An introduction to Laos

Luang Prabang, Laos, Feb 07
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When Elaine bought Denise and me a computer with internet access for our 25th wedding anniversary, she logged us on with our particular email names.  Denise was straight forward but mine was 'bofpowell', which stands for 'boring old fart'.  I mention this as, before leaving Vietnam, despite Elaine's assertion that we would find somewhere to stay once we had arrived in Luang Prabang, I booked accommodation at the Rama Hotel and asked for a car to meet us at the airport, wanting to make sure that we did have somewhere to stay when we arrived.  Looking and planning ahead, I thought.  Wrong.  On arrival at Luang Prabang, there was no car to meet us.  The telephone number was continually engaged so we booked an airport taxi to take us to the Rama Hotel, which is, according to the internet, a well known hotel in the centre of town.  We must have had the only taxi driver with no internet access as he didn't know where the hotel was, driving us round and round the town until, by pure chance, he lucked upon it.  At reception we were met with blank stares when we referred to our internet booking, which the hotel had no record of.  Also, they were full and had no rooms.  So much for my planning ahead.  Out of the goodness of their heart (and probably to avoid explaining they had 'bumped' us for Americans paying more for the rooms (they were booking in as we were discussing the lost booking), arrangements were made for us to stay at the Haysoke Hotel.  With some trepidation, we piled our bags into another taxi (paid for by the Rama Hotel) and off we went to the Haysoke.  The centre of Luang Prabang is a one-way system for traffic so it took some time to get there but when we did, we were very pleasantly surprised.  The hotel may have been on the outskirts of the town (a 15 minute stroll) but the rooms were large and airy, the air conditioning was working and everything was clean.  So there we stayed for our sojourn in Luang Prabang.

Relaxing at the Kuong Si falls, Laos, Feb 07
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Were you aware that, per capita of population, Laos is the most heavily bombed country in the history of warfare?  The Viet Cong encroached into Laos with part of the Ho Chi Minh trail, which meant that it was heavily bombed (intentionally) by the US forces and also (unintentionally) bombed by those US aircrews who weren't able to drop their bombs over their Vietnamese targets.  Many of these bombs were cluster bombs, with each holding many smaller bombs.  A good percentage of these failed to explode and ended up buried deep in the earth or, in harder ground, just below the surface.  There are incidents even today, when farmers are plowing their fields, there's a sudden explosion and the cow pulling the plough disappears or the farmer and the plough does.  Visitors are warned never to stray off the path if they are exploring the outer regionsof this beautiful country.

Never feed the tigers, especially in the rainy season.

Elaine at Kuong Si falls, Laos, Feb 07
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After the rather harsh capitalism of Vietnam in separating you from your money, Luang Prabang was a complete contrast.  It's true that you have to pay 30 US dollars to get into the country and 20 US dollars to leave  but apart from this, we wished we had been able to stay a bit longer.  Even the tourist brochures have a sort of 'tongue in cheek' attitude, warning you of the relevant dangers.  Apart from the main one that sexual laisions between Laotians and foreign visitors is forbidden unless they are married, there was one warning 'never to feed the tigers, especially in the rainy season as this can be dangerous.  Those who ignore this warning will be reassured to know that their families and loved ones will read all about their adventure in their local newspapers!'  The official currency is the Kip though everything is priced in US dollars, as it was in Cambodia and Vietnam.  It's ironic really, while the USA is being held as the pariah of the civilised world, everyone still wants its currency!

Kuong Si falls, Laos, Feb 07
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Luang Prabang is a town full of backpackers.  Most of the lodgings are backpacker style hostels though there are mid-range hotels and a few upper range hotels if being able to spend more than 8 US dollars is within your means.  Despite the generic term 'backpacker' many of those travelling in this manner are far from lacking in money or education.  In our travels we have met Doctors of Philosophy, musicians, teachers, clergy, loads and loads of university students, travel writers and journalists and, like us, retirees who who want to see a bit more of the world while they can.  They don't all live in basic hostels and many look for the same level of accommodation as we do but many also want to experience what they weren't able to when young.

Slowly negotiating one of the more robust bridges, outside Lunag Prabang, Laos, Feb 07
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The whole ambience of the town was of relaxation and mental or spiritual cleansing, with the sunrise and sunset at the top of the Wat, or temple, in the town, being heavily visited.  One young man we met in the market was preparing to go a silent retreat for 10 days with Laotion monks, another activity which many visitors to Laos in general and Luang Prabang in particular partake of.  The fact that the local population didn't give the impression they were there to rip you off makes you enjoy the place even more.  We went on a trip to the Kuong Si falls, about 30km outside Luang Prabang and were expecting it to cost a small fortune.  For the 3 of us, it was about 3 pounds each, with the driver staying at the falls to bring us back.  Once the roads and rickety bridges had been negotiated, the short walk to the head of the falls, and then the gentle stroll following the river and the further falls, was very relaxing.  Stopping at any one of the rest areas, the gentle sounds of the water falling from heights of between 80 feet to 2 feet were so soothing.  The spray from the higher falls helped cool the air making the ambience one of comfort and peace, where we relaxed and spoke to others from many countries, often with hilarious results over the mispronunciation of words or confusion of words spoken.

There are many trips that people can take from Luang Prabang and so, during the day, the town is fairly quiet.  It's in the evening when it comes to life.  Elaine took us to a street food stall she had used on previous trips and, for 50 pence, we could eat as much as we wanted of hot, fresh, vegetables and chicken or fish. She also introduced us to BeerLaos, the local beer which, although a lager type beer was smoother and not so gassy as other lagers we'd had in the previous 4 weeks.  Being a 'real beer' man, preferring bitter to lager, I was so impressed with it I even bought some BeerLaos T-shirts. The table was a long communal affair with stools on either side and customers just found a spare place and sat down.  A wonderful way of meeting new people and exchanging experiences of trips and places visited.  The first night we joined a group which consisted of Canadian, Malay, Dutch, Australian and Finnish (a Finnish/Indian television soap star backpacking around South East Asia and India), all of whom made us very welcome and ensured we joined in the conversations. Another attraction of Luang Prabang is the night market, which takes up most of the main street, with traffic either prohibited completely or severely restricted.  It was interesting seeing women in the national costume bargaining in French, English, Japanese and other languages, rapidly changing from one to another in an attempt to sell their goods.  The costume jewellry, silks, cloth and wooden artifacts were very popular and we learnt of a German woman who buys silver and costume jewellery off the market stalls and ships it back home to sell in her shop!  While not wishing to start a business, Denise felt it was a shame we weren't able to buy more of it than we did.  Perhaps next time we visit.

Luang Prabang is a town we would certainly like to go back to for  a longer period of time, and also explore a little bit more of this lovely country with its friendly people.  Sadly, the time came for us to head for the airport and the trip to Bangkok for a couple of days before heading off for Australia and also to say goodbye to Elaine as she would be travelling down to Koh Phangan and her wake-boarding business ('Wakeup Wakeboarding' in Challoklum Bay, in the north of the island, if you'e heading for Koh Phangan in the near future).

You should visit Laos, an impoverished, but very beautiful, friendly country (as long as you obey the laws) where you will be made to feel welcome.  We may even see you there!