There’s nothing quite like a beer at sunset next to the Meekong whereever you are along its length. Tonight we are in Luang Prabang enjoying the Carlsberg-owned Beer Laos.
If you ever wanted to visit Asia and been a bit to scared then this is the place to be. Or perhaps you are an inner-city Buddhist who has been looking to find yourself but only found a granny running meditation sessions in the suburbs.
Luang Prabang is a very laid back down, populated by a docile people. Rarely will they try and rip you off. Yes, they will try and sell you stuff but their hearts aren’t really in for the hard sell as is Vietnam.
Think Noosa (that’s a fairly upmarket Australian condo resort) on the Meekong.
Here grannies mix with backpackers and Thai film stars. Some bugger is driving down the mainstreet in a Hummer and aside from some Toyota utes, the rest of the cars are decidely fifth hand.
The average annual pay in Laos is about $300. Three years ago in Luang Prabang a house could be rented for $500 a year. Now it costs that much a month. Such is the impact of tourism.
The town probably has the highest concentration of Buddhist temples in SE Asia. Monks are everywhere, walking down the street with umbrellas, surfing the internet, banging very large drums calling their mates to prayer.
There are plenty of European-style bakeries, cafés and restaurants. There is even a wine bar selling $15 bottles of French tablewine.
While the food here is good it is less spicy than Thai food. Green papaya salad is a speciality but for me the best value and most tasty food is on the street.
Whole fish are skewered on bamboo and barbequed. The same goes for sausages, kebabs and ribs of pork. And there is not a single snake in sight.
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{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
What? Not as spicy as Thai food? No snakes? Ed, I think you missed some of the good stuff! (We also met a live green viper on the steps up to the temple across the river from LP.)
Funny, our paths almost overlapped. I’ve been posting from our Luang Prabang trip with the in-laws over New Year’s. More to come, too. Enjoy the rest of your travels.
Hi Karen
Sorry for the delay in replying I was stuck with a blacklisted ISP that meant I couldn’t get into my own blog let alone leave comments. yes, we do seem to be tracking each other. It’s a shame we didn’t land at the same place at the same time. I was surprised when I went to the Three Elephants Cookiung school when they said not as spicy as Thai asa I’d been eating some very spicy food especially Green Papaya Salad. The school said one chilli but I was looking at a much better recipe with ten! Hope you continue to enjoy your travels. We only have one day left now.