Luang Prabang is a city like no other. A tropical paradise dripping with humidity, steeped in culture, blessed with natural beauty and with an atmosphere and reverence like no other.

The 50 historic buddhist temples that are dotted throughout the beautiful ancient capital of Laos are awe-inspiring and make this little city loved by visitors from far and wide. Add to this its beautiful location on the Mekong River, the super friendly locals, lovely character-filled accommodation, great western-style cafes (a big draw if you have been on the road in Asia for a while), delicious local food, and of course Beer Laos (loved by even this non-beer drinker!) and you have a winner of a destination.

TEMPLE TIME

We started our first day in Luang Prabang wandering the palm tree-lined streets dropping in to visit the wats (temples) we wandered past on our walking tour of the city. They ranged from elaborate, gold strewn temples to crumbling stone facades, but all of them had the lovely peaceful feeling of a Buddhist temple. The common factor in all was the mostly young, orange-robed monks, who could be seen at every temple praying, washing, carrying out their daily chores or simply sitting in a group under a Banyan tree relaxing. They were an inspiring, thought-provoking sight.

After a morning of temple hopping we stumbled across a fantastic shop and gallery run by an organisation called Stay Another Day (which sadly looks like it is no longer). They promoted the handicrafts of Laos and were great advocates of fairtrade and sustainability. The gallery contained an explanation of Laos food and culture, including lots of interesting information about the plethora of local tribes and also a great list of 1000 things to do in Laos. We enjoyed talking to the local boy working in the shop who told us he was studying English and living with his Uncle in Luang Prabang so he could hopefully one day become a tour guide. I always love meeting locals, especially young people, to get a real perspective of what life is like in different parts of the world, away from the tourist hype.

It was a baking hot day so we were very happy to find a fabulous little garden café come bar called Utopia that we had read about to rest our weary feet and cool down. It is set right on the banks of the Khan River with a bamboo terrace over looking the view and a lovely garden decorated, interestingly, with old bomb casings that had been dropped over Laos in the Indochina War. The menu was awesome and we enjoyed a mango and cinnamon fruit shake and larb with sticky rice which came served in a little wicker pot, as seems to happen all over Laos. The afternoon consisted of more temple visits, including a visit to a photographic exhibition being run in conjunction with the British Library of the spiritual quests of monks, and a visit to Luang Prabang’s most famous temple Wat Xieng Thong.

One of my favourite things to do is wander beautiful cities and Luang Prabang meets all the criteria of a great place to wander! We really enjoyed walking along the stunning, wide streets which are lined with pretty colonial buildings interspersed with traditional Laotian wooden houses, handicraft shops and chilled-out cafés. Around 4pm every afternoon Luang Prabang comes alive with the sounds of the monks ceremoniously beating drums in the temple grounds. Walking through the streets listening to the devotions is a must-do. It’s a spine tingling experience that will make a permanent imprint on your memory. That evening we visited the huge handicraft markets (another one of my favourite things to do!) admiring all the things for wonderful things for sale and enjoying the atmosphere of what must surely be the most laid-back market in Asia. There is no hassle to buy but just friendly smiles and Sabidees from the stall holders. Don’t miss out on sampling the most delicious fruit shakes I’ve ever tasted. I highly recommend the dragon fruit!

RAINY DAY ACTIVITIES

It was rainy season in Laos and we had been pretty lucky with the weather so far but the next morning the rain had decided to join us so we made our way to the Laos Handicraft Museum. It was a fascinating display of the different tribes, their customs and beliefs, clothing and the handicrafts they produce to support their lifestyles and to allow them to carry out their spiritual rituals. It was still drizzling when we left but it was warm enough so we visited a fantastic, character-filled, crumbling old wat that our Australian friends we met on our boat trip down the Mekong had recommended to us. Next up we walked the steps to the top of Phi Hill to enjoy the view out over Luang Prabang and along the Mekong. The view was stunning, thick jungle, tiny temples dotted amongst the trees, wide roads splitting the landscape and the ever present Mekong.

After lunch we visited the Royal Palace Museum, housed in a lovely old Colonial building, which contains all the gifts given by other countries to the Kings of Laos, some of the furniture and fittings from the house of the royal family, important Buddhist scriptures and sculptures. It also houses The Prabang, a famous golden Buddha that the city was named after, and in a separate wat is the elaborate golden carriage that is used to transport The Prabang around the city on important occasions. There was also a stunning photographic exhibition by a German photographer who had carried out a project with the monks of Luang Prabang photographing their practice of Vipassana meditation. The photos were incredible and conveyed such feeling that I found them to be inspiring and humbling.

For the rest of the afternoon we hired bikes and cycled north of the city to a wat and forest retreat that we had seen from the viewpoint on top of the hill. Continuing our cycle tour we then rode to a few other out of the way temples, and at one spoke to a teenage monk who was keen to practice his English. He had been at the wat for 8 years and was getting ready to leave, having decided that the monastic life was not for him. He was also hoping to become a tour guide or ‘I can do anything’ he told us. I hoped that his dreams would come to fruition. It was really interesting to chat to him and get a real perspective of what like as a monk can be like. I think it kind of shattered the idyllic notion we can have that all monks are happy and satisfied and on the path to enlightenment, when for some, they clearly want very different things out of life, just like us lay people.

In the early evening we cycled back along the Mekong watching how the locals wind up their day and made it back into town for 5pm to listen to the beautiful sound of the monks chanting in the many temples throughout the city. We finished the day with dinner and Beer Lao as the sun set over the Mekong.

THE GIVING OF ALMS

One of the most famous things to do in Luang Prabang is to watch the Buddhist devotional give alms to the monks as they wander the streets very early in the morning. We were keen to see the spectacle, although also apprehensive about being an intrusion to a very personal ceremony. We had read all sorts of advice about how to preserve the culture and didn’t want to be annoying tourists. We left our hotel around 6am and wandered the streets, seeing the monks walking in the distance back to their wats, but not actually witnessing the alms giving. I was disappointed but at the same time felt a bit intrusive even trying to follow them. It was nice just to be up early in the morning enjoying the peace and quiet of the city before most people arose.

RAINY SEASON DESCENDS

After going back to bed for a nap it was raining heavily when we got up so we whiled away the morning at a café waiting for the rain to stop … which we were sure it would. It didn’t, but we really wanted to visit the nearby waterfall we’d read about and it was our last day in Luang Prabang so we booked ourselves on a tour and headed off, ponchos in hand. It rained for most of the afternoon, although luckily more lightly when we were enjoying the walk to see the waterfalls. There were pools for swimming in at the bottom but the rain had made it feel a little cold for that so we walked the slippery muddy path to the source of the falls. It was a rather exposed view point at the top with just a wobbly bamboo rail separting us from the sheer drop. I stood in the background a little nervously as Andy waded through the water to take some pictures. I was very apprehensive about the walk back down the muddy hill, especially after my experiences in the jungle in Luang Nam Tha but we found a big walking stick and took it very slowly and made it to the bottom without incident. Whilst we were waiting for our driver to take us back to Luang Prabang the thunder and lightening started and the rain got heavier and heavier. It was a hairy drive back with parts of the road covered with sheets of water and the locals all standing by taking pictures and helping to clear the debris that was floating across the road. Our driver looked pretty nervous crossing the road a few times but luckily we made it back in one piece. The roads of Luang Prabang were all flooded when we returned.

HERBAL STEAMING

I am a big fan of partaking in the local bathing/spa/massage customs so we couldn’t miss out on experiencing a traditional Laotian herbal sauna and massage. We had read about the facilities at the Red Cross, which a cheap, rough and ready facility that the locals frequent. Whilst not at all luxurious (we paid 3.50 pounds for a sauna and massage!) it was a fantastic, fun and funny experience. The sauna was just a small wooden room, one for men and one for women, and it was so dark and steamy that when I entered I could not see a thing, not even the sides of the room – it was quite disconcerting until my eyes adjusted. I was the only one in the room for a while and I sat on the bench and enjoyed the warm steam and smell of the beautiful herbs that are a feature of the sauna. We went for a few rounds in the sauna enjoying tea whilst we cooled off and watching Wimbledon on the television with a bunch of half naked Laotians, including a monk, which was a rather bizarre experience! The massage was very enjoyable, although unfortunately I felt a big crack in my ribs as I lay down … the damage I had done falling on my side onto a rock in the jungle finally making itself known. Ouch!

The rain was still falling when we arose at 6am on our final day, again hoping to see the giving of the alms, so we watched from the comfort of our balcony before grabbing our back packs and boarding the bus to Vientiane. In the few days we were there Luang Prabang made a great impact on us, despite all the rain, and has been filed away on the list of places that I will dream of returning to one day.