Luang Prabang……..an echo of French colonialism

December 1st to 3rd

A bit of a longish post….the internet has not been stellar so it has been a bit of a struggle.

We are staying at My Dream Resort which is situated across the Nam Phan River from the older area of Luang Prabang…..A nice hotel with super helpful staff and an excellent breakfast….one can get sinfully stuffed. In any event we will spend the next few days exploring this town and take in an excursion or two.

…so our choice is to take the hotel shuttle into Luan Prabang proper or walk across the Bamboo Bridge about 500 meters from the hotel, which deposits one in “mid town”….a Lao family rebuilds this bridge after each rainy season and charges 5,000 KIP for a return ticket. Currency is a bit of a learning experience as after our first exchange we became millionaires, fear not this was not a lottery win…..1 CAD equals roughly 6,500 KIP.

A bit of background  about Laos: Laos traces its history to the Kingdom of Lan Xang (Million Elephants), which was founded in the 14th century by a Lao prince Fa Ngum, who, with 10,000 Khmer troops, took over Vientiane. By the 17th century, the Kingdom entered its ‘golden age’. Reports written by Dutch merchants  describe a land of magnificent palaces, temples, and awe-inspiring religious ceremonies, with Vientiane then considered to be one of the most beautiful cities in Southeast Asia. However, by the end of the 18th century, most of Laos was under Siamese (Thai) domination and  in the 1820’s a war left all three Kingdoms ceded to the Thais.

The  involvement of France led in 1899 to a protectorate being established centered in Vientiane.When the USA bombed North Vietnamese troops on the Ho Chi Minh Trail in eastern Laos in 1964, it fomented the conflict between the royalist Vientiane government and the communist Pathet Lao who supported the North Vietnamese. A coalition government was formed, but with the fall of Saigon in 1975, most of the royalists fled to France. The Pathet Lao took control of the country and the Laos People’s Democratic Republic was established in 1975. Since 1989, there has been a move towards a market economy, and a general relaxation of restrictions, including the emergence of a fledgling tourism industry.  Laos in 1997 became a member of Asean  it however remains one of the poorest countries in Asia.

The remnants of the colonial influence make this city which was awarded UNESCO heritage certification particularly interesting, coupled with somewhat of a renaissance as buildings are renovated and turned into tourist oriented facilities, While much remains to be done, there is a good range of accommodations, eateries and activities to occupy the tourist. It is a very low stress environment, as the Lao people are not pushy and everyone seems to get along to get along, save for the Chinese who seem to be universally disliked….it would be a long dissertation, but in essence, the worry is that what has not been accomplished through force may be accomplished through economic subterfuge.

There are some 30 wats and we visited some of the main ones, unfortunately they suffer in comparison to those of Thailand due solely to the lack of maintenance…it is hard for a very poor country to maintain even their most treasured historic sites.

Wat Mai s the largest and most richly decorated of the temples in Luang Prabang. Built in the 18th century, it is near the Royal Palace Museum. An emerald Buddha statue sits inside the red-gold interior, however you are not allowed to photograph the inside of the wat.

The Royal Palace in Luang Prabang, Laos, was built in 1904 during the French colonial era for King Sisavang Vong and his family. The site for the palace was chosen so that official visitors to Luang Prabang could disembark from their river voyages directly below the palace and be received there. It is a wonderful location but the palace is rather underwhelming.

In the west wing of  the Royal Palace  we took in an evening performance of the Phra Lak Phra Ram, the national epic of the Lao people, which  is adapted from Valmiki’s Hindu epic, the Ramayana. A nice show, the performers are trying hard, but the skill level is modest and hardly compares to similar performances we witnessed in Bali.

 

Wat Xieng Thong is llocated at the tip of the Luang Prabang peninsula. Built in 1559, it is probably the most significant temple in the city and with an infusion of renovation funds could be stunning…

One morning we went out about 06:15 to witness the alms giving ceremony….the procession of monks was literally at our front door, as we are in a neighborhood away from the old town there were ony a few tourists compared to the hordes which swarm the old town.We watched the locals getting ready and then making their offerings to the monks. There was even a couple from the hotel whom the hotel outfitted with the necessary items to perform this ritual…..mildly incongruos as the hotel staff prepared their “site” and then photographed them as the villagers knelt and went about their own offerings….

Another day another temple, this time we walked up Mount Phousi which is the heart of this charming city in both spirituality and geography. Ancient legend tells of a powerful Naga (part human, part serpent deity in Buddhist and Hindu belief) who used to call the mountain home, and there are little temples and shrines dotted throughout the hill, their gilded rooftops just visible above the trees. From the peak, you can take in a panorama of Luang Prabang and the tranquil valley in which it sits. It lies in the heart of the old town peninsula and is bordered on one side by the Mekong River and on the other side by the Nam Khan River…

 

There is a daily night market here which we visited ….a much more relaxed event mostly oriented to selling souvenirs geared to the tourist trade….there are of course other daily local markets where the ordinary business of daily life is conducted. Click to enlarge pics:

 

Aside the old town there are the more gritty parts of Luang Prabang and as we did a walkabout near our hotel it became evident you did not have to go very far to see how these folks live …in fact we felt there were many parallels to Cuba, which we visited in 2017. However, it seemed they are further along the curve here with the tourist industry more advanced and commerce seems to be thriving….the infrastructure though is need of billions of dollars. Interestingly both here and in Thailand we came across very few beggars/homeless types…..no statistics on this and maybe we simply have not been in the “right” areas to see this, but certainly the streets of North America seem littered with such folk in comparison…perhaps people take care of their own here ???????

Click to enlarge pics:

Luang Prabang is surrounded by two rivers which adds to the charm with riverside tree shaded promenades, restaurants and ferries, boat hires etc.. A great setting for a sunset beverage ….

 

 

Tomorrow is hopefully going to be an exciting day so not too much drinkin & carousin as we need to be on the ball.