Pi Mai - best time to go!
by pinoygypsy
Luang Prabang celebrates their new year for 3 days around mid-April with lots of water and powder splashing, parades, parties, a beauty pageant and of course, drinking Beer Lao! Everyone's in party mode! The people, the beer, the whole feeling of the place -- very laid back, chilled out and relax!
Waterfall and nice picnic place
by MJL
This is absolutely one of the best place in Luang Prabang, Khousang waterfall. You can swimm in those ponds. If you want use your legs, so climb up to the waterfall. You can then walk to the other side of waterfal.
10 things what you as a tourist should know
by xuessium
1. Temples are beautiful and interesting but most important of all, they're holy places. Please visit, but dress appropriately, covering shoulders, knees and everything in between. Whether in a temple or on the streets, ladies wearing long skirt will find the gesture much appreciated.
2. In Buddhist cultures, the head is high and the feet are low. Use your feet only for walking and refrain from using them to point at someone. Putting your feet up on a stool is thus rude, so is stepping over someone seated on the floor.
3. Please don't use camera flash to take pictures of folks giving alms or monks receiving them. You're disturbing people practicing their faith.
4. Please be thoughtful about your generosity. Giving away candy or money discourages initiative, rots teeth and encourage begging. Medical supplies are easily misused and should be donated to the Red Cross. Books and educational supplies are best donated directly to schools.
5. Kissing, holding hands and other displays of affection between a couple should be done in private.
6. Don't lose your temper as everybody loses "face". Stay calm, don't raise your voice and things can be worked out.
7. The Lao people are modest. Nude bathing at waterfalls, in the river or while rafting is never appropriate. Lao women wear a T-shirt and shorts covering from mid-thigh to shoulders; for men, shorts are fine.
8. Don't carry away Laotian heritage. Don't buy old objects as souvenirs as they were probably stolen from unprotected temples or historic sites. Support talented and hardworking local artisans by purchasing new and beautiful weavings, silverwork and handicrafts.
9. Please preserve and observe Laotian traditions. Be sensitive.
10. Culture isn't understood in a single day. Give yourself time to accept differences and understand why the differences existed. Don't try to impose your way and believes on others especially if the culture is older than yours. The world is diverse and that is what make things so exciting.
Betcha can't eat just one
by richiecdisc
By far our favorite snack in Luang Prabang was the gooey coconut pancakes called khao nom ba ping. Made of coconut and rice, they were more like dumplings in consistency. Even better was watching the girls make them. It was ingenious though time consuming. They were so popular the poor things could not keep up with demand. We felt they should have raised their prices as you got about five of them for 2000 Kip (about twenty-five cents). They were worth a lot more but they were quite happy pumping them out for their waiting patrons.
BeerLao Drinking
by muddybok
I am no kidding when I put this tip in this category. The big bottle BeerLao will cost between 7.000Kips - 10.000Kips (depending where you drink from) and it's smooth to you throat and also to you pocket.
One thing for sure is it cost only 1/3 of Malaysia bottled beers and taste better than Tiger Beer**.
Don't understand why Kiasu loves Tiger Beer?