Luang Prabang – First Impressions
The decision to visit Luang Prabang, a world-renowned UNESCO heritage town was a random one. A random, unexpected, and a memorable one. From the beginning, as we descended to the airport, weaving through the mountains, there was a haze. I concluded it to be because of the heat. The glaring sun showing no mercy and no clouds in the sky to offer any blanket of shade. The airport was merely a large warehouse with airport security workers scattered throughout to help guide the incoming tourists.
First step; get through customs and immigration. Fortunately for Ueli, Swiss passport does not require a visa for Laos, however, as a Canadian citizen, I had one of the higher fees to obtain a visa. A whopping $42.00USD. We get in the taxi to start our journey towards our hotel. A hotel of 5 rooms but hospitable nonetheless. I wasn’t sure exactly what to expect. I knew the country of Laos isn’t very big but I couldn’t visualize any expectations. My first sight leaves an interesting impression. The haze is also present on the weakly populated streets. As we approach the city centre, the sides are lined with restaurants and travel shops, shops selling trinkets and souvenirs with storefronts showing hints of European architecture. Also, I can’t help but notice the information posters every 50 meters reminding tourists of how to behave, the do’s and don’ts, and general expectations. Keeping in mind the monks who collect alms each morning, it is an important detail which, in my opinion, needs to be made use of more often. The alms giving ceremony starts at 4:30am. it isn’t with great pride that I say that we woke up early enough even once to witness that. Not even once! But we tried. The intention was always present the night before. It just never actually materialized into anything.
French restaurant, city center
1000 Buddhas cave
Anyway, the next day, we rented a scooter through our hotel, Oudomlith Guesthouse. A guy by the name of ‘Ked’ was more than happy to call up his friend in the city to have it arranged. Ked was a resourceful fellow. The always-willing-to-help-just-need-some-appreciation kind of fellow. Curious as well. So, the plan for today was to explore each popular site as if part of an organized tour. We, actually (sneaky-sneaky), noted down all the attractions listed from three different tours and made our own itinerary. Instead of paying $100 per person for the tours, we figured it would be more budget-friendly to go our own way and pay $10 to rent the scooter.
The first attraction on the list was 1000 Buddhas Cave. An hour and a half drive out of the city, along the Mekong rive, driving through dirt roads, we come to a small village that leads to the cave. And of course, like anywhere else, as soon as we ‘park’ our scooter on the side of the road, a villager hurries up towards us to demand that we pay for parking. Not that much but still.
The walk towards the caves/river was through the village where the locals sitting outside taking in the spectacle of two lost tourists trying to find their way. All smiles. Some working, some playing, some just hanging out. As we approach the river, we don’t see any sign of the cave. Literally, nothing. No signs, no people. With the sun about to set in 1 hour, I insist we should start driving back as some of the longer streets are dirt roads leading through isolated areas. Ueli wants to at least know if we are in the right place near the caves before we leave, we find about 8 locals sitting under a shed, playing cards and drinking homemade rum. And it just so happens that one of these locals is a boat owner who is willing to drive us across the river to the caves for a small price. We don’t even negotiate as the price said is a fraction of the guided tour prices. and we have the whole boat to ourselves.
The boat ride was just across the riverbank and took us about 5 minutes and the captain waited while we visited the cave. No one else around and even the ticket vendor getting ready to leave as we ascend the 20-some stairs to the cave, this should be interesting. The cave was enormous from the inside. 1000 statues. They weren’t joking. Among the 1000 Buddhas was something very alive and moving. And you don’t see it at first. The black cat takes you by surprise. The blackest of cats. And it follows wherever we go as if keeping an eye on the tourists. From the top, we notice even the caretakers are gone. Only the boat, his captain awaits us.
At that moment, we hear faint squeaks. BATS! That’s our cue to start heading back. Something eerie about the whole experience. When we get back to land on the other side of the river, the captain offers some rum, which we respectfully decline. Not sure how the ‘homemade’ part of the rum would sit with our stomachs. The drive back was full of mud and darkness. For dinner, it was fancy old French style restaurant and it’s safe to say that it was the first glass of wine in Asia that didn’t take like vinegar.
Kuang Si Waterfall
The next day, it was another hot day of exploring. And the haze continued. Our morning consisted of visiting temples and against the wise advice by TLC about “Don’t go chasin’ waterfalls”, we did exactly that. Only because the said Kuang Si waterfall was on the UNESCO Heritage list. Oh man as it beautiful. Gorgeous turquoise that was unexpected. A postcard perfect picture. At the same time, we can see the busloads of tourists arriving at the waterfall as part of their schedules. We can appreciate the freedom that our scooter gives us, not having to wait for other tourists to be ready so our bus can leave. But we miss the experience of meeting fellow travelers. The excitement of “oh I wonder who we will get to meet today.”
Kuang Si Waterfall
The monk talk
The same evening, I had one of the most memorable experiences so far on this trip. Beside our hotel was an English school and everyday, the teacher encouraged tourists to come in for an hour so the locals can practice their English. It was called the Big Brother Mouse. So Ueli and I went. Ueli’s partner was a 17-year-old boy who had a lot of questions about girls and how to get a date. And he was paired with Ueli. Go figure! Lol. Me, on the other hand, I was paired with a 25-year-old monk who had been practicing monkhood since he was 16 years old. At the beginning, it was mostly small talk. His English was advanced and seeing this as an opportunity, I decided to indulge in a conversation more geared towards spirituality. My first goal was to confirm whether the teachings I have had through Vipassanna were the norm. And they were! Having that validation from him gave me a sense of confidence as I knew I would, maybe, be able to keep up with this conversation. In my opinion, monks who have been practicing for as long as he had must have acquired the wisdom needed to live above the human emotions. But I was wrong. It seems like he was simply aware of his emotions and knew very well how to control his reactions. And that was his advice to me too. The difference comes in during the practice of this method. While it is easy to understand such a simple concept, it is just as difficult to practice without letting the situation take control of your mind and ultimately, your actions. Hmm! Sounds so simple, doesn’t it. Additionally, he mentioned to me what he was struggling with which was easily relatable but his wisdom allowed him to handle it in a way which can only come with practice and awareness.
This 1-hour conversation I will take with me everywhere and I consider myself lucky that I had this experience. The rest of the day was spent meandering through the town and its outskirts. One-kilometer long night market in the main street of the town lit up the generally dimly lit street. The hustling of tourists through the stalls and bargaining anywhere you look completes our experience of Luang Prabang.
The mystery solved
As we say goodbye to Ked, he calls for yet another friend of his to hail a taxi for the airport. As we take off through the mountains surrounding Luang Prabang, Laos, it becomes clear to me where the haze comes from. Many people, especially on the outskirts of the town and in the mountains, burn their garbage. And as we take off, the bird-eye view filled with fires from burning garbage scattered everywhere clarifies the haze mystery.
Next stop Myanmar!
A.
Luang Prabang, Laos Gallery
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