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It is always the same scenario: You go on a trip, excited about your adventure, you go sightseeing, shopping, find the best food, make new friends. Then you leave. Luang Prabang in Laos does not follow that pattern. It drowns you irresistibly. After you return to wherever you came from, you will spend your time thinking about going back. The charming and French-influenced Luang Prabang will stay in your mind forever.
When you fall in love with a place, you just know it. The feeling is so strong that it overflows your system; your eyes sparkle with love, the glow of happiness is plastered on your face. That was the reaction I had when I encountered Luang Prabang on a beautiful sunny late afternoon.
Everything was gold and orange in the sunset. The French-style town, the golden temples, monasteries, thousand-year-old trees and narrow streets were bathing in the sun. Monks in orange robes were preparing their evening prayer session. I seemed to stop breathing, drawn in by the sense of calm antiquity.
Laos is probably one of the last places on most mainstream travel lists. But different from other Chinese tourists favored destinations like Thailand and Malaysia, Laos has been well preserved after it opened to tourism in 1989.
Luang Prabang, which literally means "royal Buddha image," is now a foremost tourist showpiece. It is notable as an UNESCO World Heritage Site. It has now emerged as the next potential global hot spot. Even British actor Jude Law and then-girlfriend Sienna Miller were spotted in Luang Prabang.
Grab your passport, a map, a sense of adventure and go to Luang Prabang before tourists take it over!
Wat Xieng Thong temple
Wat Xieng Thong temple
Walk the day away
When you get to Luang Prabang, you will want to slow down and spend time around town. One minute you are at an Internet café, and the next you are traveling down the Mekong River on a boat to a cave that shelters hundreds of images of Buddha.
A typical day in town starts with a strong roasted Laotian coffee and fresh French bread. The streets are filled with small coffee shops, restaurants and bars.
I know many tourists are not morning people. But I assure you that the scene of giving alms to a line of monks makes it worth getting up at 6 am. Ask locals where the best lookout spot is.
Visitors can buy a package of sticky rice and biscuits to feed monks. A basket of sticky rice is only $1. Local people recommend not taking pictures of them. If you can't get up that early, skip the morning coffee and take a leisurely walk to examine the magical place.
One of the best things to do is to walk down small alleys in town. You can observe local life and find interesting shops that sell hand-made jewelry, handcraft, painting and Laos-style skirts.
If you're not a walker, get a tuk tuk - easily found everywhere - and check out major tour sites and temples. There are many tour operators in the street, you can just pop in and tell them where to go. There are more than 30 temples in Luang Prabang. As a Buddhist, I recommend at least a walk on your own.
After the walk, grab lunch at a local restaurant. Sticky rice, chicken and fish are musts. A cheaper option is street food. Fruit shakes, tuna crepes and roasted fish are strongly recommended. Eat with locals for an authentic experience!
Some Laotian women sell Laos cuisine wrapped with plastic bags on the street. They might not look good, but they taste good. Sit along the bank of the Mekong River, enjoy the sunshine and the food, and let the river relax you. While the more expensive choice is to go to a French restaurant, you can enjoy amazing street food at a local fare. No matter what, be sure to try the delicious local beer, Beer Lao.
Alternatively you can spend the whole afternoon strolling down the Mekong and Nam Khan rivers, watching boats and kids play in the water.
A local woman in front of Wat Xieng Thong temple
A local woman in front of Wat Xieng Thong temple
Caves, bikes, hikes
We took a boat to a cave across the river to check out the Pak Ou cave located 25 kilometers from Luang Prabang. Bring a flashlight, as the cave is pretty deep and completely dark. And it is very slippery inside! I had to tightly hold the hand of the tour guide.
Luang Prabang is a fantastic place for biking. The town is small, cozy and easy to bike around even without a map in hand. The owner of guesthouse we were staying at offered up a free bike. There are also many shops around where you can rent a bike for about $5 a day.
If you have one more day, you should check out the Kouang Si waterfall, one of the most popular sites in Luang Prabang.
You can go there by bike to save money. A tuk tuk might take one hour to get there. It charges about $5-10 per person. You can also rent a tuk tuk for about $15 for half-day to follow your own schedule. There are also two mini buses that depart daily. Lazybones as we are, we took a tuk tuk. It was raining that afternoon. But no one cared about getting wet, as we were swimming in the pools at the bottom of the waterfall.
The site is well maintained. It is a good place for family outgoing and picnic. A flat form was set up for tourists to get pictures of the waterfall. There is a simple wooden changing room near the pool and trails leading to the top the falls. The trails are slippery in a rainy season though. On the top of the falls are huge pools. Prepare proper shoes and bottles of water!
Some tourists and exhausted bikers love to jump into the pools at the bottom of the waterfall to cool off. If the tour to Kouang Si waterfall does not tire you out, climb up Phu Si, the highest point on central Luang Prabang to see the beautiful sunset. There are about 330 steps to the top. Go early to grab an optimal seat to see the greatest view.
Relaxing time
When the heat cools, you can finally shop! The sprawling night market is a must-go-to place in the evening. You can buy amazing silk textiles, Buddha statues and artwork at a relatively cheap price. I went there every night and could not stop shopping. Be nice to the Laotians while bargaining. They will be embarrassed by your anger.
If you are in the mood for partying in the ancient town, head to Dao Fa nightclub or Duang Champa, where Lao young people gather and party. The former is smaller and the latter is larger with DJs playing hip-hop and Lao pop songs.
A Lao traditional massage or spa helps you relax after a tiring day. You can get this from a local massage place or luxury hotel, and it will be cheap. The little massage place we went to had two floors, with a beautiful night view. I couldn't communicate with the massage therapists, as they understood little English, but they were enthusiastic about their craft.
After that, a walk along the Mekong River in the summer breeze is one of the most relaxing thing you could do. There, you can kiss Luang Prabang goodnight.
If you are planning to stay longer, there are still plenty of things to do. You can join a cooking class, learn how to cook Lao cuisine, or ride an elephant. Check out Haw Kham, the former royal palace, now a national museum, for a history lesson.
Go out of town to a bear rescue center located by the Kuang Si waterfalls, which houses endangered black bears that have been saved from poachers.
Joining a "Rice Experience" tour provided by Living Land Farm will give you a glimpse of old-school instruments used to grow rice.
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