Valentine Vientiane

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February 26th 2008

Published: May 2nd 2008

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shandunc

What wat?

By the Mekong, this sweet little wat set in a loved garden is home to a tiny, bedraggled collection of Lao Buddhist artefacts.

From hubbub to hush

Although our time in Malaysia was far from chaotic (with many people living in Kuala Lumpur heading home for Chinese New Year and a 10-day public holiday ensuing) when we arrived in Vientiane, the contrast couldn't have been more stark. Granted, we did arrive somewhat early in the morning, but even still, walking out of the airport was hardly the experience it is in a developed city. No cab ranks quickly (or slowly) churning through lines of bedraggled travellers, no fluoro-clad security walking about looking menacing, no glinting duty-free shops throbbing with cheap alcohol and perfume. None of that, just a quiet little corner store-style shop with a small cafe, an ATM (which we weren't expecting) and a small counter that booked flat-rate taxis into town.

We'd yet again done what we'd sweared not to do and arrived in a new country without any reservations. Thankfully Vientiane isn't a huge place - we managed to leave our packs with a likely looking guesthouse and wandered the streets until midday checkout, when he could tell us whether we had a room or not.

With the onset of caffeine-depletion urging us on, we fell

Boozing by the river

After a none-too-stressful day meandering the streets, a few Beer Laos by the dried up river was the way to wrap up the day.

into chairs at the nearest cafe, a cute little joint on the corner. From our plastic chairs we watched the petite woman next door ladling noodle soup into bowls for her customers (the promise of the Lao foe soup rekindling memories of the Vietnamese pho we loved so much), monks wandering the gardens of the wat on the opposite side of the intersection and the languid pedaling of the stream of cyclists making their way around town on morning errands, many balancing roses and elaborate flower creations destined for their lovers' arms.

The Lao are, like the Vietnamese, Cambodians, Malays and Thais we'd met, indulgent romantics and were making the most of Valentine's Day. The mention of our honeymoon sent our waitresses into gushing sighs and giggles and the inevitable question "You have baby yet?". No, no baby yet. The looks of pity and disappointment on their faces at that was pure sweetness - "you have baby soon" was their consolation, along with a strawberry-syrup heart on the froth of my coffee.

Lao coffee... the prospect of this powerful elixir had reached almost mythical status in our minds. Malaysia was sadly bereft (Nescafe or Starbucks) and our craving

Luang Prabang sausage

Drying in front of a converted French colonial-era villa.

to taste the fabled and famed Lao brew had become one of our foremost obsessions. Vientiane surprised us with its abundant array of cafes serving it up - from trendy, Western-styled establishments with blackboard menus offering gourmet baguettes stuffed with imported produce, decked out with squishy chairs and free wi-fi to tiny shop-fronts with a clutch of plastic chairs around a home-made wooden table covered in plastic, with a very simple menu and serving up coffee thick as blood and with a strength that makes your already beating heart feel as though it has just been jumped with those paddles favoured by paramedics. We were in heaven.

Vientiane is a serene place. Despite everyone being in bed by midnight, there seems no added urgency to pack as much as possible into the day. The locals ride or walk around town at a languid pace and motobikes are still outnumbered by bicycles (although only just). What cars there are on the streets are more likely to be giant, impractical four-wheel drives and people movers and a surprising (and alarming) number of these are luxury models - Lexus, Mercedes, Porche. Completely incongruous with the somewhat humble streets of Vientiane and its

Sleepy streets

Just wandering around Luang Prabang's streets and alleys is an easy way to pass time.

inhabitants.

And so we spent our days in this snoozy capital wandering around the shady streets, past the white-walled gardens around the city's many wats, the brilliant orange robes of the monks breezing about like giant autumn leaves. We strolled around the small museums and were saddened by the meagre exhibits. Most of the country's monuments and treasures have been carted off by invaders over the years, leaving a paltry collection behind. Evenings were spent by the riverfront, although the Mekong had dried to a trickle between its vast banks. People made blurry dots of themselves wandering through the sandy expanse as dusk fell. We drank plenty of Beer Lao and scoffed down larp, the Lao salad of minced meat with herbs, spices and nuts. Hot, sweet and served with sticky rice, it kept us going on our rambles.

With my birthday looming, we had to make decisions about where to spend it. The idyllic country-side of Vang Vieng, just a few hours from Vientiane, promising stunning landscapes, lazy afternoons by the river and backpacker bars to while away the nights; or Luang Prabang, the World Heritage listed city, winner of numerous travel awards and the pinnacle of

Wat Sisaket

We'd not seen a wat like this one - a deep dusty pink and glittering with cut glass murals of daily life. On the back wall was a huge tree of life in greens and blues.

the Lao visiting experience? We opted for Luang Prabang and dosed ourselves up on travel sickness pills - we'd heard from numerous sources of the roads that twist and double-back on themselves like curling ribbon attached to the mountains, reducing many passengers to spend the journey with their head in a plastic bag.

But our pills worked beautifully and we were able to enjoy some of the most spectacular scenery of our trip so far. We were reminded of our trip through the north of Vietnam, the tiny strip of road slit into the immense rise of mountain carrying us past small villages and numerous wooden houses perched a hand-span from the swinging front corners of the bus.

Arriving in Luang Prabang is like arriving in a completely different Laos. In a similar way that Angkor is the heart of tourism in Cambodia, Luang Prabang is the drawcard for Laos and as such has much classier hotels, large tourist markets and fabulous restaurants. Luang Prabang was previously the capital of Laos and remains the religious heart of the country - the 32 wats that dot the landscape of the town are home to hundreds of monks and novices

Jostling for space

With just over 30 wats in the vicinity, there's no shortage of chances to immerse yourself in Buddhist culture.

who roam the streets. In the afternoons, their evening chants decorate the air and imbue the sunset with an other-worldly atmosphere.

Luang Prabang rises from the finger of land pointing straight into the confluence of the Nam Ou and Mekong rivers. Beautifully preserved French colonial-era mansions nestle next to traditional Lao-style wooden homes, neatly separated by well-kempt gardens and shady verandahs, giving the town a feeling of lived-in history. Pleasurable days were spent supping noodle soup by the Nam Ou for breakfast, followed by a coffee at any one of the wonderful cafes. A stroll along the river, or through the centre of town full of beautiful silk, silver and mulberry paper shops, or through any one of the amazing wats. For lunch, perhaps one of the baguettes from the markets bulging with cooked chicken and salad and another coffee to while away the time until everything opens again after the lunch-time siesta. We'd take our books down to the river and read for a while, or relax in our lovely guesthouse while the heat reached its peak and began to subside. At dusk, we'd head to the banks of the Mekong to down Beer Lao as the sun

Dusk on the main drag

Another lazy street scene.

lowered itself behind the mountains.

I celebrated my birthday in royal style, with a luxury treatment at one of the many spas in Luang Prabang. For four hours I was steamed, scrubbed, oiled, massaged and cleansed. Using beautiful natural products and a separate therapist for each part of the treatment, I was truly spoilt. At one point during my massage, I felt myself sinking through the table, no doubt on my way to heaven, or la-la-land. It was pure indulgence and for a quarter of the price I'd expect to pay at home.

Braving the early morning mist and chill rewards visitors with the experience of seeing the monks accepting alms from Buddhist adherents, who make merit by providing the monks with food and goods for them to use. It's a truly beautiful ceremony, the monks creating a ribbon of orange that burns through the mist. Their bare feet make hardly a rustle as they pass and their faces remain impassive despite the intrusion of tourists jumping in front of them, cameras flashing right in their faces. It was distressing to see people who were obviously drawn to the beauty and cultural intrigue of the ceremony treat it

Sundown on the Mekong

Daily sundowners by the Mekong, sitting in the shade of enormous trees, quickly became routine.

like a tourist attraction and being so disrespectful of the monks and believers.

Although leaving the peaceful atmosphere of the town seemed like a sacrilege, we made our way by jumbo to the nearby Kuang Si waterfall. Flanked by the beautiful Lao bush, the Kuang Si is a tropical paradise in the middle of the mountains. The impossibly blue falls wend their way through the dappled light of the surrounding landscape, creating stunning pools that beg to be swum in. We could only brave the waters for a short time. Being so high in the mountains, the temperature was bracing to say the least, but well worth it for the invigorating freshness. On our way out we passed the Kuang Si bear rescue centre, a natural environment enclosure for Sun Bears rescued from people keeping them as pets or potentially for their body parts to be used for medicines.

Luang Prabang is so full of wonderful travel experiences - the fabulous night-markets where local Hmong people sell their handicrafts; the wonderful cafes, shops and restaurants housed in Colonial-era shopfronts; the monks wandering the streets; the natural beauty and scenic location; the multitude of spas; the lovely nature of

Makha Busa

We were fortunate to be around for this beautiful ceremony on the full moon in February. Candles are lit and carried around the wats, then the faithful sit by as monks chant their prayers.

the Lao people. One special experience was seeing the Makha Busa, a ceremony commemorating a speech given by Buddha, in which devotees circle wats with lighted candles then sit by as the monks chant their prayers. As we walked home we saw monks attending to candles in a shrine, quietly going about the tasks of the ceremony. Such a different life to our own.

We stayed longer than we'd intended, and even after a week were reluctant to leave. But time was becoming a factor, with our expected arrival date home beginning to loom, we bade farewell to the appeal of Luang Prabang and headed back down the mountains to Vang Vieng.

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