Laos isn't on a lot of people's travel plans. Frankly it wasn't on ours either. But our son pushed, saying that it was cheap, beautiful and that we would love it. So we decided to take two weeks between our stay in Siem Reap and our stay in Da Nang, Vietnam, to visit Luang Prabang in Laos.
It's a small city, about 43,000 people. It has more than 30 temples and monks and novices are everywhere. It's very conservative. We had to abandon our first try at going to the national museum because I was wearing shorts. Women in government buildings have to wear the traditional long skirt of the region (the sinh). Both men and women must cover leg and shoulders when visiting temples. Kissing or holding hands with your romantic partner in public is not okay while same gender friends can hold hands.
While incomes are low, so are expenses. And we saw only one person begging in the entire time we were there. We didn't see anyone homeless. There are cats and dogs wandering around, but people feed them or take the to the temples to be cared for.
It is an incredibly beautiful place. It sits on the Mekong River, with views of mountains, and lush greenery. The people are warm and friendly. There are cafes and outdoor eateries and small shops throughout the main streets and on many side streets as well. Housing options include long term apartment and house rentals, guest houses, homestays, villas, and a few western style resorts. Transportation is mostly walking, although there are tour vans, tuk-tuks and motorbikes available.
There is very little to do in Luang Prabang. There are tours of the Wats,a visit to the national museum, walk up Phousi Hill, dinner cruises, excursions to the caves, to the waterfalls, hour long trips down the river and back. Mostly this is a place that invites you to stroll around, admire the views, sit in cafes for hours, maybe shop the night market for a tshirt or souvenir. It's made for relaxing, slowing down, doing nothing much.
We loved our time there and will happily return.
For those who are budget minded, our total for two weeks for two people came to a princely $1065 including accommodations, transportation, sightseeing, and eating in the more expensive restaurants for 2-3 meals a day. The local beer is quite good and the French pastries are amazing; without those, we could easily have spent 33% less.
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