Believe me, it was totally unexpected. I knew Luang Prabang is a touristic city, the most visited in the country. I had heard that there were no locals, that it was not real Laos. I even felt a bit sad when I arrived, missing the small villages I had visited in the north. I thought it would not be special, so I was surprised that I liked it as much as the north, even though in a different way, for different reasons.
At first sight, it is just another touristic town but, as you get to know it, as you go deep inside, discover it layer by layer… not only is a beautiful town but also very interesting, historical and cultural.
Layer 1: the touristic side
Of course, the first impression was not good. I had not seen so many tourists since Bangkok, as well as guesthouses, restaurants, tour operators, massage centers and souvenir shops. The night market, organized all along the main street in the evening, was purely for the tourists: all kinds of nice handicraft, things that I have never seen Lao people using.
The Lao New Year is in April, but being a touristic place I thought there might be a 2015 New Year celebration, so I planned to be there on the 31st. As expected, there was a celebration organized. Surprisingly, there were more locals than foreigners, and most of the show was in Lao with only some parts translated to English. So, maybe it was not only for tourists after all…
Layer 2: the temples
Luang Prabang was the old capital of Laos. In the old days, it had a different name and was renamed later on after the Prabang Buddha. This Buddha, the first in Laos, came from Angkor when the Theravada Buddhism started expanding from Cambodia to Laos. A lot of temples were constructed for people to study, and these temples are nowadays the major attraction of the town.
There are about 20 temples in Luang Prabang. I visited as many as I could and, of course, I do not know anymore which picture is from which temple. There are a few, the biggest ones, that have an entry fee (and are very crowded), but most of them are free (and usually empty).
Layer 3: the town itself
The center – and historical part – of Luang Prabang is settled between two rivers: the Mekong and the Nam Khan. The heritage of the French colonial time can be seen in the architecture of most buildings and small streets. It is true that most of the colonial-style houses are now guesthouses, and that most lao live in the other parts of the city. But still, the lao lifestyle is there.
There is a primary school and a library in the main street. There are chilis and “rice cookies” drying under the sun in front of the temples. There is a market with vegetables, meat and fish (to sell the fish fresh, they have a tank with the fish alive, and only a couple of fish outside the water). On both riverbanks there are growing fields as in the villages in the north.
Crossing the rivers (both the Mekong and Nam Khan) there are villages (or districts of Luang Prabang) that look exactly as the lao countryside.
Layer 4: the people
The best of Luang Prabang was the people. Not only they are as kind and smiling as in other parts of Laos, it was there that I had the best opportunity to talk to locals. At first I thought that all lao lived outside the center, but then I realized that I was wrong. There were locals living there, many of them, and they spoke English: the novices and monks. I met a novice one day that I got lost. We started talking because he wanted to practice English, we became friends and met a couple of times during my stay.
There is also a place called Big Brother Mouse that organizes English conversation exchanges between locals and tourists. For locals it is a way to practice and improve their English. For travelers, it is a good opportunity to meet locals and learn about Laos. Since most of the attendants are novices, it is also a chance to learn about buddhism and the life in the temples.
From what I understood, not all temples function exactly in the same way or schedule, but I got a general idea. They wake up very early, around 3:30 – 4:00 am. They study and clean up the temple (or meditate). At 6:00 am they go to collect alms, the food they will eat during the day. They have breakfast around 7:00 and lunch at 11:30, but no dinner, even though they can take drinks. In the evening they do one hour of chanting (or half hour of chanting, half hour meditation), around 5:30 to 6:30. They go to sleep at 9:00 or 10:00pm.
Novices live and study in the temple grounds for several years (5 – 7). They have classes from Monday to Friday and study around 10-13 subjects, including mathematics, physics, history, English and others. Some of them want to become monks, but others are there to get a good education and go to university later. They seem happy with their live and like their lifestyle.
Definetely, Luang Prabang is much more then just ‘another touristic town’. It is a beautiful and special place.
GOOD TO KNOW
- Royal Palace + Haw Prabang: 30000 kips
- Other temples: 10000 to 20000 kips
- Big Brother Mouse: it is not only an English conversation exchange, is a project that aims to spread interest in books and provide them to all Lao children. The English conversations take place every day from 9:00 to 11:00 and from 17:00 to 19:00.
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“”The Lao New Year is in April.. “” Most of the New year in South India is also in April. So they also follow the same calender like south Indians.. Thanks Laia for discovering and sharing.
I think Thailand also follows the same calendar. I didn’t know about South India, that’s interesting 🙂 Thanks!!
It’s nice that LP ended up being better than you expected and that you could dig down through the layers and get past the touristy facade. So many people have told me how much they enjoyed Laos, and I’m bummed that I didn’t get there while living in Malaysia.
There are so many places to visit, we never get time to see everything… Most people I’m meeting traveling in South East Asia are going to Birmania, makes me think I should have gone there… but well, next time 🙂
I have not been to Luang Prabang..gotta get there. But, don’t you think this layer idea is true for most touristy destinations. I think the moral is…get to know the people and the back neighborhoods! Great idea!
Thanks! Actually, yes, it must be true for all touristic destinations, I just realised it in Luang Prabang 🙂
I know what you mean about it being hard to see past the tourists sometimes. In heavily touristed places, I just try to avoid the backpacker districts (like Khao San Road in Bangkok) and find the really local foods! Food is always one of the ways I discover a “layer” of a city! But tourists or not, Luang Prabang looks interesting and I would love to visit Laos someday. I love the idea of the Big Brother Mouse. I’m always too shy to talk to locals so that seems like such a great concept to interact with the people!
Yes, you are right, food is another “layer” of a city, I forgot that one!
Big brother Mouse is a great idea, me too I’m too shy to talk to people (unless they talk to me). I think they are also in Vientiane, the capital, but did not check.
I would go for the temples! 🙂 I’ve long wanted to visit the Far East but it’s not on my horizon at the moment. Enjoy! 🙂
Yes, the temples alone are worth the visit 🙂
This looks to be a very special and beautiful place indeed Laia 🙂 I think all the temples are very beautiful and it’s great that you were able to have some good chats with the locals too! Take care and happy travelling! 🙂
Being able to talk to locals was what made Luang Prabang so special, even though the city is beautiful by itself 🙂
Happy travels!
I love seeing beyond the ‘touristy’ first impressions of a place. That organization that arranges conversations with locals sounds awesome – I’d love to meet a novice buddhist monk!
I think Luang Prabang is the best place to meet novices. There are a lot, they study English and are very interested in talking to foreigners. Big Brother Mouse is a highly recommended place to go 🙂
good write up laia ..do the allow women inside the monastery..as some are quite strict. Suggest you to stay in one of them (if possible) to experience their way of life and learn meditation
I do not know… I think some of them allow women to stay (I heard about one temple in Bangkok who does), but I do not know how to find them. It would have been interesting to stay in a temple, though 🙂
beautiful photography, well written just a wow! thanks jackei
Thanks a lot! I’m happy you enjoy it 🙂
I love the idea of that language exchange! That’s brilliant. Interesting that they don’t get a lot of sleep. I can’t imagine waking up that early everyday.
I cannot imagine either waking up that early every day… nor having only two meals a day! I guess it is a matter of getting used, even if it sounds hard at first 🙂
I don’t know too much about Laos so it was great to learn about Luang Prabang. What a beautiful and interesting place. I’m glad you enjoyed your visit and ventured beyond the touristy places. Love all those temples.
The temples in Luang Prabang are wonderful, and all Laos in general is amazing, I recommend it 🙂
I really enjoyed how you have defined the layers. Its an interesting way to look at a place.