A Summer in Southeast Asia: Laid Back Luang Prabang

After leaving Thailand, we stayed for four days in Luang Prabang in the north of Laos. This UNESCO World Heritage site has its own tempo, laid back and relaxing. Our first day was spent biking around the town in the heat, along the Mekong and Nam Khan rivers, enjoying the interesting architecture. We also visited Ock Pop Tok (which means "East Meets West" in Lao), a social enterprise working primarily in the field of textiles, handicrafts and design. This collaborative creates economic opportunities for artisans in rural locations in Laos. We learned about silk worms and saw artisans weaving many intricate designs.

One of the many interesting exteriors seen along the way (Photo Credit: Becca)

Photo Credit: Becca

An example of the French influence on post-colonial Laos (Photo Credit: Becca)

An example of batik design at Ock Pop Tok (Photo credit: Becca)

The next day Mom, Emily, Sarah and I woke up at 4:45 am to go see the monks receiving alms at sunrise. After that, we climbed 328 stairs to the top of Mount Phousi, a tall hill in the middle of town. From the top of the hill we could see the entire valley shrouded in fog, including both rivers. We watched the clouds lift from the surrounding hills, enjoyed some quiet meditation, and befriended a small cat. Later in the day we split into two groups. Emily and Mark rode bikes in the countryside, while Michelle, Sarah and I explored the many wats (temples) in town and relaxed and read at a riverside cafe. After regrouping later in the day, we all climbed Mount Phousi again at sunset to see the day end over Luang Prabang.

The monks receiving alms very early in the morning (Photo Credit: Becca)

The stupa on top of Mount Phousi (Photo Credit: Becca)

The view from the top of Mount Phousi at 6 am (Photo Credit: Becca)

Wat Mai Suwannaphumaham near the grounds of the National Museum (Photo Credit: Becca)

We went to bed early after a long day, and woke up early the next day for a drive into the countryside. We headed 30km out of town to hike to the Kuang Si waterfalls. The falls were beautiful, with many levels and crystal clear blue water. We even had our toes nibbled on by fish!

We walked from the falls to a bear sanctuary. In Laos and China, sun bears and Asian black bears are caged and their bile havested. This bile is supposed to cure liver diseases, but this treatment is not as effective as herbal and synthetic remedies. The bear sanctuary outside of Luang Prabang rescues bears from such operations and nurses them back to health. We got to see over 10 bears, all hunting for food that was hidden around their enclosure. They were very cute! We also visited a nearby butterfly farm, where we got to see, hold and photograph butterflies local to Laos. Learning about the many different species of butterflies and their life cycles was very interesting, as was seeing the many beautiful plants and flowers on which the butterflies thrive.

One section of Kuang Si Falls (Photo Credit: Becca)

One of the many bears at the sanctuary, foraging for food hidden in the stump (Photo Credit: Becca)

A fuzzy mimosa flower! (Photo Credit: Becca)

A butterfly that I picked up (Photo credit: Becca)

Dad visits the "fish spa" at the butterfly garden and it tickles (Photo Credit: Becca)

All in all, we loved Luang Prabang's laid back air, the mix of French colonial and Laotian architecture, and the miles of hills and trees. Unfortunately, after four days we had to leave to fly to our next destination, Vietnam!

-Becca