30 December 2005
Part 1
All the travelers we've met coming from the north have told us that Luang Prabang is a small town. Well, it isn't that small, especially when you arrive at nightfall, tired and hungry (and more than a little bit out of it), with too many heavy-assed bags, and every place you've knocked at is full. We are the unholy trinity wandering about looking for an inn. At the last minute, Sue finds us what was, in all likelihood, a manger in its past life. Or a garage. Seriously. It's one of two rooms for rent in front of what looks like one of the more posh guesthouses in town, suggesting that these two rooms are converted stables/garages. The room is stark with a tiny window. The confused manager, who hardly speaks a word of English, hands Sue several blankets which we turn into a makeshift extra bed on the floor. We are just grateful for a place to lay our heads.
The next day, we transfer to an even more expensive guesthouse. but this one has a a double and a single bed so no one has to sleep on the floor. The bathroom is as big as the stable we just vacated. It also has a balcony, which is separated from the main room by glass doors. Of course, I forget that it looks out onto the main drag and hang around smoking ciggies in my bikini until I realize the tourists at the café across the street are staring.
The night market is just down the street and, soon, our room is turned into a giant closet with clothes and shopping bags strewn across beds and the floor. At one point, I catch Deb taking her shopping in. She lets out a gasp as she unlocks the door: the room looks like a cyclone had gone through it! She shrugs her shoulders and, from the doorway, chucks her bags in, then turns right around to shop some more. Three chicks let loose on a night market can do a lot of damage.
Luang Prabang is unreal in its beauty, with a light morning mist adding to its surreal quality. The town itself straddles two rivers, the Mekong and the Nam Khan, and is full of old wats and shophouses. (For a great view of the town, I suggest climbing the 400 steps to the top of Mount Phousi at sunset.)
We get up early most mornings to watch the monks make their rounds begging for alms. Local women – and tourist like Deb and me – kneel on mats by the street and place sticky rice in the monks' begging bowls. Which begs the questions, why is it just women giving alms and why only sticky rice? I'm sure the monks will appreciate other things in their bowls like a mango or warm soup or larp.
We walk into White Elephant Tours because there is a sign in front listing things to do and NOT to do in Luang Prabang. Very cheeky. We likey. On the list of what not to do are the Pakou Cave which, we are told, is a waste of time and is verified by others who have taken the tour, and the rice wine villages.
The proprietor, Derek, is Canadian and has been living in Laos for the past five years. He says most of the establishments we see around us have gone up only in the past two years. Derek is warm and friendly and is eager to share his knowledge about Laos, whether it's recommending a tour or a place to eat. Later, he points us towards a barbecue joint by the river, which is easily one of the best meals we have in Luang Prabang.
We succumb to the sales pitch and shell out $25 each for the trek to Kuang Xi waterfalls, which other tour operators advertise at only $1 - $2.50 at the most. Apart from the three of us, there is only one other guy on the tour, David. Our guide is Burly, and we make jokes about how he is the least burly man that we know, only to find out that his name is actually Vu Lee. Oops!
Vu, Susan, and me. (Photo c/o David Boorse.)
You know those movies where there are people walking through wild terrain, then the camera pans out over their heads to an absolutely fantastic view of mountains, and then the film's cheesy title flashes over it like THE SEARCH FOR THE LOST ISLAND OF SHANGRI-LA or something? Well, if some opening credits had been rolling over our heads during the trek, I would not have been surprised. Vu leads us through some of the most spectacular scenery I have ever seen in my life. Even the fog that coyly slips over the mountains only enhances the magic and the mystery of the cliffs that rise up all around us. I keep expecting to see a Lao Dian Fossey frolicking on the mountainside with whatever animals they have in these parts.
Debra: "It's like a set out of 'Monkeys in the Fog'!"
Me: "You mean 'Gorillas in the Mist'."
We stop at a Hmong village.
Laos is composed of three main tribes: the Hmong, or highlanders, whose people can be found all over Asia, the Khmu who trace their roots to the Khmers, and the Lao or the lowlanders.
Derek makes good on his promise to take us to a village that is hardly visited by tourists and they open their doors to us because, apparently, Vu is Hmong. Inside one hut, there is man sitting on the dirt floor, playing a melancholy tune on what looks like the Lao version of a bagpipe.
I find that I am hungry all the time on this trip and Vu is kind enough to stop at a most picturesque river, where he takes out our lunch from his backpack. It turns out that the poor guy has been carrying, in addition to our delicious lunch (prepared by Derek's beautiful Lao wife), water bottles, a papaya and a watermelon! He must have been relieved that I had gotten hungry so soon.
All photos in this section c/o David Boorse.
We resume the trek and it isn't long before we reach what Vu tells us is the top of the Kuang Xi (- most tours start from the bottom of the falls). We wade through the shallow water and lean over the railing where the water drops to several pools below. It is the first time we have stood at the top of waterfalls and we are exhilarated.
We walk down, and the waterfalls are even more majestic below.
Photos above and below c/o David Boorse.
The water beckons and we take a dip in the freezing but refreshing pools.
All photos in this section are c/o David Boorse.
I think about the Philippines and how we, too, have beautiful waterfalls which, unfortunately, have been desecrated by local government officials with cement and mobile phone advertisements.
We warm ourselves with a cup of Lao coffee and I buy Oreos for Vu and teach him to dunk it in his brew, which he thoroughly enjoys.
On the grounds, there is also a small zoo where they keep a tiger and some bears that have been rescued from poachers who sell their bile to the Chinese for medicine. The tiger is beautiful and only a few months old. Our heart goes out to it because it looks sad and lonely in its huge enclosure. The sign tells us that its mother and brothers were killed by poachers. The bears look like anteaters with afros. The keeper tells me that I can pet them. Of course, as soon as I put my hand in the cage, one of them tries to take it off, but I manage to get it away without a scratch.
At the end, we are pleased to have missed the tourist hordes, and look up Derek again to sign up for more tours.
Part 2
Vu tells us that tomorrow is the beginning of the Hmong New Year, which they celebrate for about a week. He has the day off and would like to take us to his village, which is nearby, to meet his family.
It turns out that it is also Lao National Day and everyone is out on the streets in their finest Lao national costume. Vu's family comes out to meet us but are shy and stay on the sidelines.
Debra, David, Vu's two other guests, Susan, and Vu. (Photo c/o David Boorse.)
His mom cooks us some pancakes made of sticky rice, which we are supposed to dip in something that resembles molasses. I am just here for the Lao Lao but I guess it is too early in the day for whisky and we make a brave effort to consume the pancakes but, at the end, make excuses that we have just had breakfast and are too stuffed to eat.
We take a walk to some sort of plaza where, Vu tells us, everyone comes to socialize. There is a beautiful Lao teenager dressed in a flamboyant pink Lao costume. We take photos of her like we are the paparazzi. She looks shy, but Vu tells us she can't be that shy if she has ventured out dressed that way.
Later, a gang of "cool" Lao boys turn up in leather jackets, their hair styled in the latest fashion. Except that one of them is wearing pink flip-flops and cracks us up.
Vu invites us to come back later in the evening when there is more happening. But Deb has to leave for Bangkok and Sue and I have to transfer to less expensive digs. We get emotional when Deb leaves, and are even unhappier because we have transferred to a shithole which, at $12, is still too expensive for what it is.
We explore the town, visit wats (- Vat Xieng Thong is supposed to be the most beautiful in the whole of Laos), shop some more and then sign up for more tours with Derek. Sue has several more days here so she signs up for a two-day biking tour ($80), while I sign on for a one-day kayaking and trekking tour ($35?). We are wary of what we will have to consume at the Hmong village so decide to stay in town on our last night together and treat ourselves to an expensive dinner and drinks.
My tour the next day feels a bit more commercial, probably because there are more of us and we encounter more travelers along the way. We visit a Khmu village and Tad Xi, a smaller waterfall, which is still pretty but has been "developed" along the lines that the Philippines would. No, they have not built concrete walls around it, but they did put some tables and chairs in one of the pools and there are prominent Beerlao umbrellas around.
The river is nice and pleasant, with a few rapids along the way for excitement.
The other travelers on the tour are shocked that I eat chicken. They are worried about getting bird flu - which you CANNOT get once the damned thing is cooked - and then go traipsing about a hilltribe village where there are monster roosters, hens, turkeys, and geese roaming freely and shitting about. Hello, bird flu!
Deb is a pescetarian and Sue has followed suit on this tour so anything with tofu on the menu excites them. I, on the other hand, cannot possibly fake excitement over tofu even if it came in the form of a duck. (It's a good thing we do not see any rats at the market, although we do encounter several small boys along our treks hunting river rats for food.)
When I get back to town, I hang out with Mike, a young Brit, straight out of university, whom I met in Vang Vieng. I suspect he is hanging out with me because I eat chicken.
We check out The Hive, a local watering hole for expats and tourists, that has a sign outside that says "Please respect the local customs. You may make noise at the bar but not on the street." Several Beerlaos later and I am trying out my primal scream at the bar before closing time. Luang Prabang has a curfew so we head back to town before midnight.
Luang Prabang Recommendations*
To stay:
- If you're not on a budget: 3 Nagas, Villa Santi, Apsara (which also has two houses for rent).
- For flash-packers like us, definitely Phounsab. Don't let the crappy-looking restaurant downstairs mislead you, the rooms are actually nice.
- Stay away from Sok Dee. "Sok dee" means "good luck" and you'll need it here. David recommended the place because he was staying there but, as soon as he brought us there, they tried to sell HIM a room. They were surprised but unapologetic when he produced his room key.
To eat:
- The Lao salad at Naunenapha. That is THE ONLY THING to eat there despite their kilometric menu. And don't let the grumpy woman taking your order put you off.
- The barbecue along the river.
- The vegetarian buffet along the night market for 5000 kip, which you have to get them to heat in a wok, as Mike informs me. The girls and I had ours cold, which didn't impress me but they seemed to like.
- The Lemon Grass Wine Bar looked nice, and we've heard good things about Joma bakery, which is also in Vientiane.
- Sue and I ate at the French-owned restaurant on one of the side streets but it may be better for non-Lao food.
To drink: Lao Lao whisky in its many incarnations!
To shop:
- Kopnoi is an excellent boutique with a lot of fab cotton clothes.
- Mixay Boutic, for silk. They are also in Vientiane.
- The night market for bedsheets. They come with two pillow cases but they will sell them to you at extra cost if you don't ask for them.
*Bear in mind that these recommendations were made in 2005.
Mahalo for the memories ....I relive that amazing trip all over again even the laughs❣️😘 ✨🌈🌺🌴
Posted by: Debra | 26 April 2018 at 09:52 AM
Cheers, Deb! Happy days!
Posted by: Gai | 28 April 2018 at 11:41 AM