A friend and I were recently in Luang Prabang for a few days, having flown to Laos mostly on a whim. I'm very glad that we went, and I'm also VERY glad that we went NOW.

Luang Prabang is about thiry minutes from Vientiane by air, or between 7 to 10 hours by bus. Frankly, take the plane -- it's about $55 per person (one way) on Lao Aviation, and they use their newer French-built ATRs on this route. The bus will probably be a hellish ride; I didn't meet anybody who said they were glad to have taken the bus.

The main attraction in Luang Prabang is the city itself, and that's why the whole thing is threatened -- it's very popularity will probably destroy those features that make it popular in the first place.

Among the main sights are Phou Si (a smallish temple on a surprisingly tall hill in the middle of town), various temples (Wat Xieng Thong being among the most famous), and the Royal Museum (containing various artifacts of the Lao monarchy). I recommend climbing Phou Si in the morning, both to avoid the afternoon heat, and also to get a more compelling vista (morning sun on the city stretching out beneath you).

Although these formal sights are all attractive, for me the main attraction was simply walking around. I had the good fortune to be there for the Lao New Year, which is still taken seriously in Luang Prabang -- there are processions (featuring elephants and hill-tribe folk), a small carnival site, and things like that. The New Year celebrations appear to be taken seriously in Luang Prabang, and the processions (thus far) appear to be mostly for local consumption (I saw perhaps a dozen westerners all day, vs. several thousand Lao).

In terms of shopping opportunities, there is a fairly good-sized market (Talaat Dala) which is not for the squeamish (chopped up animal parts) or for the very tall (low awnings everywhere). There are innumerable small shops selling Lao cloth or other souvenir items, so you needn't buy everything at the first one you come across.

For restaurants, you can more or less take your pick, although if you're exhausted by the heat you might consider going to the Auberge Calao, which makes a reasonable array of dishes and has ceiling fans. Besides which, the Calao is in a nicely refurbished building that's attractive in it's own right, and has views out over the Mekong.

There are quite a number of guesthouses in Luang Prabang, and more will have probably opened by the time you read this. Most of these guesthouses are still quite small (on the order of five rooms), and most tend to be congregated around the base of Phou Si or along one of the rivers. Personally, I stayed in the Phou Vao, which was an insanely expensive place on the edge of town -- since it was New Year, most of the other accommodations were full up. The Phou Vao was just fine (run by the French), but it was $67 a night! If I visit again, I'll plan further in advance and stay in a guesthouse.

Basically, it all comes down to this: if you like SE Asian towns, visit Luang Prabang. My friend & I had a great time, everything was nicely relaxing, and it was all pretty inexpensive.

Now for the warning: Luang Prabang is getting more publicity these days, so the nicely slow pace may not last for long. The UN has designated it as a World Heritage Site (a designation that the Lao gov't is very happy to remind you about), so maybe things won't get ruined. But if you've got the chance, visit sooner rather than later. I certainly wish that I'd been able to stay a few days more . . .



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