We had a choice between a minivan and a bus to get to Luang Prabang and were told we should get the bus due to our size. We were thinking it would be a big bus so when we were picked up and dropped off at the local bus station beside a small bus we were a little surprised. But we went with it and threw our backpacks up on the roof with all kinds of interesting luggage from the locals.
We jumped on and soon the bus was full. Upright seats, windy pothole ridden roads, a bus driver who thought repeatedly accelerating to the speed and then taking his foot off the accelerator was the smoothest ride and people vomiting all made for an enjoyable 8 hours. There were two redeeming aspects being the magnificent view of beautiful untouched forested mountains and the noodle soup we ate at the roadside restaurant.
We were pretty excited about Luang Prabang as everyone who had been absolutely loved it and driving into the town we already could see why. The town itself is nestled in between green mountains and situated on the joining of the Mekong and Khan rivers. Our guesthouse was down a narrow side street where we passed a mix of other guest houses, locals houses, little restaurants and even a temple.
We were pretty worn out after our bus trip so just wandered to one of the bars just down the road and sat for a drink. Just as we got our drinks we realised that we were at the Aussie sports bar and the man beside us got delivered a burger which made both our mouths salivate. Needless to say we felt a little cliche sitting at the Aussie bar devouring our burgers but we soon forgot about it.
The next day we got up and walked along the banks of the Khan river into the old town. Our first stop was the meeting of the two rivers and watching the clear slow flowing waters of the Khan be swallowed by the murky fast flowing Mekong. Due to its sacred positioning at the confluence of the two rivers Luang Prabang is filled with Buddhist temples and orange robed monks. The first temple we entered was Xieng Thong which is probably the most well known of the temples just up from where the two rivers meet. We entered and were greeted by a style of building similar to others we have seen but still different in its own Laos way. It had the tiled Oriental roof we have come to expect from these parts but the eves went very low to the ground. Pillars and statues were covered in mirrored mosaic which was pretty unusual for a Buddhist Temple.
We then continued our walk around the town stopping at many more smaller temples along the way. Along with temples the town is filled with French villas that have been converted into guest houses, hotels and restaurants. Although quite touristy the place had a very calming vibe that we were enjoying. The town was made even more enjoyable as there weren’t any hawkers trying to aggressively sell you things. The Loatians are a very laid back and friendly people.
We stopped off at a local handcraft centre and had the pleasure of meeting a master weaver creating her latest piece. I have decided that loom weaving is magic as even though we were given a detailed description of how it was done and I sat and watched her for a good 10 minutes I still could not figure out how she was making the pattern.
It started to rain so we decided we would take shelter in the forested 100 metre high hill Phu Si which is situated right in the centre of town. By the time we reached the top the sun was peaking out a little so the view of the surrounding hills, rivers and town were pretty beautiful. By this stage we were hot and bothered and wet so went back home to wait out the weather.
We emerged later on in the day and went back into town to sit along the Mekong and enjoy a sunset beer. It certainly is a mighty river, especially now during the wet season and watching the little wooden boats struggle across and up the river was enjoyable. My mango daiquiri not so enjoyable and I think the few sips I had caused me a little grief over the next few days.
We walked home via the night markets which again were really very enjoyable as the vendors weren’t constantly trying to sell you something but rather would wait until you showed interest in an item before saying hello and waiting to see if we wanted sizes or prices. In saying that we found it much harder to negotiate with them because they were so nice! We also regretted eating some noodle soup before we came as there were some amazing BBQ stalls. Luckily we are here for another night. We did manage to fit in some coconut pancakes which were delicious.
So far Luang Prabang has lived up to the hype and we were really looking forward to exploring more tomorrow. S
A delicious lunch in a roadside restaurant in the middle of nowhere in Laos!
No matter how bad the conditions of the road or the bus you definitely enjoy yourself when the views are like this. It would make for some spectacular hiking but I am guessing you would need to carry a metal detector due to all the unexploded bombs.
Our bus, not quite a bus not quite a minibus, not quite VIP but in Laos it’s a model which is often sold as all three!
The narrow alleyway leading to our guesthouse and many others too.
One of the locals.
The beautiful Khan just outside our guesthouse.
The clear blue Khan meeting the sludge of the Mekong.
The French style buildings in amongst the temples and monasteries really give Luanda Prabang a unique feel.
Our first view of the main temple was a real wow moment.
The detail in the architecture was something else.
The paintings and the statues on the outside of the temples were wonderful.
The walls of the smaller temples were covered in these mosaic patterns.
Everywhere you looked rice balls had been offered and placed all over the place.
The master weaver working her magic.
The main Palace, unfortunately not open when we needed to take shelter from the rain.
A temple at the bottom of the mountain with painted murals.
The steps leading up to Phu Si with just enough cover to keep us more or less sheltered from the rain.
All the way around the hill were many golden buddhas. We had the whole place to ourselves and it was fantastic wandering around discovering them all.
Dragons lining the stairs around the mountain.
Beautiful views from the top of the hill in the centre of town.
The view of one of the areas in Luang Prabang.
Noodle soup for lunch. So simple yet so delicious.
We passed this man skinning up a tree to get his coconuts.
Spending sunset watching the boats zip around on the Mekong was spectacular.
The markets setting up for the evening.
All smiles negotiating with the locals at the market.