Luang Prabang, Laos

We traveled to Luang Prabang twice and I have to say it is one of my favorite places. The first time we went for Christmas. We had waited too long to get tickets back to the US to spend it with our families, so we figured a trip would take our mind away from being far away. The second time was when one of our dear friends came to visit us from New York City in May 2007. The best way for us to reach the city is to take Laos Airlines direct. Everyone has a different opinion on this little airline and their safety record. We never had any problems and settled our nerves with a free can of Beer Lao. If the reviews make you nervous, your short on cash or have a great deal of time, you can also take a boat down there river which I’ve heard from some is amazing and others a tourist rip-off.

Don’t forget your two passport photos and your Dollars (or Euros or Baht) as there are no ATMs. It costs $35 to get into the country and the line is usually a bit on the long side. If you want to get out fast you can hoof it off the plane but you'll be missing the point of being in Laos! Slow down and relax. On the upside, you meet some nice folks in line! In Thailand the greeting is sawasdee (ka/krap). In Laos the greeting is sabaidee. In Thai, sabaidee means "I am doing well." I find it interesting that the greeting is an affirmation of happiness and health rather than the usual sawasdee, sabai dee mai ka? ("hello, how are you?").

Once out of the airport shuffle up and catch a tuk tuk for $5 to your hotel or the main part of the city. For this trip you can pay for anything in either/or dollars, kip, euros, baht...even the noodle stands will have calculators. You should fix the exchange rates in your head when you get off the plane and get ready for a little bit of mental math. Or really you can trust the folks at the noodle stand. You may be out 20 cents but they're unlikely to do anything too dramatic. Just remember that kip is not exchanged anywhere else so try to leave with zero kip...

The central part of the city is surrounded by water (the Mekong and Khan Rivers) on either side and is so small you can walk quickly and easily to just about anywhere you want to go. The food is fantastic. The city is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and tourism is just now beginning to have an impact. The main site is the lovely Wat Xieng Thong which is so beautiful and peaceful it’s hard to describe. Other sites not to miss are:

• Mount Phou Si: Climb a lot of steps to the top of the hill overlooking the town. The Wat itself is interesting but you’re really up here for the view. I’ve heard that it’s best at sunset.
• Pak Ou Caves: Also known as the Buddha caves. Take the slow boat (unless you like risking life and limb to save time) up the river and enjoy the scenery. At the end is a cave full of Buddha status of all shapes and sizes that have come here from all over Laos and beyond.
• Kwang Si Falls: We still haven’t made it out to these but we’ve heard good things. Take a picnic lunch or buy your food out there. Also heard good things about the Tad Sae Waterfall.
• Ramayana Play: At the little playhouse near the National Museum (which is also worth a stop) you may still be able to buy tickets for a play featuring one story from the Ramayana. I read in my Bangkok Airways magazine that this play disappeared from Laos for 50 years and is just now returning. I understood very little of what was actually happening, but it was a lovely play to watch and the singing is lovely.
• Hill Tribe Cultural Museum: A friend of a friend just opened a museum in the area and although we haven’t seen it, we hear it’s amazing. The gift shop sells handicrafts from various ethnic minority groups in the area and I think she was also planning on putting in a little snack shop.

One great activity is to take a weaving or dying class from Ock Pop Tok. I did the one day dying, spinning and weaving class. You pick the materials, dye the silk, spin the resulting thread then sit down to a long afternoon of weaving. It’s really hard work and will help you appreciate the quality and craftsmanship of what you buy in the night market. I bought a lovely silk wall hanging during my last visit from one of the Ock Pop Tok shops. I adore it!

Places we ate and recommend:

• L’Elephant: What can you say about this amazing little restaurant that will do it justice! We went here for a set menu Christmas Eve dinner which cost us about $60 (with a nice bottle of wine) and I still remember it fondly. They cater to vegetarians as well as carnivores serving Lao/French fusion.
• The Three Elephants (or is it the 3 Nagas?): We are still debating which of these is the name. It’s directly across from the Villa Santi and serves great fish laap. A little spicy!
• L’etranger Books and Tea: Catch up on your National Geographic Magazines from 30 years ago. The food is good although the staff is less than friendly.

Place to stay:

If you can afford it (we couldn’t) by all means stay at the lovely Villa Santi. If you cannot we recommend the Thong Bay Guesthouse. Although Thong Bay is a little out of town the staff is great, the views very nice and the bungalows were very comfortable. Order breakfast out on the porch of your bungalow in the morning and start your day out relaxed.

One place NOT to stay:

We stayed at the Kongsavath Guesthouse when we went for Christmas and awoke after the first night to find that I had been totally mauled by bed bugs. This was an expensive place for us, as well, making it all the more frustrating to wake up to about 30 itchy bites. I spoke to the owner at breakfast and she blamed us – saying we had brought them with us- no one had ever complained to her before- HER guesthouse didn’t have bugs. I looked around for another guesthouse but started to feel guilty knowing that I would bring the little bloodsuckers with us where ever we went. So we stuck it out for two more nights. It was hard to sleep. I covered every inch of my body with clothing (which wasn’t too hard because the room was freezing) but they still bit my hands. When we came back to our apartment, we were pretty worried about bringing them back with us. We have friends in NYC who faced these evil creatures and we know how awful they are. We took EVERY precaution and we still ended up with them. It took us two months to get them out of our apartment. I have to highly recommend against the Kongsavath Guesthouse if you want to avoid this nightmare.

I don't want to end on a negative note so I will write a bit about shopping. Luang Prabang has some of the best! I don't want to say anything negative about my adopted home country (where the silk is amazing) but you can generally buy it cheaper in Laos. If you are looking for some inexpensive scarves for yourself and your family, I would get them in Luang Prabang. I picked up several for about $8 a piece. I am terrible with bargaining- I know there are some folks who will walk away from a purchase over $1, but that is not me. On weekend nights (and probably every night during the high season) they open a walking street market lit by bare bulbs and candles. It's a great place to browse.