Luang Prabang - A Living Oil Painting

In November 2005, Mali and I paid a three day visit to the old Royal Capital of Laos - Luang Prabang. I decided to include this particular chapter because much of what we experienced on this trip reflected on the Laotian roots of North-East Thai culture.

On the run as usual and with a few extra dollars this trip, we decided to buy a travel package to Luang Prabang in Bangkok which included apart from the return airfares our own vehicle and guide.

We flew with Bangkok airways with the flight from Bangkok taking 80 minutes. The twin engine turboprop aircraft flew low enough to get a reasonably clear view of the terrain below. After we flew across the Thai border into northern Laos the plane tracked up along the Mekong river towards Luang Prabang. Contrasted against the rain forested mountains, the river had the colour of milky Indian tea.

As the aircraft commenced its descent into Luang Prabang, it seemed to go into "dive bomber" mode but we had a clear view of the town bounded on two sides by the Mekong and its tributary, the Khan river. You could see rusty corrugated iron roofs, coconut trees all interspersed between Buddhist temples with the Mekong river and the mountains in the distance. A very impressive sight.

The first hurdle we confronted after we landed was the grim bureaucracy at immigration. Bureaucracy seems to have its own logic and after lining up in four separate queues to have our visas paid, stamped and approved I observed once again the timeless victory of process over outcomes.

However right at the end the mood was lightened when one of the immigration staff uniformed in Vietnamese style olive drab with matching epaulettes exchanged a broad country smile with one of his co-workers which reassured that things would only get better.

We were met by our Lao guide and his driver who drove us to our hotel. The journey through town revealed a busy but relaxed town. Even in the air conditioned van, the ambience of the place was inescapable. Busy but good natured traffic, no traffic lights with mopeds , bicycles and small trucks making up the bulk of the traffic. Women of all ages many of them riding in the traffic with umbrellas to shade against the mid morning sun were universally dressed in sarongs and moved with an effortless grace.

After checking into the Manoluck hotel we were taken on a tour of the town. Again our initial impression of the town was reinforced. Mali and our guide Coiy clicked right from the straight in the main because they both spoke a similar Isaan/Lao dialect and were both devout Buddhists.

The drive through town revealed mainly old buildings and streets thronged with local people out and about doing their business. The streets were impeccably clean.

Many of the buildings were old French colonial and some are still in use as administrative centres for the Lao government. As we passed one government building Coiy pointed out the quaint sight of a group of government office workers out on the footpath slashing the long grass. Apparently it is the duty of all such workers to keep their workplaces neat and tidy.

But of course from the outset it was obvious that it was the Buddhist influence that made Luang Prabang special. Coiy pointed out that the town had no less than 36 temples, with most of them populated with a community of Monks. He further explained that the ratio of Buddhist monks to the lay population was very high and would be readily apparent when we saw the dawn alms rounds.

That afternoon we visited many of the temples, lit incense and offered prayers but in the main just enjoyed the calm. The temples themselves were simply beautiful. Although some seemed a bit worst for wear on the outside, the interiors of the temples were rich with Buddha images and statues, murals, carved timber windows and big teak timber supports. But in the end it was the wonderful calm that made it all special. To illustrate this point In one of the temples we came across a cat peacefully asleep on a cushion normally sat on by the Abbot of the temple.

The afternoon was drawing to a close and I wanted to climb the big hill in the middle of the town called Mt Phousi to experience one of Luang Prabang's great draw cards - its famous sunsets. When told that it was a total of 339 steps to the top, Mali declined and went instead to the evening market. The climb to the top wore me out, but was really worth the effort.

As the sun sets across the mountains, it bathes the Mekong and the town in a golden light which is a photographers delight. But it also reminded that Luang Prabang has now been discovered by foreigners as I had to share the sunset with about 30 other tourists and queue to take my photographs.

After I retraced my steps down Mt Phousi I rejoined Coiy and Mali at the night market. The market was filled with local produce most of it being grown locally on the fertile banks of the Mekong and Khan rivers.

The thing that struck both Mali and Myself was that in contrast to Cambodia the complete absence of beggars. People would still occasionally approach to sell you something but would always take no for an answer whereas in Cambodia saying no is a lot more problematic. I know that in making this observation, I'm comparing apples with oranges but the contrast between the two countries is quite dramatic. I suspect the reason is that the Lao possibly have a greater pride in themselves.

The next day we travelled 25 kilometres up the Mekong River by boat to visit the Pak Ou Caves. As we moved upstream we could see all the market gardens along the banks of the river growing all the beautiful vegetables we had seen at the night/morning markets and had tasted at dinner the night before. Along the riverbank we saw groups of Lao tending their gardens and boats. Children were alternatively running along the bank or wading in the water and waving as we went past. Mali commented that it was like Thailand 40 years ago.

Before we arrived at the caves we stopped at a Lao village on the opposite bank. The speciality of the village was home made whiskey and wine. I sampled some but found that they tasted as rough as guts ( I have since been advised by enthusiasts that's what home made's charm is all about). Nevertheless we bought a few bottles to take back to Thailand and Australia. Although the village was a bit touristy it still had enough authenticity to retain its charm - not a Potemkin village yet.

After leaving the village we travelled a few more kilometres and arrived at the Pak Ou caves. The caves are in a great rock bluff overlooking the Mekong. The attraction of the caves are their location and the fact that they are filled with hundreds of Buddha images and statues. Several other tour boats had already arrived ahead of us and when we climbed the steps up to the first cave it was a tad crowded with tourists which sort of dampened the magic ( but I guess we were all part of the same problem). Mali burnt incense and offered prayers at the first cave.

We returned to Luang Prabang by boat and in the afternoon travelled out of town by van to visit the Kwang Xi Waterfall. After spending a couple of relaxing hours at the falls we returned late in the afternoon to town to visit the night market then freshen up for dinner then bed as the next morning an early rise at dawn was necessary so that we could present alms to the Luang Prabang Monks.

At dawn next morning Coiy picked us up at the hotel and we drove to one of the main streets where we were going to offer alms. As we drove in the early light we could already see lines of Monks leaving their temples on alms round with lay people laying mats together with their offerings. Coiy had brought from his home village near the town, two bamboo baskets filled with sticky rice for Mali and myself to offer to the Monks. We laid a cane mat, knelt and as each Monk placed a piece of sticky rice in each passing Monks alms bowl. When our baskets were empty we Waied with the empty baskets and stepped back. For myself - a remarkable experience.

But in a sense the highlight was a conversation Mali had with an elderly Lao Lady prior to the alms giving. She advised that she presented alms every day. Her house was situated behind one of the temples and when a drum sounded at the temple at pre-dawn to awake the monks for prayer and to get ready for alms round she would also get up to cook sticky rice to offer the monks. She had done this every day for as far back as she could remember and it was her anchor. To me it encapsulated what makes Luang Prabang special.

After the alms round we had breakfast then toured around the town, visited the National museum and purchased some silver jewellery. After lunch we returned to the hotel to pack and get ready for our return fight to Bangkok.

Once on the plane I reflected about Luang Prabang. Ultimately it was the Lao people themselves that had made the visit so remarkable. They were helpful without being servile, proud without being arrogant and best of all seemed to be successful in balancing progress with tradition. In contrast to an increasingly homogenised world, Luang Prabang is a place I certainly want to return.