My trip from Vang Vieng to Luang Prabang may have been a nightmare because of the ridiculously cold weather and incessantly winding roads, but I just love that place. It has a very strong French influence, in terms of architecture and food. Government building signs are still in French. Many of the buildings stand from the colonial era and a large number have been beautifully renovated.
Stay
I reached Luang Prabang at about 10:00pm. By that time, the town was practically dead. The van stopped us not far from the night market right across a lane lined with guesthouses on both sides. That seemed convenient at first but the only dorm on that street was fully booked. I had no other alternative but to book a double bed room for USD30 at the cheapest place I found, Hoxieng 1. It was way out of budget but it’s always nice to have your own space from time to time, especially a private bathroom with hot water, so that was good. The room was clean and spacious. In fact, I had a double bed plus a single bed on the side, not that it mattered.
LPQ Backpackers
The next morning, I went to look for a cheaper alternative. I found LPQ Backpackers two streets down. A night was LAK50,000 for an 8 bunkbed dorm with shared bathroom. The place was clean and so were the bathrooms. Staff were very helpful and like Sihome Backpackers Hostel in Vientiane, the lobby has a well-maintained pool table and living area where travellers can congregate. It was a very good choice and I recommend the place for budget travellers.
Do
Dara Market
The main attraction at Luang Prabang is probably the waterfalls, Kouang Si, the bigger of the two and Tad Sae. Kouang Si is about 32km away from the city while Tad Sae is roughly 10km away. There are a few different ways to access them: by tuk tuk, which comes up to about LAK40,000 per person if you have 8 to 10 people, by boat which you have to book with an agency and does not come cheap or by motorbike. As a single traveller, I always opt for a motorbike whenever I can as it gives me the flexibility of movement and the journeys are usually more fun that the destinations. I rented a motorobike at KPTD right across Dara market in the centre of the city for LAK140,000 for 24 hours. There are cheaper alternatives nearer to the Hoxieng 1 guesthouse but the owner of KPTD is just awesome. He is Australian of Lao descent, lived 35 years there, speaks fluent English and takes really good care of his motorbikes. Highly recommended. As in Vang Vieng, you will need to leave your passport behind when you get the bike. He provides three separate locks for the bike to avoid an unpleasant situation but if the bike is stolen somehow, he will charge you USD2,600. Petrol for the day cost me LAK20,000.
Important note: I’ve been reading lots of stories about motorbike scams in Luang Prabang. I, myself, was very apprehensive to leave my passport with the bike company. However, I’m thankful nothing happened. The owner was very professional but that doesn’t mean bad things can’t happen. Apparently a company called Khamsay has been under a lot of controversy as a number of their bikes get stolen and the people losing the bikes have to pay an exhorbitant sum (Euros1,200) back to them. You can do an online search to read more about it. What I would recommend is to ALWAYS park in a guarded lot (you pay LAK2,000 for that) and as someone mentioned in a forum, use at least one of your own locks.
The ride to Kouang Si Waterfall was great. It’s about 32km away so you take about 45 minutes to get there riding through small villages and beautiful landscapes. I left town at about 12:00pm. Roads are paved throughout the ride was a breeze. The weather during the day is pretty nice if the sun is out so I didn’t need any special gear to ride around. There is a fee of LAK10,000 to visit Kouang Si but it’s worth it. As you enter, you go past some sun bear enclosures where the bears are busy ignoring tourists. Then you reach the bottom lake of the waterfall where you can swim. It was cold and I was alone so I didn’t bother but in better weather I probably would have. The water is turquoise reminiscent of the Blue Lagoon in Vang Vieng. You can take a short 25-minute hike through the forest to go to the top of the waterfall which cascades down beautifully. It’s definitely not the biggest nor the most impressive waterfall I’ve seen, but Kouang Si is probably one of the prettiest.
By the time I left Kouang Si, it was past 4:00pm. I decided to brave the impending cold and ride to Tad Sae which was nearer to town. I got lost however and ended up riding an hour down towards Vientiane. My freezing hands and feet, along with my sore bum convinced me to head back to LPQ. I took the opportunity to ride around town to familiarize myself with the place before strolling around that same night, which I did.
Luang Prabang is a bigger town than Vang Vieng but you will probably only walk around the city centre where all the bars and quaint restaurants are and along the rivers Nam Khan and Mekong. It was a very nice walk for the architectural diffences alone. They also have a number of interesting temples, albeit rather small and much more recent than those in Burma or Angkor. They have some interesting bars and eateries too right behind Mount Phousi.
Night market
I then went to the night market in front of Mount Phousi. They sell mainly clothes and memorabilia along the main stretch. There is one lateral stretch however that got me excited. Stalls on both sides were selling all sorts of food. That was probably the most exciting part of the night market for me. I tried a number of sausages and really fell in love with the buffalo sausage. They also have a number of grilled meat and a variety of vegetable dishes.
The next morning, I decided to take the motorbike to visit Phousi market, Luang Prabang’s biggest morning market, which is a short 10-minute ride away from the town centre. It is a big market and they sell all sorts of ingredients but nothing much different from other markets across Southeast Asia.
I also visited the biggest temple in Luang Prabang, Xieng Thong temple. It may not be as old or majestic as other temples across Southeast Asia but it is very nice.
That night, I climbed Mount Phousi which is a short 10-minute climb. There is a temple on top but I was there to catch the sunset. I was thankful I got there a little early because by 5:00pm, the place was completely crowded. The place offers a 360 view of Luang Prabang and is well worth it if you ask me.
Drink
Utopia
The one place that I deem worth mentioning is Utopia which is owned and run by Canadian Rob. It has a very bohemian feel and it’s a great place to meet fellow travellers. By 10:00pm the place starts getting pretty crowded but considering it sits on a fairly large piece of land, it’s all good. There is some of tennis court where some patrons lit a bon fire and sat around. As for me, I was as usual at the bar talking to the owner, bartenders and other patrons. Met some interesting characters there. At midnight or so, the place closes and those who want to party further head down to the only place opened at that time, the bowling alley, which is a 15-minute tuk tuk ride away. It’s not hard to get a tuk tuk as they line the road outside Utopia…and it’s a free ride there, although you have to pay to come back to the town area. About Utopia, I must add that it is not that simple to find. Signs are not very clear but if you ask around, I’m sure some helpful soul will guide you there.
Eat
Food at Luang Prabang I felt was much better than in Vang Vieng. There are lots of grilled meat which I love. I tried the grilled fresh water fish, grilled sausages, grilled chicken and some of the veggies and they were all delectable. It is a lot pricier than in Vang Vieng though. The night market is your best bet if you want to try the local fare. In the morning, there is a bakery right around the guesthouses on the main road called Joma Bakery Cafe. They serve what I thought was the best coffee in town and some delicious croissants. Very French. Again, Joma is not the cheapest place to have breakfast.
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