07/03/2010 Luang Prabang on the Mighty Mekong

Got up earlyish so that we could get in some internet time to pay bills and update the blog (finally).

Also had a final swim in the pool (it gets warmer every time you get in surprisingly!) and chatted to a New Zealand guy who was teaching his little girl to swim. Finally had to get out and check out before we got charged extra. Then it was off to the airport in no time at all and after a very quick check-in and a bit more blogging were up, up and away to Laos – Luang Prabang to be exact.

The numerous palm trees were a surprise when looking out as we landed after the forests of Chiang Mai only an hour west. On arrival in Laos (it was a ghost town at her international terminal) we caught a taxi into town although on the way the driver had to take us to see his ‘friends’ guesthouse as it was ‘high season’. However this is quite normal in Asia as drivers get commissions for diverting you to particular guesthouses and we had a look anyway to compare to the one we wanted. Turns out that two of the ‘friends’ guesthouses were booked out anyway and the third was a dodgy room out of town with a mattress on the floor and a filthy shared bathroom. Luckily we are used to saying no and headed into our preferred option where we got the last room in a simple guesthouse in the old town opposite the Mekong River. It turned out that the driver was correct and it was busy – however when pressed he told us that by ‘high season’ he meant from December to May which is rubbish.

Despite the busyness of the accommodation options, the town seems quiet and laid back. A lot of the buildings are French Colonial, reflecting the French occupation of the area when it was known as Indo-China. It has quite beautiful architecture and a lovely riverside resort feel with all the timber verandahs overlooking the two rivers that converge in town – the Mekong and the Nam Khan Rivers converge to create a peninsula where the old town has evolved. We wandered up to the night market for a look and discovered that they had quite a lot of good quality local handicrafts. This is unusual as most of the places we have been in Asia serve up the same cheap garbage and just stick their town’s name on it if you are lucky (or unlucky enough to purchase it). After this we went back down to the street where our guesthouse, View Khem Khong, sits across from the river and picked out a riverside restaurant for dinner. We had a lovely night chatting by the river and watching the boat lights twinkling offshore. Food was average and we need to remember to ask for filleted fish but the beer was cold and cheap!

View Khem Khong Guest House, Th. Khem Khong, Luang Prabang, Laos
(100,000 Kip w fan and hot water ensuite – simple but clean and opposite the river)
Ph: 856-71 213032 / m: 856-20 6783080.