Luang Prabang, Laos: A Historical Paradise

This is my final hello or sabaidee from Laos! I'm writing from the beautiful lobby of the Villa Maly hotel in Luang Prabang. This hotel is a newly renovated house from the French colonial era - in fact, it just opened a few months ago. The lobby, rooms, pool area, and breakfast patio are very European (including the guests here!) and absolutely pristine. Even the sink in the bathroom is like a piece of art, crafted from a massive painted urn with a gold hammered bowl at the top. In a few hours we leave for the airport where we fly from Luang Prabang to Ha Noi and then to Da Nang later tonight. We stay in Da Nang at a beach resort for 4 days and then transfer to HCMC and GO HOME IN LESS THAN A WEEK!! I am so excited.

Our time in Laos has been fantastic. If I were to recommend anything to someone wishing to travel to this country, I would absolutely recommend going to this city. It reminds me of Vietnam in so many ways yet at the same time it could not be more different. In a lot of ways, I think that this trip to Laos has helped me to better understand Vietnam - I am not as far removed from Vietnam as going home to the US yet, but there are so many contrasts I have been exposed to here (cultural, historical culinary, the pace of life here etc) that have helped me synthesize my experience in Vietnam and provide context to my life there this past semester.

The streets of Luang Prabang have a similar Asian and exotic feel as parts of Vietnam, but it is as if people take a deep breath before hitting the streets and move a whole lot slower, with a constant smile on their faces. Everyone (I am not exaggerating) is friendly and smiling and not NEARLY as pushy as the Vietnamese people are. Although there are tuk tuks everywhere to be ridden, the drivers don't harass you as they do in VN. Even the night market we went to is so enjoyable! It is not hot, people don't push, the streets are clean, there is space to walk or even stroll, and you don't have to haggle as much with vendors nagging at you constanty, as is the case in many, many markets in Vietnam. This city is a lot like the Asian version of Key West in terms of its tropical feel and urban pace - just replace all the rainbow flags from Key West with Buddhist monks or statues of Buddhas and it will be as if you are here with me!

In terms of the more historical aspects of this city, the centrality of Buddhism in this culture, this country, and this city specifically is really important to point out. Beginning in the very early morning (around 5:30 AM), the sacred atmosphere and spiritual life central to Luang Prabang becomes evident. Around 5:30 AM, young Buddhist novices dressed in their yellow robes with orange tied belts parade through the streets in a single line, begging bowl in hand as they follow the narrow streets. Villagers come out each morning lining the sidewalks as they offer to the long line of monks different food items, which the novices fill their bowls with. This food is the only food they eat all day and the reason that Lao Buddhists are not necessarily vegetarians as they are in VN - the novices take and eat whatever food the community offers them. This usually means sticky rice, bananas, or instant noodle. Speaking of sticky rice, it is an absolute staple in the diet here, as is curry. Two foods I will definitely miss when we leave! The sticky rice is like the bread of the meal, sticky enough to dip with and is always eaten with your hands. It is eaten from small baskets, always.

Luang Prabang has a beautiful setting in the moutnains of northern Laos on a narrow peninsula formed by the NamKhan river joining with the Mekong. There is a dramatically less amount of visible poverty here compared to Vietnam. In fact, people live in actual houses here in the countryside. Development seems more widespread too - powerlines are not jumbled together, the roads are consitently more reliable, and more people drive cars. This is probably due to the much smaller population here. The entire country has 7 million people, compared to Vietnam's 84 million people. The per capita income here is much higher compared to Vietnam.

Also Luang Prabang has a long history of being the choice location for many temples (there are 32 remaining in this VERY small town of the original 60). We have had the opportunity to visit many (maybe too many?) temples including Wat Mai, Wat Sene, Wat Xieng Thong, Wat Visoun, Wat Aham, and Wat That, all ornately decorated with massive and tiny Buddha statues, mosaics, colored glass, engravings, and lots and lots of gold. We also took a long boatride along the Mekong and visited a rice wine-making village and a few caves filled with tiny sculptures of Buddhas and climbed to the top of an incredible waterfall. We even went through a Hmong village, which was so interesting to me after reading The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, which is one of my favorite books written about a Hmong family from Laos living in the US. This country has been so impressive and so beautiful! Definitely a good decision to come here...I don't regret it for a second!

If there is a computer at our next hotel I will post one last time from Vietnam, but if not this might be my last post from Asia! I can't believe this time is nearly over, but I feel like I have really gotten everything from it that I can and that I wished to. Happy early new year!!