Another thing that I need to "let go" of is my typos or, god forbid, my grammatical mistakes in these posts. For some reason proofing my own stuff is quite hard and even harder on the computer. I used to print them out and for some reason that helped but that is not currently an option so I've decided to let it go. Of course I couldn't resist the chance to ensure that anyone that might read this would be aware that I know I make mistakes, I just don't always get them corrected before posting and never seem to have time to correct them after they are posted.
The week of 29May I had the exceptional and rare opportunity to experience one of those magical places on this earth. Luang Prabang, Laos reminds me of the feeling I've had in 2 other places, Zipolite, Mexico in 1983 and Olu Deniz, Turkey in 1989. Wonderful, out of the way places that are just starting to experience the good and bad of increased tourism. Thankfully Luang Prabang was designated as an Unesco World Heritage site back in 1995 and it is very remote so that will help. By the way, Laos is pronounced Lao as the "s" is silent. Yes, most English speaking people say it in incorrectly. The people are Lao and they speak Lao. It is a communist country but over 90% of the people are Buddhists.
It was actually a matter of having to renew my Thai visa as it would expire on 30MAY. I found that I could fly directly to Luang Prabang on Lao Airlines from Chian Mai. Sweetness! A lovely prop jet soared us over the mountains and down into the Luang Prabang. Visa on arrival, currently $35 USD to enter, a prompt and efficient process and I was off to my hotel. You can save $1 USD by having your own passport picture. I had originally considered Vientiane but it is much bigger than Luang Prabang.
I had decided to arrange a room in advance but this is definitely one of those places where, during off season at least, you will find many guest houses and I imagine the majority of them do not have any listing on the web. I guess the primary time to visit is Nov-Mar but the off season is perfect for me. Luang Prabang sits on the confluence of the Nam Than and Mekong rivers. The mighty Mekong and it is huge. I suppose it depends on your age but I immediately think of Apocalypse Now whenever I hear anything about the Mekong River. I adore large bodies of water anywhere in the world but big rivers have a character all of their own. I could watch the Nam Than from my hotel and was fascinated by some of the fishing practices using a large circular net and the fisherman gathering it up and folding in a very particular way and then throwing it out where it would land in the water in a perfect circle.
Luang Prabang has one of the highest concentrations of temples and monks anywhere. Living at a monastery and practicing as a monk, even for a short time, is expected of all young Buddhist men. Some only participate for 2 weeks. On my second day, I climbed to the top of the temple at the center of town and had a lovely time chatting with a young Lao monk. He wanted to practice his English. At one point in our conversation he asked me how old I was and I told him to which he responded "wow, you're old"....he was all of 20 and had never been out of Lao but is hoping to continue his Buddhist studies in India someday.
There is still a very distinct wildness about this place. It is quite obvious that even though there are lots of little eateries and guest houses, especially along the Mekong, it is still quite innocent. The edges of the river are wild with overgrowth and all kinds of life. The boat drivers seem just as happy to go back to their games with their friends when you say "Baw, Khawp Jai" to their offers of "boat ride". The buzz of the jungle can be heard steps from the center of town. I took the opportunity to rest a moment at the end point of the town at the river confluence and saw TONS of butterflies, a beautiful orange snake and bright yellow lizard all while taking a few minutes rest just steps from the town road.
My title for this post is based on my activities the first day. I jumped on one of the free hotel bikes and took off towards town. The high and narrow bridge over the Nam Tham seemed quite mild on a bike. I covered the main streets of the town in a short time, although the searing heat and single speed bike made it a bit of a challenge. Although the seat was adjusted high enough for my legs, the crank arm is so short it makes taking a good strong pump through the pedals quite difficult. Overall, it felt great to be on a bike and was a fantastic way to get around this beautiful little town. So I set off in another direction hoping to see some more local colour. I weaved my way past little village after village each seemingly having some type of specialty going on. There was the mechanics village, the basket village, a weaving village, pottery village, and many others. Before I knew it I was on a busy road with trucks and fast moving traffic and I realized I had no idea where I was and that I was lost. Lost in Laos...sounds pretty cool. I knew I couldn't have gotten than far away so persevered and made it make in about an hour. I was soaked in sweat and exhausted and proceeded to stuff myself with beer and a delicious Lao lunch. YUM.
I went back to Chiang Mai on 29 and headed straight back to the Dreamcatchers B&B before joining up with my YTT on Sunday 31May.
Earth and sky, woods and fields, lakes and rivers, the mountain and the sea, are excellent schoolmasters, and teach some of us more than we can ever learn from books. __John Lubbock
Pics and videos updated too.
No comments:
Post a Comment