3 days in Luang Prabang, Laos – sites unvisited by tourists

Kali

6 years ago

Laos: 3 days in Luang Prabang – unvisited places and sites not yet discovered by tourists.

Luang Prabang unvisited.

Behind the genteel glamour of colonial Luang Prabang there’s a different world waiting to be discovered. Around the corner from the World Heritage Sites, or across on the opposite banks of the Mekong, ordinary Laotian people go about their daily lives…it is a privilege to get such an extraordinary insight into another culture.

Our New Zealander friends, Donna and Helen have the same curious spirit as Juan and I; we leave downtown behind, skirt Mount Phousi and wander the quieter backstreets. An ancient temple complex surrounded by little shrines is an example of the treasures waiting to be seen, maybe not the most significant on Earth but worth exploring at leisure.

A day of contrasts unfolds as we walk on towards the old red iron bridge spanning the Nam Khan River, across to a modest neighbourhood with a flash new supermarket, scooters and auto-rickshaws whipping past and a lone jet plane flying into the nearby international airport.

A golden spire beckons on a forested mount, catching the sunlight above the trees at what surely must be a panoramic viewpoint. A stiff trek up to a monastery, the huge iron gates left wide open… it’s very quiet, only a glimpse of orange, a monk in the distance, and a pack of dogs that watch nervously as we walk up to the top of the hill.

The temple, Wat Paphonphao Vacnaram is pretty unique and surrounded by gardens, the views outstanding, you can see over entire Luang Prabang, discerning the layout of the city below. An overgrown path is no doubt a shortcut, but, not sure we return the way we have come.

Down on the street young monks are walking back from Luang Prabang sports stadium. There’s a strong smell of smoke and flames. Fireworks going off makes me think it’s a fiesta. The event is hard to find, up a turning, around a blind corner and onto an elevated clearing, but the four of us eventually march in…and we gate-crash a ceremonial funeral.

After the first shock, the horrifying embarrassment, fascination sets in. Nobody seems to mind us, so we step back in respect and watch on – 3 flaming funeral pyres raised up on flamboyant crematory dais, flower offerings and wreaths laid out in front, 3 groups of families and friends watching silently as fire purifies their newly deceased. Way to go!

None of us fancy lunch even though the street food looks good…barbecue river fish on banana leaves. Helen and Donna are off to visit Luang Prabang children’s charity hospital; Juan and I decide to catch a local ferry boat across the Mekong.

The precarious looking ‘platform ferry’ leaves the pier loaded with locals, a couple of old vans and some scooters. There is a cheap standard fare (a higher price for foreign tourists but it’s still a pittance). Stepping onto the shore on the other side, a paved path fringed with banana trees leads off along the riverbank to the right.

Ban Xieng Mene is a self-sufficient eco community where villagers grow fruit and vegetables on garden plots in front of modest little homes, in readiness to sell at the Luang Prabang markets. Rural Laos at its best. Vat Chompet, the local Buddhist temple lies hidden away on the hillside watching over the Mekong and to Luang Prabang city, like a poor relative who’s exchanged riches for peacefulness.

This is Muang Chomphet (Muang meaning district) and our first real insight into Laotian life away from the tourist hotspots. There is a steep dusty drag straight up from the ferry landing; it is lined with primitive BBQ stalls cooking the freshest fish (still floundering in plastic buckets filled with river water) in the most dismal unhygienic conditions. Decrepit food stores and filthy eateries complete the shanty scene as mopeds and songthaew pickups scoot up the busy unpaved road and out of sight.

Turn left at the crossroads and we are walking, hopefully, towards the Ban Chan pottery village. The track follows the Mekong which you can’t actually see through the woodland. On the right-hand side there’s flat countryside with the occasional ‘farmhouse’, washing flying on lines like prayer flags in the breeze, children playing in the yards and fields. A funeral procession comes along, led by a shrouded coffin on a van, the entourage heads down towards the river.

We veer off in the opposite direction and come across a lagoon in a clearing in the woodlands. It’s an enchanting setting with a family outing enjoying a picnic by a log cabin. It is private property, a man politely explains in a mixture of Lao and sign language. Fortunately they don’t mind us ambling around.

Three small kids are playing on a little wooden canoe pulling on the line to cross the shallow water. An old guy is barbecuing a fish on embers, while the extended family is chatting away on the makeshift wooden veranda while 3 men are sitting on foldaway chairs by a table next to the lake -they call us over to join them.

It turns out to be the most interesting interlude. One man speaks French (Laos being an ex French colony), so with my pitiful school girl knowledge, translating to Juan in Spanish and our new friend to his crones in Lao, we chat away for ages. Beer is passed around to sip, one small tumbler with an ice cube to chill, and they offer to share the aperitifs – a plate of fried black bugs and another of chicken heads which we politely decline; the grilled fish is really tasty but I only taste a tiny bit as it has to go round the five of us!

The rest of the family doesn’t come over, they just nod and smile, but I think it is a problem of the language barrier combined with the fact that the Laos people are generally quite reserved.

The home industry pottery village is pretty much closed when we arrive, it’s best to visit in the mornings to see how the artisans fire the terracotta tiles and clay bricks or pots. A guy on a scooter stops to offer the two of us a lift. A kind gesture, but I really do prefer walking to riding 3-in-a-line on the pillion, Asian style. He assumes we are staying in the nearby resort…a holiday resort in the middle of nowhere?

Curiosity kicks in and a bit further on, beside some really poor dwellings, there is the most beautiful riverside resort; admittedly a bit ‘faded’ or maybe ‘tired’ is the word, it has definitely seen better days. Nevertheless, the extended gardens, blue tiled pool and dark wood chalets overlooking the Mekong is absolutely stunning. No-one else around at all, except for a gardener and a receptionist who says that the guests are out on tour for the day. I guess it is low season.

Outside the complex steps cut into the steep muddy slope lead down to the river. The few people about seem to be tending the terraced crops or idling down by the water beside the canoe boats. I bargain the price of a ‘water taxi’, it waits for a few more passengers, and then it’s back to Luang Prabang proper.

Along the waterfront there is a popular eat-as-much-as-you-like buffet, the ideal place to dine after an unusual day of authentic reality with no time, or desire, for food. On the Luang Prabang embankment of the Mekong, there’s a cool place -I don’t know the name- with trestle tables laid out with raw vegetables, noodles, meats and fish, etc.

You just choose what you fancy and sit at a table overlooking the river to cook your own ingredients over charcoal – a pot of stock for soups and a griddle for the noodles, meat, fish and veg. Okay, it is touristy and not at all posh but great fun and incredible value for money!

Our last day in Luang Prabang is one of those days that memories are made of…