Laid Back Laos - Luang Probang

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This blog by Lucas:

So first of all, Luang Prabang is our reigning favorite city thus far in our world tour, and of course I managed to delete most of our photos from this Buddhist/French-Colonial oasis in the northern Laotian mountains. So check out the best of Luang Prabang photos from other travelers here if you are interested: http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Laos/Luang-Prabang/photos-page-1.html

The first half (4 days) of our LP time was with Bill & Lindy before they headed back to the US of A, and we were so at home Jac and I extended our stay another 4 days. LP is full of incredible architecture - seemingly with stupas, monasteries, orange-robed monks, and temples every which way you look, with perfectly faded French colonial buildings sprinkled amidst the Buddhist oasis. The town sits at the end of a river-formed peninsula between the Nam Song and Mekong Rivers, with plenty of great food and drink at riverside restaurants, and the essence of laidbackness exuding from locals, tourists and monks alike.

We had a great local contact, Pon, who displayed the great Laotian friendliness and took us on a nice tour of the town's major sites and temples and out of town
to the famous Pak Ou caves. We get to see the Royal Palace, which has all the bedrooms as they were in the prime of the royal family (a family conveniently packed away upon the Communist takeover). Inside is a cool collection of gifts from other countries, including a genuine piece of the moon from President Nixon and a boomerang from Australia. We saw many temples - Wat Xieng Thon, Wat Wisunarat, Wat Suwannaphumaham - and they were chock full of buddhas, mosaics and monks. We ended our first full day atop Phousi hill for an incredible sunset over the Mekong framed by the Laotian mountains. At Pak Ou the next day, the highlight was basically the longtail boat ride up the Mekong, as most of the buddha shrines at the caves have been looted over the years. The Laotian countryside outside LP seems much more prosperous than Cambodia and Burma - everyone seems to have a decent house (many made from beautiful teak), moped, veggie garden and very little pressing business to attend to. Life is slow, good and distinctly Laotian.

After we saw Bill and Lindy off, Jac and I spent a few more days lazing around, with a visit to some incredible waterfalls outside of town, which is also home to rescued Asian tigers and Black Asian Bears (Moon Bears), which are still heavily poached. I also made the mistake of going to the sketchiest riverside barber in LP, and in approximately 32 seconds he had shaved my luscious locks into some strange Laotian/Western style that assumed my neckline was about 2 inches above where my last barber had deemed appropriate (insert by Jacqui: just to be clear, Lucas had experienced 2 successful hair-cut experiences prior to LP and so was getting a little, shall we say, confident, in the hair-cut department. He also claims that I was supposed to be overseeing the LP hair-cut but what can you do after that first 2 inch shave with no common language! p.s see - Monks on the internet - photo for a small glimpse of the shaved ears... hilarious). I had to put my vanity and pride aside, and walk through town confident that lots of Laotians had my haircut - it just looks a little different on a Westerner.... After suffering this embarrassment, we decided to hightail out of town...

Recommendations in LP:

Read the book "Thirty Three Teeth" by Colin Coterrill before you go - hilarious detective story taking place in LP

The waterfall and swimming holes 45 minutes outside of town - they are much better than advertised, which doesn't happen that often in SE Asia

Sunset atop Phousi Hill

Lao Lao Cafe for outdoor fireside eating and drinking

Lao Lao (rice whiskey) - puts a nice fire in your belly

$3/hr Mystic Lao massages

Kanali Guest House - clean, cool, central and friendly for $15/night

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Comments

[des]

I want to see the haircut!!! Des