Take Me to Your River, I Wanna Go
Luang Prabang
Wow, Laos!
I hate to wax poetic about colonialism, but the old French colonialism and newer UNESCO-imposed version have made Luang Prabang one of the travel gems of Southeast Asia. In addition to lovely architecture—French colonial with local accents and distinctly Lao temples, there’s lush greenery, two picturesque rivers, and most surprising of all, the city is clean. Clean like nowhere I’ve seen in this part of Asia.
The town is walkable and bikeable, but there’s also no shortage of tuk tuks should the heat or the walking wear you down. The main road includes a wide array of restaurants, bars, cafes, and (thanks to the French colonial influence) delicious bakeries. The pace is laid back and the sounds of birds are almost as loud as the scooters and tuktuks. It’s charming without feeling Disneyfied. This is the first city of this size that I could really imagine dropping out and staying a while*—a fantasy that was further fueled by a delightful day lounging on Khopfa’s beautiful boat en route to the Kuang Si waterfalls.
There are so many things I enjoyed about Luang Prabang, but my sleeper favorite is that there are almost no international chains. No McDonalds. No 7-11. No Starbucks. No chain hotels except a well-disguised Sofitel. And I only only one international store which is a Chinese shop made up to look Japanese.
Restaurants & cafes/bakeries
Manda de Laos - don’t miss the banana blossom salad and the chicken red curry
Le Banneton
Bars
Icon Klub - the Hungarian owner, Elizabeth, has been in Laos for 20 years. She makes everyone feel at home and creates an awesome atmosphere at this central bar.
525 - extremely fun cocktail bar with good drinks and a front patio. Just out from the main part of town, but an easy walk - and worth it. Tell James I sent you.
Hotels
Thanks to my travel companion/travel fairy, we stayed at the luscious Satri House, but if that’s out of your budget, Luang Prabang has a ton of guest houses and other hotels.
Sounds like paradise, right? Yes, and if you are thinking of going, go soon. It has this feeling of Prague 1995 or (as one friend said) Ubud 40 years ago. I don’t think it’ll be able to stay this perfect for another ten years.
*As for me, I’m planning to stop back in Luang Prabang sometime mid/late-January for a couple of weeks. Anyone want to meet me there for a banana blossom salad and some cocktails?