CENTRAL CANAL - Indianapolis visitors and residents alike enjoy the renovated Central Canal area with its array of sidewalks, lagoons, fountains, pedestrian bridges, monuments and beautiful landscaping. CNS Photo by Michael Vaughn.
Watching this, an overly jaded Westerner might deduce this was all for show, a Southeast Asian version of a Disneyland parade down a let's-pretend Main Street. But there's nothing pretend here. The monks are real, the city is real and their ritual walk perfectly summarizes the experiences awaiting you in this truly unique destination.
Luang Prabang is the historic royal city of the Kingdom of Laos. Although it's been 30 years since the last royals were overthrown - and many suspect "disappeared" - by Pathet Lao communist forces, the city retains the grace and charm of a place where, at quieter moments, time seems to stand still.
Those quieter times come when the increasing volume of international tourists are not packing Luang's streets, on the hunt for genuine bargains. But even then, the warmth of locals toward visitors is truly heartening.
Perhaps because Luang Prabang's visitors are almost all here for sightseeing - Vientiane to the south is the official, commercial and diplomatic capital - residents and merchants really don't mind posing for pictures. Also, whatever the reason, Laotians appear to harbor no bad feelings toward Westerners, even though the nearby area was among the most heavily bombed during the Vietnam War. Amazingly, instead of showing resentment, locals seem determined to ensure you like their city and country.
Goods these merchants sell are certainly one reason you'll like Laos. Silk scarves and shawls, handmade paper, embroidered and appliqued pillowcases, bedspreads and aprons made by Hmong tribespeople, and a huge mix of clothing, wooden artifacts, paper lanterns and umbrellas are typical of the stock and trade. These are available at many shops, as well as at the Hmong market along the river and the daily night market. Almost everything is available at an eighth or less of the price you'd spend in the West, especially at the night market. You'll also want to visit markets whose goods you won't take home. Stalls selling fruits, vegetables, mushrooms, noodles, beef and fish - plus markets selling satellite dishes, appliances and generators - really give you a feel of how Luang Prabang's citizens really live.
ANCIENT TEMPLE - The Wat Xieng Thong is a complex that dates back to 1560. This temple's outer walls are decorated with a mosaic of colored mirrored glass depicting the tree of life. CNS Photo by Robert Selwitz.
The city itself - essentially a 16,000-population town occupying a peninsula surrounded by two rivers - is the prime attraction. You don't come here to gape at richly stocked museums or palaces. Rather, in this United Nations World Heritage-protected site, one spends a majority of the time walking its narrow streets and exploring some of its many temples and pagodas.
The most famous is Wat Xieng Thong, which dates back to 1560. This complex includes a temple with outer walls decorated with a mosaic of colored, mirrored glass depicting the tree of life. There's also a giant, reclining Buddha, and the royal house where a carriage, resembling a golden float, holds urns of royal family members. The other must-see is the Royal Palace, now a museum. It is impressive for being as modest as the economic statues of the people its rulers once oversaw. Beyond an interesting collection of Buddhas, the tasteful royal living quarters, while expansive, are about as unostentatious as one could imagine.
Walking along the riversides, you'll find many options for tasty and cheap dining. Lunch for two, featuring savory curry and noodle dishes, never exceeded $4. And for elegant indoor dining, there are a number of choices, including the dining rooms of two of the city's most appealing and centrally located hotels, the Villa Santi and the 3 Nagas. The French L'Elephant is another tasty and attractive choice.
While the hotels are next to one another on Sakkaline Road, the 3 Nagas restaurant is on the opposite side of the street. There, enticing dishes typify the subtle flavors of Lao cuisine (almost no dishes have Thai-like wipeout peppers!). Choices can include a coconut and pork dish, eggplant and pork, mashed pounded shrimp grilled in banana leaves with chicken, grilled buffalo with sweet and sour sauce, and a desert consisting of coconut ice cream and coffee sauce.
Excursions out of Luang Prabang also prove rewarding. For $36 for two, you can rent a long-nosed powerboat with an English-speaking guide and crew for a full afternoon's excursion along the famous Mekong River. Crossing to the opposite bank, our first stop was a poor but bustling village where almost everyone was making functional pottery. We watched a couple making large clay storage pots. She pedaled the wheel while he both shaped the pot and continually added new clay. We also saw the communal wood- and charcoal-heated kiln, dug into the earth, where all the town's potters brought their goods for finishing.
MARKET CUISINE - Grilled meats are superb in Luang Prabang's markets or restaurants. Other stalls sell vegetables, mushrooms and noodles. CNS Photo by Robert Selwitz.
Back to the Mekong we rode for a half-hour to reach another village. Here there was electricity and virtually everyone had televisions, many linked to satellite dishes. As we walked toward the town center, we saw a gathering of workers, many of whom looked like bored high school students yearning for break time as a Pathet Lao soldier lectured them.
Outside, amid roaming ducks, pigs and geese, we saw cement works and stores selling construction blocks. As this is a farming village, we also saw their rice and sorghum being loaded onto cargo boats, heading for markets further downstream. The highlight of the day was encountering a monk and his novice at the town's well-constructed pagoda. They not only did not object to being photographed, several delighted in using a digital camera themselves, then being able to immediately see the pictures they made.
Getting around Luang Prabang via taxi - actually the covered rear seats of what appears to be pickup trucks - almost never cost more than a dollar. And you'll need plenty of those dollars, since everyone uses dollars, and not the Lao kip, as the preferred currency. Bring along a wad of singles plus a smaller quantity of fives and 10s. Except at larger restaurants, hotels and shops, credit cards are often not accepted. And stash away your ATM card, since cash machines are simply not available in Luang Prabang.
The low-cost transit continues for those wanting to see more of Laos. Despite warnings in many guidebooks, you can book van or bus passage to Vientiane for around $8. Security in areas once considered less stable has been strengthened. And when it appears danger might lurk along the road, armed Lao soldiers accompany intercity transit vehicles.
Also, you can acquire your Laos visa at the airport when your plane lands. For $30 and one passport photo, you will be granted a 15-day visitor's visa, in the time it takes your luggage to be off-loaded.
IF YOU GO
Bangkok Airways (www.bangkokair.com) offers frequent service between Bangkok and Luang Prabang. Hotels and restaurants: the smallish, boutique but preferred 3 Nagas (www.3nagas.com) and the larger and comfortable Villa Santi www.villasantihotel.com.
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