Luang Prabang

By Charlie

The kids in the school across the street are shouting a lovely song. The three guys in this internet café / travel agency / money changing place have done absolutely nothing since I arrived here two hours ago.

The motorbikes sputter along the main drag of Luang Prabang. An afternoon breeze and beautiful cumulus clouds moderate the heat. It could quite possibly rain.

We’ve seen a lot in Asia over these past seven months, but nothing has been as pleasant or lovely as Luang Prabang.

There are massages to be had and cool drinks to be sipped, so this is but a provisional entry about a place that deserves much more.

This was the scene today at breakfast.

It’s like Paris, without the attitude and inflated prices. The French added a lovely little culinary twist to an already wonderful Laotian cuisine. The food here is unlike anything we’ve ever tasted.

We have breakfast at our hotel, The Aspara. Lunch today was at a hip little pub called the Mayek.

Rachel had the paté, I had the sausage. Each option set us back $2.50. A large bottle of Beerlao (640ml) was $1.00. Everything was delicious. Was that the best lunch I’ve ever had?

Dinner last night and lunch today both came with an insanely fresh green salad featuring tender lettuce and watercress topped with a Dijion, lemon and oil dressing.

Our transport is by foot, but almost everyone else is on a motorbike. Somebody even has a Vespa.

Before being ousted by the Pathet Lao, the royal family had a wonderful little palace in Luang Prabang. We visited it today and decided that it is perhaps the nicest palace we’ve seen. This place has everything that Beijing’s Forbidden City lacks in terms of comfort. We were not allowed to take pictures inside the palace, but I did manage to snap this shot of the defunct royal gas pumps, provided by Shell.

Buddhism is a main feature in Luang Prabang. There are wats and monks around every corner. The evening chanting is absolutely wonderful and transformative.

The biggest wat in town is guarded by this guy and four similarly impressive colleagues. And when I say “impressive,” I am referring to the equipment that is visible just beyond the left hind haunch.