Travelling overland from Chang Mai in the north of Thailand to the Lao’s border town of Chiang Khong took 6 hour by bus. While aboard the bus I befriended a Dutch girl by the name of May, who had been disrupted by the airport occupations that had closed Thailand’s Bangkok airport. So May was making her way to Hanoi via a flight out of Luang Prabang (LP) in Laos where I was travelling too.
The township on the Lao’s side of the border is called Huay Xai, and you get there you need to cross the mighty Mekong River by small ferry, but once you do you are greeted by signs welcoming you to Indochina. From Huay Xai it is still a long way to Luang Prabang, so we would spend the night in Huay Xai which was easy enough as there are plenty of guesthouses for wary travellers.
To get to Luang Prabang May and I had the option of a two day slow boat down the Mekong or a day long bus ride through the mountains on a local bus. If this was the game show ‘Money or the bag’, the bus ride would be the bag. Regardless, we chose the bag in the interest of saving time and money and weren’t too sure what we’d gotten ourselves in for. The road was actually in much better condition than we expected, but the frequent fauna we encountered, on the road, slowed progress and made for some close calls. Plus things happen a lot slower in Laos, if the bus driver and his mates want to have a cigarette or stop for some bamboo mid trip, then that’s what happens, and the passengers wait.
We would wind our way through mostly jungle (what is left of it after all of the shifting agriculture that has occurred) and local villages who live in simple thatched dwellings; a way of life that seems to have existed for centuries - entirely off the land. It is always strange to see people living these simple subsistent lives, it’s like you are venturing back in time when you see it.
So after a 10 hour bus trip equivalent to crossing the Pahiatua Track in New Zealand (or the worse parts of the Desert Road) 10 times over, we pulled into Luang Prabang which is well known for its French colonial architecture, so much so that it’s a UNESCO world heritage site! It was also the former royal capital and seat of government of the Kingdom of Laos before the communist takeover in 1975.
LP is also a centre of Buddhist religion in these parts and probably boasts the highest concentration of Temples (Wats) in South East Asia. Almost as famous as its French colonial architecture Luang Prabang is also well known for the early morning alms collection which is carried out by hundreds of local monks, like it or not, it has become a sort of tourist attraction. It’s a sight not to be missed, but you’ll need to rise before sunrise and if you’re taking photos be sure to use a high ISO setting and the light is low and the colours dark. So with the high concentration of temples and its monks, no visitor to Luang Prabang will miss the sight of these enigmatic people.
While I was in Chiang Mai I never got the chance, So I wasn’t going to be deprived of the opportunity while in Luang Prabang. So with May, my new Dutch friend, we would take the short van ride to the local elephant camp where we’d help feed the elephants and go for a jungle ride and even bath with them in the river. It’s becoming increasingly unpopular to partake in this type of activity as the awareness of mistreatment is highlighted, so if you do decide to join a day trip to an Elephant camp, be sure to ask about their animal health record.
One of my favourite experiences in Luang Prabang was the local night market along the main street where every imaginable wear and local souvenir was on offer, plus a wide variety of inexpensive food. Oddy the regional specialty for street food vendors in Luang Prabang seems be a type of baguette sandwich which you don’t expect in South East Asia, but then that’ll be the French influence won’t it. However my favourite market meal has to be the whole fish which is cooked on a primitive charcoal BBQ on the side on the street for about USD $2.50. You could sit and wait for your fish to be cooked and just relax by the fire watching the people pass. Brilliant.
I would leave May in Luang Prabang as she continued her journey to Hanoi, while I headed off to Phonsavan on the high central plateau by bus (without a side window making for an unexpectedly cold trip in just a t-shirt and shorts) but I was excited to explore the mysterious Plain of Jars the following day.
