August 2007
Luang Prabang. The only thing we knew about it was that it had a lot of old temples. That would have been the understatement of the year. The city turned out to be an ancient Lao capital city and had many old temples, pagodas, and monasteries in a laid back setting on a bluff overlooking the Mekong. LP was the cultural capital of Laos even though Vientiane was the seat of power.
We arrived by car from Vang Vieng after a lovely ride through the countryside. We dropped down out of the hills into the Mekong River valley and Luang Prabang was spread out along a hill on its banks. We opted for a modern hotel outside of the center, but the city was so small we could walk everywhere. LP must be what Thailand looked like before mass tourism. The temples were old and well-maintained, but not "richly" maintained as in Thailand. LP felt very old, very poor, and very original. It was an instant hit for Brian and me. Our modern hotel with a pool outside of town made for great creature comfort after a hot day of walking amongst the old temples. We immediately wished we could have stayed on and always talked about a return trip.
Most people take a trip to Pak Ou Caves nearby, but we saw it on our river cruise on the mighty Mekong [see: cruising on the Mekong]. There was also a lovely waterfall that was a short taxi ride out of town. In short, for anyone visiting Laos, I always say that Luang Prabang is a "must see". In fact, if someone only could pick one destination in the whole of the country, that is the city I would choose. Unlike a lot of other SE Asian cities that have been over-loved by tourism, LP retained the charm of being "untouched". A city that beautiful will probably not be able to maintain such a level of isolation forever, but I was happy to have seen it before it went totally commercial. That almost seems inevitable now that a high speed train connects it with not only Vientiane but also China's rail network.
Of course, how could I wish the people of that city "no further development" that might bring them more income and a higher standard of living (as in Thailand and Vietnam)? Development is always a double-edged sword, so much is gained even as the unique character of a place is erased.