We spent almost a week in Luang Prabang. Just like most people who have been there, we really liked the town. There are several reasons for that.
First, the town, or to be exact, a significant part of it, has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. With that honor comes a requirement that you keep the character of the place intact. Thus, the town has no tall buildings. I think that there are only a few building that are even four stories high. A significant portion of the town has ancient Wats (temples) and French colonial houses. It is verdant. Also, its geography of being a peninsula where two rives meet, Mekong and Nam Khan, adds a lot to the beauty of the town. It is immensely walkable.
Second, it mixes Buddhist and modern vibes quite nicely. It is a major Buddhist center, and the Monk Walk in the morning (to collect alms) has become a tourist attraction. At the same time, there are first class restaurants and comfortable hotels. Eating in Luang Prabang is a pleasure because the choices are all the way from street food to fancy places. We even found a good Indian restaurant run by a guy from Chennai. The food wasn’t bad at all.
Third, it does not feel as touristy as it should. One main reason is that buses are banned. So people have to travel by minibuses or tuk tuks. There are no major “must-see” sites within the town that would invite hoards of tourists. The only place where we saw a traffic jam of minibuses was at Kuang Si waterfall. That place is absolutely worth visiting, by the way, as long as you get there before the hoards arrive.
Finally, as is the case with most places we visited, Luang Prabang is absolutely safe. We had no fear walking in any alley anytime of the day. People are uniformly polite and mind their own businesses. I kept my wallet in one of my trouser pockets and iPhone in the other. I would be more fearful walking like this in most places in Europe. I would surely be pick-pocketed.
All in all, absolutely worth a visit if not for a longer term stay.
Comments