Luang Prabang, Laos
Laos needs some love and attention from those of us traveling to Southeast Asia. It's not a secret to Europeans, especially the French, since they colonized it, but I've rarely seen much on social media about this country that sits between Thailand and Vietnam. Luang Prabang, the ancient capital, is a UNESCO World Heritage site, to experience two things: the Laotian Buddhist tradition of Sunrise Alms Giving and to hike the Kuang Si Waterfall. I found a lovely little town with a vibrant night market, restaurants, shops and of course TEMPLES. The city sits between the Mekong and Nam Kham rivers. The massages in Laos were the cheapest I found in SE Asia: $4.30 for one hour. Yup.
I took the one-hour flight from Chiang Mai to Luang Prabang, but you can take a two-day cruise on the Mekong River instead. I spent a total of $50 on meals, a SIM card, two massages, a pair of silver earrings, souvenirs and tips. I was a little distracted in Laos because my ATM card wouldn’t work anywhere in town. I only had a $100 bill USD to last for two weeks.
Not going to lie, I panicked a bit. Luckily I sorted it out with the help of my ground control crew - three people in the U.S. that I trust to help me if something were to pop-off anywhere in the world.
ROAMING TIP:
Share your itinerary with trusted individuals who can help you if a situation arises while traveling. My itinerary includes: passport number; phone numbers for the U.S. embassy in every country; my travel insurance numbers; every flight number; the hotels’ phone numbers.
ACCOMMODATIONS
I stayed at Villa Maydou, right next door to a temple and monastery. I was able to witness the young monks (novices) doing their daily chores and I could hear the twice daily chanting. So soothing.
My room was prepaid as part of my package. The WIFI wasn’t great in my room, but great on my terrace, not helpful for 1am video calls back to the U.S. Luckily I scheduled the trip to Laos to coincide with days when I had no meetings.
EXCURSIONS
As part of my tour package, my guide Lin and I did:
a City Temple tour- the Laotian temples are the “ same same”, but different from the temples in Cambodia and Thailand in that they use colorful mosaics for storytelling and as decoration.
a hike up Kuang Si Waterfall. The location is about 70 km from Luang Prabang, so you need a driver. I saw some tourists on motorcycles if you’re brave like that. Kuang Si is just one of many waterfalls that can be accessed from Luang Prabang.
the Sunrise Alms Giving ceremony. I overslept and missed the 5:30 am meetup time with Lin. I was upset because this was one of the primary reasons for my visit, but Lin knew the route that the monks take every day, so we were still able to see the processional. Basically, every morning, the people of Luang Prabang provide offerings of food- mostly rice to the monks from all the temples in the city. The people line the sidewalks and as the monks make their processional, they take the rice offerings. It is a sacred tradition that has been practiced forever. It is a beautiful experience to partake in.
A visit to the morning market after the alms giving ceremony. The colors were vibrant and the food was FRESH! My guide pointed out some interesting food options …
I visited the bustling night market on my own and on the way back to the hotel one night I stopped for a foot massage. It was 10 pm when I finished and walked back to the hotel. I felt perfectly safe.
CULTURE and CONNECTIONS
Laotian people are very modest, reserved, and gracious. Luang Prabang is driven by tourism due to the UNESCO designation. I had a chance to visit a village where the women still weave beautiful fabric by hand on homemade bamboo looms. A woman’s weaving skills determine her eligibility for marriage still today.
During the Vietnam War, the U.S. bombed Laos. There are still unexploded land mines throughout the remote countryside.
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