Ask anyone who's been here: Luang Prabang, Laos is indisputably THE place to be. It's no wonder that the world is slowly starting to wake up and realize that Laos' historical center and the former capital city of French Indochina is a hot travel destination... In my opinion, there are two main reasons that L.P. has retained it's unique brand of lazy, crazy cool:
1) It's really hard to get here. Well, maybe not anymore, now that Bangkok Airways have started to operate non-stop daily flights from Thailand... but until very recently, the only way to get to Luang Prabang was either on the bus from Vang Viene (8 hours of hairpin turns... be sure to skip breakfast for this one) or on a slow boat down the Mekong from the northern Thai border (a grueling two-day experience... Paul did this trip 3 years ago and was not terribly eager to repeat the adventure). Unwilling to pursue either of these options, most two-week Western vacationers have left Luang Prabang off their Southeast Asian itineraries... helping the town to retain it's sleepy, backwater charm.
The second reason I believe this amazing city hasn't become totally played out:
2) There's no major sites, ruins, cathedrals, or other attention-grabbing landmarks. Tourists love ancient ruins and burned-out Gothic churches; iconic architectural images that photograph well for tourism posters. These types of attractions draw in huge numbers of visitors and can quickly turn an "off the beaten path" destination into a major tourist hub (ie: Siem Reap, Cambodia).
Luang's charm isn't tied specifically to one big attraction, but in the myriad tiny details around every corner. I imagine that the unbelievably well-preserved historical center looks very much the same as it did when the French begun building here about 150 years ago, and having been recently declared a UNESCO World Heritage Sight has helped to provide the funding to keep Luang Prabang looking immaculate. Beautiful wooden shopfronts have been converted into quaint bed and breakfasts; glittering Buddhist temples dot the city; fishermen continue to sleepily cast their nets across the muddy water; the silk and antique markets retain a flavor of old colonial France and yet are still completely Laotian.
The lack of mass tourism here has also had a distinct effect on its citizens, or maybe more of a lack of an effect: once again, I've found that there is none of the aggressive, demanding, and nasty behavior towards visitors that is so prevalent in Thailand's big tourist destinations... the Lao people continue to be gracious, humble, kind, and in a word: wonderful.
I only hope that daily flights from Bangkok don't squash the vibe here... but I can't worry about that, so I'll just continue to kick back, enjoy another sunset over the Mekong, and sip my coconut shake... More soon. x Jason
1 comment:
It has been a few weeks since I have come around to see your blog site and all the new pictures and stories posted. As always they are so very wonderful and impressive in beauty.
We have a little bit of beauty in our own world that we have been striving to put together. The garden is coming together nicely as we have spent a good deal of time on it. Outdoors work keeps us away from the computer it seems.
Of course I miss you as I see the pictures of your trip across the Pacific rim countries. Really wish I was in your shoes sometimes, the sites sounds and people you see must really be leaving their positive mark in your lives.
I might have missed it in your writing, but how much more time will your journey take? When might you be back in the USA? It would be so awesome if you both ever got a chance to hang out with us in Minneapolis...I can dream a little too.
Take care and thoughts coming from me to you both.
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