boat trips and dodgy villages
the people are so laid back, even though the town seems to be overrun with foreigners.
There are very few cars in Luang Prabang which adds to its agelesness chanting with monks in several temples.
I looked at two rooms in this hotel in April, 2008. Rooms were nicely decorated, in excellent condition, A/C, TV, fridge, nice wood and tile throughout. Price was $35 USD total per night and included breakfast. The place was squeaky clean.
I would have stayed here but for the same price the River Lodge had a great view so I went there. This hotel is not on the river road, so it has no view, so to speak. I do recommend this hotel though.
Directions: Just off the main drag
A brief lecture about elephants
vivid market
Lao traditional steam bath, Luang Prabang, Lao.
I HAD TO BUY SOME..
If I were to travel to Laos with a very limited time to spare, where should i go? Luang Prabang or Vientiane? considering that i will have only 3 days to spare for Laos.
I had been working on Vientiane all the while but now someone from VT has strongly suggested Luang Prabang ("unesco site", and it would be ver interesting),now i am in two minds.
thnx in advance
I prefer LP over Vientiane, too. The scenery there is much nicer, and the town has a nice flair that Vientiane is missing in my opinion.
Then again, it takes a lot of time to get to LP if you fly into Vientiane anyway. There are nice things to do around Vientiane, like a visit to a place where they have wild elephants... you can to tours and stuff, too, so it's up to you what you prefer ;)
For sure Luang Prabang...I went o both...Vientiane is bigger with museums and also religious sites, but Luang Prabang is small, cozy, and have an imersion on budism.
hi... with so little time in Laos LPB is must see... for culture, nightlife, temples,atmosphere, beautiful nature around. You'll see it's worth :)
Surely LP would be better with that amount of time. I would even suggest Vang Vieng over Vientiane.
My vote would also be for Luang Prabang. It's the seat of the former royal capital of Lan Xang. And if you're visiting in the next several months, it's not at hot nor humid as Vientiane. Lp's got a lot more to 'see/do' than Vientiane, too. Besides the 35 temples/vats, there's great colonial architecture, two rivers--the Nam Khan which is also much nicer than the Mekong (kayaking, tubing, rafting, etc), elephant riding, waterfall, etc. But if you've only got 3 days, then it's best to fly in and out since it's up in the mountains which means it takes a full day by land to get to. Also, LP offers better accomodations for the moeny than Vientiane.
This is a public service announcement by the Luang Prabang Tourism office--;~)
Thank you guys!
you have convinced me to change my mind to LP.
I havn't received a single vote for Vientiane :)
I will be in Laos between 3 and 10 march, hope to update may pages then.
While i am in LP, anything to do or not do? anything spl advice? :)
thanx
the people are so laid back, even though the town seems to be overrun with foreigners.
There are very few cars in Luang Prabang which adds to its agelesness chanting with monks in several temples.
The Mekong River is the heart and soul Laos - and of Luang Prabang, too. The peple depend on it for food, water, transportation, and just about everything else they need in their daily lives. Basically: no Mekong, no Luang Prabang The size and the power of the Mekong, which I imagined to be placid and peaceful. It's very fast and insidious, but it has a particular charm.
The daily alms-giving ceremony is a beautiful tradition and is one of the main attractions of the city. Buddhist monks are not allowed to cook , so they relly on the offerings of food given by the people. So at 5.30 in the morning, hundred of monks forming a single line in the main street, receive the the food offerings from kneeling women and standing men.
There are a lot of monks in LP. In Thailand, you can see the similar picture. However, the feeling is different in LP, as there is less car, less crowd, slower pace of life.
Monks can receive better education compare to other kids. At least for sure all monks go to school but not all kids. Most of them can speak good english.
Not every guy has to be a monk at least once in theri life time, this is different with Thailand. The rules are not so strict here, monk can chat with female. no problem.
If you have one of these Africa Twin or some BMW Touring bikes, Laos and Thailand will definitely one biking heaven for you.
If you do not have one of those super-cool bikes or do not know how to bring your bike into Indochina, you can rent one Honda 250cc Baja or CB400 to enjoy the same fun. Of course nothing compare to riding your own bike which you are familiar with.
More details in www.gt-rider.com and you may get some biking insights from David Unkovich (father of Mike Doohan, formerly 5-times World 500cc Motorcycle GP Champion) who is based in Chiang Mai.
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