Tuesday 22 July 2014

LUANG PRABANG #LOVELY #LAID-BACK #LAOS

Whenever Im home in the real world & my mind wanders to travel. I am immediately back in Luang Prabang, Laos, enjoying  the fleeting tropical sunset over the mighty Mekong River. Cold Beer Laos sweating on the timber table, I inhale with blissful satisfaction, an Indonesian cigarette. All is well with the world.

 

All my travels are epitomised or condensed in that scene or moment. When l think of travel, all roads lead to Luang Prabang.
It is 9 years since l first visited Luang Prabang, arriving down on a 2 day slow boat journey from the Thai border. I immediately fell for its charms & I have been returning every year since. No other place has impressed upon me such a lasting sentiment.

Luang Prabang is nestled between 2 rivers, the Mekong & the Nam Khan. The rivers imbue a leisurely river town ambiance. The long past French colonization is retained in its rustic elegance. The shady streets are perfect for strolling & bike riding past ornate Buddhist temples. The riverside cafés are perfect for long, deep & meaningless conversations over industrial strength Laos coffee.

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Within all its character lives its cultural essence, the spiritual capital of Laos. Dozens of monasteries house over a thousand monks & novices studying the holly scriptures. The sound of drums & chanting adds to the atmosphere. It inspires your heart beat at a different pace.

 The Laos culture is still undiluted by mass tourism. The promise of major highways up to China & the threat of mass loads of Chinese tourists has fortunately never eventuated. Thank Buddha. Luang Prabang remains a kick-back, very kool & placid place.

Laos is a breath of fresh air, literally. It's clean & green. With a population of only about 6 or 7 million people who have had very little impact on their environment. Mostly subsistence farmers, the people of Laos practise all the principles of environmentalists without ever having needed to be taught them. There are no flashy roadside billboards along the miles of rolling green hills & peaks. There's no fast food franchises reminding you how far it is to the next burger & fries. There's a feeling of natural space and ease that is rarely felt in SE Asia.



My journey continued from Luang Prabang leaving me wondering how long & how many miles it will be until l am again sitting by the Mekong at sunset. A motor bike is strapped to the roof of the bus, live produce is packed inside the bus & lm perched on a large bag of rice. My mind is full of the energy of Luang Prabang, nothing can ruffle me. There's a long road ahead & lm surrounded by smiling locals. And the road is never long when in good company.













2 comments:

  1. Gorgeous Kaz, - I was transported right there beside you - it's amazing how you can transdescend to a 'happy place' - I guess we are among the lucky one's to be able to do that.. I fully enjoyed another part of the Mekong river in Vietnam in the South - I guess equally tranquil, unspoilt and full of hidden mysteries and stories... happy travlin.

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  2. Thanx Barnz, l love the Mekong, it's like an old friend.

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