Luang Prabang, Laos The town

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Luang Prabang in Laos was voted the number one destination to visit from the New York Times in 2008 and coincidentally I was there in February that year. I had booked my trip to visit Vientiane and also Luang Prabang which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This old charm town which was once the capitol of Laos is located 425 kilometers north of Vientiane and is only 300 meters wide by one kilometer long.

Luang Prabang was built by the European colonials in the 19th and 20th century era and houses one of the best collection of French provincial style homes which many have been converted into cafes, restaurants or even boutique hotels. The beauty about Luang Prabang is that due to the UNESCO status (which was awarded in 1995), is there are absolutely no modern buildings here making it a perfect place to enjoy the natural culture and heritage of Laos.

When I was walking around the main town of Luang Prabang, I could not help notice the pure French Indochinese architectural marvels of that era. Some of them stand out in the night as they are beautifully lit. Most of the beautiful bungalow homes you see have been converted to high end boutique hotels. Entering one of them, a Lao doorman who was dressed in the 40s concierge attire, welcomed me in perfect English, a site rarely seen nowadays.

Back to Luang Prabang town. The town is very small with one main street called Sisavangvong Road where everything happens. All the main restaurants, cafes, travel agents, Internet cafes, spas, money exchange, antique shops and boutiques are here. So in the mornings, the town will be very busy with tourist. One thing I noticed when I arrived in Luang Prabang was the majority of the tourist were all Caucasians. Lilian and me were probably the only South East Asians there throughout our stay of 4 full nights there.

In the night, the restaurants, cafes and Internet cafes come alive. Travelers catch up with one another asking information on other places of Laos while having dinner and drinks in town. People are generally friendly, from the travelers to the locals. On occasion, you see orange robed monks checking emails or surfing the web in Internet cafes.

The town of Luang Prabang is actually very interesting when you start to explore the other little roads and lanes, (you can actually walk the entire town in a couple of hours) and here is where you will find many guest houses catering to the budget travelers of backpackers. Another popular place from my observation is the Bakery Guest House right smack in town. This cafe serves some great food and doubles as nice little cozy hotel. The menu is fantastic as they serve wine,cocktails, pizzas, steaks, pasta, burger, sandwich, soup, and spicy Lao food.

Generally, we tried most of the restaurants on Sisavangvong Road as we were daily visiting the main street for our tours to Pak Ou Caves, Whisky Village and other places of interest. To be very honest, I think Lao food is so much tastier than Cambodian or Thai food. Something about the fresh herbs they use here that makes it so much nicer. We even tried Indian food for a change. So, there is variety if you must know.

In general, there are a ton of things to do in Luang Prabang so please do not try to book a 48 hour trip there as you will be missing out on a lot of things. I would easily recommend a minimum of 4 nights there to enjoy your stay and also experience the traditional Lao Spa. Well, ladies, this would be a shocker as it costs a fraction of what you pay back home. Anyway, 10,000 KIP = US$1.00 so from the picture above, a Lao Massage costs only US$4.00 and hour.

You can walk around the day market which is called Hmong Market at the junction of Sisavangvong Road and Setthathilat Road. At this morning market, the Hmong Hill Tribe people of Luang Prabang will be selling their wares and you can find quilted bags, silver jewelery, t-shirts, some fabrics and cushion covers in Lao designs. These Hmong tribe people belong to the Lau Soung ethnolinguistic group which are known for their skills in silver ornaments and textiles.

There is also the most popular Handicraft Night Market which is starts at the corner of Sisavangvong Road and Kitsarat Road and this market is open daily from 5.00 pm right till about 11.00 pm at night. Hundreds of traders from all over Luang Prabang will sell their wares here ranging from catchy T-Shirts, Silver Jewelery, Lamps, Silk Scarves, Traditional shoes and head gear, original paintings, antiques, blankets, pillow cases and many other souvenir items. Seriously, this is probably the best market I have ever been to which remains true to the actual word handicraft market.

For the full story with pictures and videos, you can visit my Luang Prabang Town posting.

Regards,
David
Malaysia Asia

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