I’m sitting at a coffee shop in Luang Prabang, Laos, sipping yet another refreshing “soda maak nao” (soda water with lime). I had hoped for a fruit shake, but the power’s out all over town. No electricity = no blender = no fruit shake. Bummer. Megan is getting her daily massage. Until my banged up legs heal a bit (mementos of rock climbing in Krabi), I’m taking a hiatus from aggressive rubdowns.
We arrived here Saturday evening and took a stroll around town. It’s hard to believe we’re in Laos. The French, who landed in Luang Prabang in 1887 and refused to leave till 1954, left quite an architectural mark. Since the city became a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1995, many colonial villas, shops and offices have been converted to guesthouses, restaurants and art galleries. Located at the confluence of the Mekong and Khan rivers and surrounded by mountains, the town takes on a quiet vibe. Tourists rise early to snap photos of the monks collecting alms in the chilly mist, so mornings are a bit lively along the main boulevards. Then the clouds burn off, and everyone seems to take a long afternoon nap to escape the scorching heat. Cool breezes prevail after sunset, and the town comes to life again but in a gentle way with twinkly lights dangling from the trees.
Our first night in Luang Prabang, we went out for a casual dinner. Megan tried her first “laap,” a popular Lao dish of minced chicken and herbs, eaten with sticky rice.
The next morning, we followed part of a Lonely Planet walking tour, visiting a couple temples and then climbing up the 100-meter-high hill, Phu Si, to see the golden That Chomsi stupa at the top and to enjoy stunning views of the two rivers.
Hiking up the hill.
We made it!
A pretty little spot on top of the hill.
Inside the little temple at the top.
Buddha’s footprint. He must have been huge!
Great views of the two rivers. Here’s the Mekong:
And here’s the Khan:
After lunch (and Meg’s daily massage), we jumped on a longboat for a little cruise on the Mekong. The riverbanks were bustling with village routines: ladies washing laundry, children chasing each other, farmers tending the crops and animals, workers building a boat, fishermen pulling in their nets, and monks strolling to and from the hillside temples. Around 5 p.m. it seemed everyone decided to take a bath. Mothers stood in waist-deep water to give the kids and themselves a good scrubbing. Men stripped down to their skivvies and waded in for a wash. Although other people on our boat took pictures, it seemed quite invasive. They must have been thinking, “Geez, can’t a person have a little privacy around here?” When the sun dropped behind the mountains, everything and everyone was bathed in a pinkish golden light. As our boat pulled back to shore at Luang Prabang, long lines of Lao people were waiting for the river taxi-boats.
Walking down to the river.
Ready to go!
Beautiful sunset.
This is what Megan has seen the most on this trip.
This is what happens when you ask Megan to take pictures. Sigh.
People waiting to catch the river taxis.
For dinner, we went to 3 Nagas, a posh open-air restaurant connected to a boutique hotel. The food was delicious, but even better was the ambience. I had made a reservation earlier in the day, so when we showed up, our outdoor table was marked by a banana leaf with my name written in silver ink. (The leaf said “Sharan,” but close enough, eh?) A tiny vase held a delicate white flower with spindly petals. White lights swayed in the trees, and vintage cars were parked on the street. It felt like a movie set.
Today, we rented bikes and cycled to the outskirts of town. Twice we turned off the main road and pedaled till we ran out of asphalt. Once we left the historic area, the city looked very similar to Vientiane. People doing their jobs, living their lives.
Back in town, we traded our mountain bikes for these cruisers and pedaled around the back alleys.
After our ride, we stopped for a coffee but that’s when we learned of the power outage. We parked the bikes at the hotel and went for a stroll, and then Meg headed for her massage du jour. (Turns out the massage therapist was falling asleep, so Meg cut it short and met me at the café!) So, I’ll just suck down the rest of this soda with lime, and we’ll look for diversions that don’t require electricity…
