Luang Prabang, Laos - Wats and all

Dates traveled

6 - 9 June 2013

Snufkin's age: A few days shy of 4 years old

Mode of transportation

From KL to Vientiane, we flew Air Asia. There are 2 main options to get to Luang Prabang from Vientiane:  A 10-hours bus ride or a 50-minutes flight. And in those giddy days of obsessing about Luang Prabang, I dreamed of arriving via the Mekong River on a slow boat.  Of course, with a 4-year old on tow, a slow boat and a lengthy bus ride do not even enter the equation and thus the slow boat remained just a dream and we found ourselves booking for flights on Lao Airlines.

From the international terminal of Vientiane airport, we walked to the local terminal. It was just a few steps away but we might as well have traveled through a time machine.  The deco, the atmosphere, the way that everything was manually handled including the check-in of baggage - everything reminded of the 70's (well, not that I have much memory of it). But I was in for a surprise when we stepped into the cabin of the Lao Airlines flight.  Contrary to what I expected, it was spacious, clean and bright and in no time at all we reached Luang Prabang.

Airport transfer to our hotel was easy and quick. The taxi ride was only 20 minutes and cost 50,000 kip using the coupon system.

The centre of Luang Prabang was small enough to be navigated on foot. We did use tuk-tuk, but only occasionally and mainly to get back from the town centre to our hotel (more of that later).

Accommodation

Researching for accommodation, I didn't know where to begin looking. There were many places that fit the bill in terms of what I am always looking out for - small, intimate with lots of character - and many were previously colonial villas now converted to guesthouses to cater to the growing number of tourists to Luang Prabang.

In the end, we decided on Maison Dalabua. The only downside as far as we were concerned were the location. Factoring in a little boy's walking pace, it took an average of 15 minutes to get to where the action is. You might need to fork out a few thousand kips for the occassional tuk-tuk ride back to the hotel especially after having walked for a few hours (a good alternative would be manly shoulders for said little boy to sit on).

But this was a small price to pay for the abundance of charms the guesthouse has to offer. Stepping across the main entrance of the guesthouse, you would feel like you have entered a secret garden. The first thing you would see is a big lotus pond, over which a wooden walkway snaked its way to the other side of the garden where the guestrooms are.

One of the highlights was surely the breakfast, al-fresco by the lotus pond with the lotus flowers in full bloom. The food was simple but enough to make you full: baguettes, spreads including tamarind jam and banana jam, fresh pineapple juice , mixed fruits with yoghurt and a choice of hot food, e.g. eggs, sausage and bacon.

First impressions

Luang Prabang had been top on my to-go list since as long as I could remember. I am not sure how I first heard of it but somehow the image I had of it was one of a far-flung and exotic place. The very name exuded romanticism and I felt that I had to go there to validate my travelling existence. In London, the desire to visit Luang Prabang intensified, thanks to constant mention of it in my favourite magazine Wanderlust. In fact, Luang Parabang was the top city for Wanderlust readers for at least 3 years in a row. Naturally I had very high expectations and we all know that this can be dangerous.

So with a mixed feeling of excitement and trepidation on my part, we set out to explore the town late afternoon on our first day there. By the end of the day, I was in love with Luang  Prabang. I was reminded by some comments made by some visitors who did not really like Luang Prabang as it was a bit like Disneyland, all set-up and made-up. Sure, some scenes were so absurdly beautiful that you half-expected to stumble upon a film crew. A bicycle propped perfectly in front of  shop with pastel-coloured French shutters, vivid red bougainvilleas tumbling down a trellis next to a wat, a group of orange robed-monk walking under a row of frangipani trees, a Colonial villa converted into a souvenir shop here and a French bakery there. But I was fine with this version of Disneyland. It was quiet, unpretentious and laid-back and I felt that little, if any, of the local's traditional heritage was sacrificed to achieve this perfection.

We spent the evening just walking around without a map, down this quiet alley and up the next - the best way to explore this place. We found ourselves first on Sisavangvong Road, then took a few turns until we got to the banks of the mighty Mekong. Snufkin was very excited to see the river, and more so when he saw boats plying the river. I was pestered endlessly for a boat ride but I was saving that for the next day.

We ended our first day of sightseeing with fruit shakes at one of the riverside cafes, watching the setting sun cast a golden glow on the town of my dreams. On the walk back to the hotel, the hunt for food began. Snufkin looked tired after the day of travelling so we were looking for food to take-away. Towards the intersection between Sisavangvong Road and Kitsalat Road, throngs of people could be seen turning right into an alleyway full of stalls selling all kinds of food imaginable. The icing on the (cheap) cake was the USD1 buffet spread. Basically, you pay USD1 for whatever food you could cram into the styrofoam pack. And then there were the grills which I simply had to have. Back in the hotel room, Snufkin devoured the noodles and all was well.