Laos, the Land of a Million Elephants (‘Lang Xang’); this
landlocked South East Asian country lays claim to incredibly genuine and
friendly people whom, similar to their eastern neighbours the Vietnamese, have
had Hell visited upon them in the last century. During America’s illegal
bombing of Laos (Laos was deemed a neutral state during the Vietnam War), more
bombs rained down on the country than what the U.S. dropped on both Japan and
Germany combined during the Second World War! This has made Laos the most
intensely bombed nation in human history.
Despite this atrocity, everywhere you look in Laos someone
is smiling as if nothing can dampen their spirits. Luang Prabang, nestled
between the mighty Mekong and the Nam Khan Rivers, rightly deserves its title
of being a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Steeped in culinary delights, Buddhist
temples galore and littered with French Indochina colonial styled architecture,
Luang Prabang is Laos’ gem.
(Ignore the murky brown water - it was monsoon season - sit back and take in the view with a refreshing Beerlao)
There’s a very relaxed and chilled vibe to Luang Prabang
with the lively night-market as the life and soul of the old city, once the sun
goes down. It’s the perfect place to buy local handmade trinkets and locally
brewed Laotian rice whiskey - which is guaranteed to knock you on your back! As
with any new place I encounter, I love to taste and discover the local
palates. Laotian cuisine is strikingly similar to its culinary neighbour and
sister, Vietnam; however there’s something almost magical about eating on the
riverbanks, next to the flowing waters of the Mekong, day and night watching
the fishing boats and bamboo canoes float past.
(Eat your heart-out Cumberland sausages)
To compliment the French colonial architecture, the
night-market offers freshly made crêpes with an array of fillings that would
either make your mouth-water or flip your stomach in disgust; from Nutella and
banana, peanut butter to tuna mayonnaise, or have a mix of them all if you’d
like! I’m going to put it out there, be blasphemous and say that the crêpes in
Luang Prabang are probably as good, certainly cheaper, as in Paris!
Luang Prabang remains a spiritual centre, home to dozens of
beautiful Buddhist temples and stupas. Every morning local residents set up
their blankets along the main road through the old city and participate in the
daily ritual of alms giving. The devout almsgivers kneel below the monks in a
symbolic gesture of respect, giving the monks steamed rice which will serve as
their only meal of the day. (Buddhism is a still a central aspect of Laotian
culture that the majority of the young Laotian men still enter the monastery
before reaching adulthood for a period of time of their own choosing). The
almsgiving ceremony is a peaceful, yet hauntingly quiet, ritual but
unfortunately the sound of pattering bare feet from the monks is now
interrupted by the chatter of clicking cameras. Some tourists even think it is
acceptable to shove their various cameras in the faces of the passing monks.
(Meanwhile, I stood on the opposite side of the road watching peacefully,
taking a sneaky photo on my phone, so I’m not completely guiltless!)
Phu Si dominates the old city centre in Luang Prabang, and
is a favourite with sunset junkies and travellers due to its spectacular views
of the sunset over the Mekong and the city. These staggering views are well
worth the 100m-tall hike to the top (I know it doesn’t sound like much, but in
the high-humidity season it’s sweltering!)
*
Ask any backpacker or wandering traveller and they’ll agree
that it’s very easy to fall in love with a place after only a couple of days.
This was me with Luang Prabang. However, as with any journey, there is also the
thrill of heading out onto the road and discovering destinations anew.
The ten hour journey to Vientiane was fairly uneventful and
quiet, besides the odd stop in the mountain passes to wait for the monsoon-causing
landslides from the previous night to be cleared! The views of the mountainous
and rice-paddy filled countryside (along with a season-long binge on Better Call Saul) definitely helped pass
the time.
Can somewhere be described as ‘dopey’? An aptly better
description of Laos’ capital city, Vientiane, could be ‘lethargic’. Unlike many
of its South Asian counterparts (Bangkok, I’m pointing my finger at you)
Vientiane is eminently walkable and just like Luang Prabang in the north, it
cradles the mighty Mekong. With its barely cosmopolitan mix of Soviet- and
Franco- styled architecture, Parisian influenced tree-lined boulevards, the
myriad of cuisines (French bakeries dominate the high street while the aromatic
smell of Indian spices linger in the air of the old quarters) and the
Sino-influenced square-dancing grannies and aunties on the river front;
Vientiane is hard to fathom. For a capital city it has a relatively small
population (approximately 250,000 – my hometown of Nottingham has much more)
but it’s still an extremely likeable place. Just remember to wave and shout sawaddee to neighbouring Thailand which
is a stone’s throw away on the other side of the Mekong River.
(Sunset over the Mekong River, I'm standing in Laos and on the opposite riverbank is Thailand - sawaddee!)
The COPE Visitor Centre in Vientiane is an aspiring
not-for-profit organisation to supporting victims of UXO, providing clinical
and training programs for staff in the manufacture of artificial limbs and
rehabilitation for the victims. The UXO exhibition there is harrowing, but
fascinating, with unyielding photographs portraying the irreversible damage
done to the innocent victims of UXO - have a packet of tissues close at hand. COPE
manufactures and provides low-cost, yet high-tech, artificial limbs to the
victims and the towering displays of the used artificial limbs pull at the
heart-strings. The victims and their transformations are really awe-inspiring,
forget the selfie-obsessed celebrities, these are the real heroes!
(If you're interested in learning more about what COPE does for the victims, reading some of the heart-warming rehabilitation stories or just want to donate - check out their website http://www.copelaos.org/index.php)
As much as the city has a unique mixing-pot of character, it’s
also liberating to escape the confines of the urban environment and head into
the surrounding countryside. A short bus journey from the city centre and you
can visit the eccentric Xieng Khuan (the ‘Buddha Park’) an other-worldly mix of
both Hindu and Buddhist sculptures and images. (I didn’t dare count them, but I’m
going to guestimate at over 200 states on show, or just lounging about in the
case of the 130ft-long reclining Buddha there!)
(Hey big Buddha, just chilling)
Laos’ recent history yet-again rears its ugly head. The
architect of this eccentric park had to flee Laos from the rule of the Pathet
Lao to nearby Thailand (where he later built another sculpture park – opposite the
river to his existing one in Laos), and also with the concrete eye-sore that is
Patuxai. Also known as the Victory Gate and the ‘Arch de Triomphe of Laos’, it
was built in 1962 (but never completed due to Laos’ turbulent history) to
commemorate their victory and independence over the French.
(There’s a certain irony in building a poor imitation of one
of France’s most iconic landmarks…)
As I said, Vientiane almost feels ‘dopey’ and laid-back, but
how do I sum up Laos (and this whole area of South East Asia in fact)? That’s
the wrong question, you can’t. Just open your eyes, let it happen and breath it
all in.