various fun open air markets, which occasionally involved key commercial undertakings, such as haircuts for the kids. Virtually unavoidable in the evenings is the
night market that stretches down the main street of the old town and dazzles you with rows and rows of local crafts, including stunning Hill Tribe embroideries and jewelry. As a means of resisting the strong urge to purchase countless beautiful souvenirs, Lea simply took endless photos of the many lovely items she so longed to add to her collection of Asian artistry at home. (
Arnaud’s translation: Lea is addicted to fabric and practically had to be restrained from buying more, as we already have boxes and boxes of the stuff at home. It was tense, but I succeeded. Halleluiah for limited luggage space and digital cameras.)
When the sights in the old city all
became a little too familiar, we let ourselves wander out of town, simply exploring the surrounding countryside along the banks of the Mekong and Khan rivers. Down every little rural road, there was beauty and charm. And not having a set schedule other than honoring our daily afternoon naps was a very welcome change of pace. On numerous occasions we also simply opted to enjoy the comforts and luxuries available on our doorstep, thanks to the fancier than usual accommodations we offered ourselves in Luang Prapang.
On where we slept:
Seven years ago, Arnaud and I enjoyed a memorable honeymoon in the Maldives, where we became friends with our Swiss scuba-diving instructor, Serge. Today, Serge has moved on from his marine expertise, masterfully working his way up the hotel ranks to become the manager of the Banyan Tree Angsana brand hotel in Luang Prapang, the
Maison Souvannaphoum. We therefore could not resist staying with Serge, both to enjoy some nostalgic links to our honeymoon days, but also simply because he manages one super lovely little hotel. And frankly, we deserve a treat! The Maison Souvannaphoum, referred to by its staff simply as “The Maison”, is the former
residence of the late Prince Souvanna Phouma, an ex-prime minister and exiled member of Laos’ royal family. And indeed, we felt like royalty, staying in the palatial grounds of this luxury boutique hotel. Despite the pretty pool, fabulous spa and gourmet restaurant, the highlight of our stay here was getting to know Buddy. Serge is pretty welcoming and also efficient in his management duties, but the true host at The Maison is his pet parrot, Buddy. And our children monitored Buddy’s every move, delighted by each word he uttered (which I am quite convinced was limited to the repetition of his own name, but my children attest to a far broader vocabulary.) Be it thanks to his prose or his friendly whistle, or perhaps even his charming green hue, it is undeniable that Buddy lent a domestic charm to the hotel lobby and dining area, contributing to the paradoxical coziness of this grand royal residence.
Unfortunately, budget constraints were such that we could only allow ourselves a limited duration at the well-appointed Maison and so after a few indulgent days, we moved on to the more reasonably priced and less conveniently located- though surprisingly chic and comfortable,
not to mention brand spanking new-
Sen Boutique Hotel. We also have Serge to thank for this place, since he found it and booked it for us before it was ever even open. Though there were the inevitable wrinkles one can expect with a barely open hotel, we nevertheless enjoyed this hotel and its top-notch service immensely. We were in a family suite overlooking the pool and would highly recommend it to any friends coming to Luang Prapang with children.
On how we moved around:
On the first few days in town, we simply strolled around on foot. On occasion, we’d hail down a tuk-tuk to take us back to the hotel, if we’d happened to wander a little too far off and the kids were due in bed soon. Our initial hotel’s central location, just minutes from the night market, made this easy. However, as we got curious about the areas beyond the old city, we began to look for some wheels to rent.
On discovering that none of the bike rentals could accommodate our need for child seating, we realized the next best option was to rent a scooter. Despite my familiarity
with scooter driving thanks to our beloved Vespa back in Geneva, I did not feel comfortable navigating Asian traffic with a child on board- no matter how sleepy the town. So we opted to leave the driving to Arnaud who is far more experienced and generally calmer on anything motorized with two wheels. Furthermore, having the four of us on one scooter actually felt safer, since Sam could be lodged in between Arnaud and me, while Mimi rode upfront. This not only meant there was no kid to potentially fall off the back of the scooter due to inexperience, but it followed suit with how the locals pile onto a scooter and led to immediate approval and acceptance in the neighborhood.
To those of you reading this who are not fooled by our “When in Rome” defense and therefore filled with disapproval in regards to our reckless attitude to transporting our kids around Asia, you are absolutely right… and I recommend you NOT read the next section of this blog… because things are about to get a whole lot worse.
A memorable end to a remarkable chapter:
We thought ten days would be plenty
of time to savour the charms of Luang Prapang, but strangely, time flew by faster than ever and though we managed to take in most of the more famous sights in town, we still felt we could have easily enjoyed ourselves for many days more. On our last full day in the region, we commissioned one of the many long narrow “banana boats” on the Mekong to drive us about an hour upstream where we could then hike up to the fabulous
Kuang Si Falls in a national park just 32 kilometers outside of Luang Prapang.
We had been warned that the boat couldn’t bring us quite to the national park entrance, but that a waiting vehicle would take us the last few minutes of the journey. The detail that had been left out and only became apparent at the end of the hour-long boat ride was that this vehicle was a pick-up truck and we’d be riding on the back. We then discovered that this additional bit of a road was not only extremely bumpy and an endless series of swerves, but that it would last a good twenty minutes. While I held onto my kids
for dear life, they laughed along with their father in pure, absolute delight. Much to their disappointment, I insisted the kids and I ride upfront with the driver on the return trip, while Arnaud “heroically” remained out back on his own.
As you can see, we lived to tell the tale… not only making it to the park entrance in one piece, but also completing the hike like champions. The reward at the end was well worth the treacherous journey to get there however. These multi-tiered falls were a stunning sight in the middle of a lush tropical forest and the various natural pools they created offered us an unforgettable swim in magically milky turquoise waters. As if this were not enough to thrill our kids, there was also a bear sanctuary at the bottom of the hill that exhilarated Sam in particular.
We left Luang Prapang the following day, filled with fond memories and happy hearts from this lovely, lovely lazy place.
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Susan Jenny
non-member comment
Lovely is the right word!
If this is one of your favorite places, you certainly shared it appropriately in this my favorite blog so far. We can catch your enthusiasm for LP and appreciate its beauty with these super photos. You must have thousands by now! Our grandchildren are really more than just cute, they are totally at ease in this Asian environment and stand out in their attractiveness. On the other hand, I think I'm no longer so available for trying market food....at least not all that meat or fish. I guess I could stick to noodles and rice and vegetables though. The fruits are really marvelous but I didn't see so many of them, maybe next market shot??? Loved the Thanksgiving photo with the fantastic boat and the dancing and the smiling family faces. We really miss you and can't wait to hear all over again about Laos.... in person!