Luang Prabang - the Grand Old Dame

Greetings from Luang Prabang, a beautiful old French-colonised city in central northern Laos.

I had read that the road to Luan Prabang had lots of twists and bends, so we lashed out and rented a car and driver. At least that way I was guaranteed the front seat. After some miscommunication, we ended up getting picked up by a tuk tuk who then took us to where a very new Prado was waiting for us. We were rapt for the whole of about 30 seconds until we saw the driver's wife climbing into the front seat! We made it clear that I was sitting there but she still came along for the ride. She tried to play loud music and they stopped a couple of times along the way to buy fruit and talk to friends. Sometimes you've just got to go with the flow.

Along the way we climbed up and over and mountain and the outside temperature dropped from the low 20s to 13 degrees! We got to a rest spot and the clouds rolled in, obscuring the spectacular views we were supposed to have. Oh well!

As we approached Luang Prabang, we got transferred to a third vehicle that took us to our accommodation. We got there in the end!

Our fun was only just starting though. We had booked 5 nights in a highly recommended guest house. We arrived and found our room was tiny and claustrophobic with only one small window to the outside. It was ok for one night but not five. Luckily the woman was very understanding and we ended up spending two nights in her sister's hotel down the road and three in another, slightly more expensive hotel. We waited two days for a particular room to be available in the better hotel and, when we arrived to check into that room, there was suddenly a problem with the booking! We ended up having to change rooms again. Part of the reason we wanted to stay here for five nights was so we didn't have to pack and unpack all the time. The best laid plans often go astray when it comes to travelling.

Anyway, Luang Prabang was beautiful. The old centre of the town has been declared a UNESCO world heritage site. Old French colonial buildings and more traditional Laos buildings have been beautifully renovated and the town is a huge tourist attraction.

Many of the old buildings have wooden top floors with slate tile roofs and gorgeous carved wooden trims.

The river is lined with restaurants. Most are fairly basic but some are very pretty.

One of the bamboo bridges that cross the river. These are usually re-built after the wet season.

We were training for longer walks so we headed up the main hill in the centre of town to watch the sunset. Unfortunately, everyone else had the same idea and it was so crowded that we didn't hang around. I did say this was a very touristy town!

I managed to get a few photos without the crowds in front though.

That night we went to a classy cocktail and tapas restaurant. It cost a fortune, but when I converted it to Aussie dollars, it was cheaper than going to our local Italian restaurant!

We climbed the viewpoint hill every day. We soon found that we could wind our way through local houses to get to a different track that led to the top.

This track led through a monastery and a series of temples and shrines. I really liked this area.

This is where some of the monks live.

Golden Buddhas were everywhere.

I love the silhouettes of the temple decorations against the morning sky.

The twisty staircase to the top.

There were some interesting foods here. This is a plate of riverweed. They dry it, coat it with sesame seeds, and fry it. It's quite tasty!

We came across this woman making a huge pot of some sort of sauce. We later learned it's a special type of local chilli sauce. They add tamarind and spices - and dried beef skin! John later tasted it and said it was delicious.

Oodles of noodles at the market.

I had read about a cooperative where local weavers get together and teach people how to weave. There was a great cafe there so John and Terri, a Canadian we had met, came along for lunch.

I then went off to my weaving class. My first lesson was how to transfer the spun silk from a spinning wheel to a bobbin. It was cool!

Then the weaving class began. There was just me in it! The loom was huge and was all set up ready for me. Two bamboo pedals were pressed with the feet to lift the alternating threads.

I made a placemat. I would have to have done a full-day course to make anything larger. Setting the pattern was really complicated! Pre-organised silk threads were dropped into place to determine what pattern is created. I have no idea how they set this up. Making the patterned part of my piece was slow work but great fun.

My masterpiece in progress.

I had a ball doing this. The only downside is that silk is collected from the silkworms by boiling them in water! Yes, all the silk in the world (and there's so much of it in Asia) comes from killing the grubs that make it. Don't buy silk! I'd love to go back and do more but this time I'd see if I could use cotton.

As we travel, we're hearing more and more about the coronavirus. Fortunately, the Chinese tourists tend to travel in groups and stay and eat in different places to us. Many Asian tourists, as well as locals, are wearing face masks but the general consensus seems to be that these don't help much. I saw this pile of face mask boxes beside a rubbish bin. The face mask people must be making a fortune!

Of course, a beautiful old town like Luang Prabang has to have oodles of gorgeous old temples with stunning artwork. 

Yes Bee, these are roses - in the tropics!

Sunsets over the Mekong were spectacular.

A friend of ours from home had told us about a place called Big Brother Mouse. This is a place that started publishing books in the Lao language for kids and a drop-in English conversation centre. This is where tourists roll up at allocated times to talk to anyone local who wants to practice their English. It turned out to be a fantastic experience.

It was quiet to start with so John and I both started talking to a young man named Xue. His father had died when he was young and his family was poor. He applied for a scholarship for poor students to go to university and got one of only 20 in the country. He's now in his third year, studying economics. He was such a bright young man. I was able to ask all sorts of things about traditions and beliefs that I hadn't had the opportunity to ask before. I talked to him for two hours and the time flew!

Meanwhile, people kept turning up and the place got busy. John ended up talking to a whole table of monks! What an experience! He was able to ask them all sorts of things. Most of them became monks when they were about 11. They can leave at any time they like. They liked listening to music, including rap and pop. When John asked if they were allowed to listen to music with swear words in it or graphic video clips they said they can watch anything they like - it's up to them to make their own decisions about what's good and what's bad. Sometimes, "bad people" (Xue's words) are sent to monasteries to learn how to be good. Sounds logical to me! It was all a wonderful experience and the best chance we've had to talk openly to local people.

Still buzzing from our conversations with the Laos people, we walked across a local bamboo bridge. This one actually charged 'falang' (tourists) to cross it. One family maintain it and it's their own business so we're happy to pay the $1. It was beautifully lit at night.

Our last meal in Luang Prabang was had while sitting on cushions at a low table. We had a great meal and Terri joined us. We shared the table with an interesting English couple and it was a great night.

Luang Prabang is unique in Laos. With its UNESCO listing and hoardes of charity-minded people ensuring the town is kept clean and pretty, it's a beautiful yet slightly artificial place. Its history is evident in the narrow lanes and timber houses. 

We were walking along a small street one day and it struck me that the paved road almost looked like a cobblestoned alleyway. With the old buildings around us, I suddenly got the feeling of being somewhere very old. I've never had this experience in Asia before, only in Europe, so there must be something of the old magic in those buildings.

'Til next time.

Heather and John