December 2nd to 5th
The boat down the Mekong had been a short interval in our travel where we had no responsibility. It had been a time when 28 individuals had collided for a short period of time and shared a new experience. How much we shared was up to us but I found it fascinating hearing who had come from where and how. Some were just starting and some were heading for home. People behaved in character (or at least the characters I ascribed to them) and we all looked at the river bank. It is good though to be under our own steam again and I wondered how many of our fellow passengers we may see again as we all went off in different directions.
Immediately I like Luang Prabang. It is unexpected, which I realise may be more of a reflection of my prejudices than anything real. After the villages seen from the Mekong and the lack of evidence of established or well used infrastructure so far it was hard to anticipate the small but perfectly formed town that is LP. With colonial houses, shuttered windows and bakeries galore the French heritage is obvious. It is a world heritage site which helps, the advertised plans seem to amount to heavily landscaped pathways but hopefully really concentrate on preservation. The atmosphere feels to be of expectation and certainly LP is gearing up for more tourism however we speak to an American who has been coming for years and he has not detected much change. The plans to dam the Mekong before LP will stop this being a natural destination from the north by slow boat travellers but the fairly new Chinese funded fast railway service and the airport will surely only increase footfall. Good for income but the inevitable concerns about loss of character. There is a vibe of pre – over touristed Ubud here and I am glad we are here now. It is also another place to come back to whatever changes may be in store.
It was lazy Sunday in LP on 3rd December so we felt absolutely justified in meandering around the bars and cafes doing nothing but soaking up the atmosphere. Lazy Sundays have become a thing and they are valuable in taking the pressure out of sight seeing. It is easy to get satiated and then under appreciate what you are looking at. Better to experience sometimes and not actually do very much – just sit and absorb. This weekend is also a national holiday. Lao National Day is 2nd December commemorating the overthrow of the royal family in 1975 and the exit of the French. So, happily, Sunday vibes here will continue to Monday to make up for the holiday falling on a Saturday this year. Meandering, getting lost, frequent stops in french bakeries and bistros for coffee and beer as well as sunsets across the Mekong and from the top of Phou Si HIll where Buddha left a (fairly indistinct) golden footprint maximise our Sunday vibes.
We are also maximising the experience of Toui’s culinary skills at our hotel. We booked this place because of the comments on his cooking but I did not think we would end up eating there every evening. 3 meals in one place – unheard of BUT the different tastes and quality was such that it would have been criminal to risk going anywhere else. Instead we sampled as much as we could from his menu and enjoyed every mouthful.
Waterfalls beckon on the 4th December – a short drive from LP. We got to Kuang Si falls via a tour and manage to jostle our way onto the electric trolley to the start point of the walk to the falls themselves. There is no queuing system in Laos especially when a coach party arrive! Tim channeled his inner queue buster and we managed to avoid being the British who politely waited for their turn while all the time moaning under their breath about the groups and groups who raced ahead to claim seats from behind them!
‘
Kuang Si falls are spectacular. Multiple tiers of cascading waters, not huge (60 meters being the highest primary drop) and not roaring but all the better for that. The turquoise hue of the pooled water, still as it waits to rush over the next drop on the way down the mountain is a result of the limestone that it runs over, adding calcium. When the river is turbo charged with high rain fall the water does not stop long enough to be mineralised and is clear or even an unattractive brown if mud is pulled up from the river bed. Kuang Si falls are at their photo opp best in lower rainfall season. The colour makes them surreal and no filters are required to be Instagram worthy. Swimming is allowed in the lower pools but strangely the path to the very top was closed off. The falls seem a popular picnic place for families with impressive amounts of food. We walked back to base and stopped at a Hmong local village for a beer on the way thinking about supper later with Mr Toui.
Tuesday 5th is leaving day and as we sit and enjoy a final ‘french’ coffee and croissant we watch children being dropped off at the school opposite from the backs of mopeds. Some are scootered right up to the door across the playground (I am trying to equate this to the ruling at home where the no parking zones outside schools continues to increase yearly likely in line with complaints from those who live near school gates and the continual escalation of ‘health and safety’ concerns). Others are literally thrown off during a calculated slow down in moped speed as the parent or older sibling continues quickly to work. Without fail the children are smartly dressed and smiley – waving at us on their way in.
From LP we travel to Vientiane by the chinese funded high speed railway. The spangly new station is situated well oustide of LP itself, as if it should not contaminate the area. I find it fascinating for some reason that a mere 2 hours north takes you into China. However, Vientiane, the capital of Laos, is south from us and near to the border with Vietnam and Thailand again. Vientiane is a city and was never going to be managed in 1 day alhtough we gave it a good try.
It is the first time we have no mobile data and have to negotiate the taxi rank unaided. A mere 300,000 Kip later and we are in the city. There are sky scrapers and shopping malls a plenty but still, gratifyingly enough there are the markets, small shops and street stalls selling everything you could need. The old and the new do seem to exist together. Peeping into small openings reveals larger interiors crammed full of stock to sell as well as sleeping arrangements, TV’s for whiling way time and eating areas. The people here really do live where they work. I have noticed too that in many of the markets and ‘high streets’ we have walked through and passed there is little hard sell when you are not in heavy tourist areas. The sellers, usually women, are happy to display what you can buy but then sit and gossip to their, probably long term, neighbours. Whole lives must have been discussed under the makeshift awinings. Babies births through difficult toddler years, puberty and onto marriages and, inevitably, also to loss. Toddlers and babies too young for school are also often present – under a table, on well worn sofa in the back room or in a papoose.
We visit the Victory Gate, Patuxai built (1954 -1968) to commemorate those who died in the struggle for independance from France. It is, oddly to my mind, recognised as reminiscent of the Arc de Triomphe, but 4 sided and imposing, It also had a dancing fountain which was hard to beat. From here to That Damn Stupa (which I cannot say without hearig an american accent in my head) – an ancient stupa that popular lore insists housed a seven headed naga or serpent which tried unsuccesfully in the end to protect Laos from Siamese attack in 1827. Which may be why the impressive looking statue of King Anouvong who is staring menecingly out across the Mekong toward Thailand appears a little less venerated.
King Anouvong’s reign finished ignonomously in 1828 following a failed rebellion against the then Siam government – at the time the all powerful force in South East Asia – he had thought their influence was waning. He was arrested and imprisoned in Bangkok where he died. We could not leave Viantiane without seeing the iconic golden temple that is Pha That Luang, a golden Buddhist temple most recently at least partially rebuilt in the 1930’s. It is startlingly golden and large however as we have gotton used to it is surrounded by merchandising oppoertunities and we have proabably seen enough for 24 hours.
Time to get to the airport for our flight to the last border crossing and Hanoi – Vietnam, here we come.
Nikki