Luang Prabang

After my trip to Laos, I gushed to anyone who would listen that Luang Prabang was my favourite little town in the world. And that if I ever decided to run away from it all, this would be the place that would come to mind for me. I loved this place.

Being in Chiang Mai right now, there are loads and loads of signs for trips across to the northern Laotion city, and it reminds me of my visit there.

Getting there by plane was the first adventure 10 years ago from Vientiane, flying the reportedly sketchy Lao Aviation, with all the rumours and stories about safety and missing navigational equipment abounding. The idea that the pilots fly by sight made my heart race as we started our decent into Luang Prabang in thick fog, and finally spotting mountain ranges all around as we got very close to the ground. Surely those rumours are not true!

This riverside hamlet in the north is famous for it’s night market, and the Pak Ou caves with thousands of Buddha statues, and it's temples. For the dawn monk procession around the streets, and for it's abundance of temples.

A former capital of the kingdom of the area, there is much gold on the structures. The things that stands out as you wander around this small town taking in the 30 temples, is the variety of them - all so very different.

The differences in the gables alone stand out, in addition to the features on the grounds of each temple. Many of them include very basic living quarters for the novice monks.

I would imagine that much of this small town is the same after all this time, although it has become a much talked about recommended destination of Laos.

When I was there, I spent time just hanging out along the main street, for snacks and beers, and taking in the sleepy town. There was a couple of cute bars in the back streets too, and so this was the perfect relaxing escape from my life in Cambodia for a few days.

This post is part of a series marking 10 years since I travelled to Cambodia to work as a volunteer. Laos was one of my side trips.

Monk Procession At Dawn

One of the most talked about features of the little Laotian town of Luang Prabang is the procession of monks through the streets at dawn, collecting offerings and their food for the day ahead from the locals. It is certainly a sight worth getting up before the sun for!

I remember setting an alarm, and leaving my guesthouse room when it was still dark, not really sure if this was But it happens everyday, and is easy to find in the central streets. I tiptoed through the front entrance room of the guesthouse where the family who run it were sleeping, and made my way to the area I had been advised would be a good spot to view the procession.

Standing out on the streets with a few other people around here and there, but otherwise deserted streets, there was a slight wave of doubt again about what exactly I was doing out of bed at such an hour.

As the procession appeared and snaked it’s way along the streets, more and more locals appeared and placed something in the monk’s urns. Such a solemn and enchanting process to watch.

The behaviour of other Westerners during this ritual procession of magenta and saffron is the lowlight of this experience. People angling in, impeding the path of the procession, all on the quest for a photo, is embarrassing and shameful. Travellers really need to remember they are visitors to such an area, and that this ritual is part of life here in Laos, not a show put on for tourists’ photos.

My photos, scanned from print 10 years later, are not very good, but are the lasting mementos of that visit nonetheless.

This post is part of a series marking 10 years since I travelled to Cambodia to work as a volunteer. Laos was one of my side trips.

Laos' Golden Temple

South East Asia is dotted with temples at every place you go. It is pretty easy to feel like you are ''templed out" as you go from place to place - kinda like churches in Europe.

But arriving in a new country, the vision of the variation on the temple of worship can capture you nonetheless. The Golden Temple in Laos' Vientiane is no exception.

I took a tuk tuk tour around town when I arrived in the Laotian capital, and a visit to this temple was one of the main stops delivered by my local driver.

The Pha That Luang stupa is brilliant against the clear blue sky, with it's gold leaf coating. This temple has been destroyed a number of times, and rebuilt to it's glory, through wartimes, since it's original construction at the beginning of Vientiane as the captial in 1566.

The significance of the temple surrounds the content of the main stupa, reportedly a resting point for the holy relic of a breast bone of Lord Buddha. The Golden Temple remains a national symbol for this South East Asian nation, and will be an inclusion on any visit to Laos.


This post is part of a series marking 10 years since I travelled to Cambodia to work as a volunteer. Laos was one of my side-trips.

Plain Of Jars

Visiting the magical site of the Plain Of Jars in Laos raises more questions than it answers. What are they doing here in the seemingly middle-of-nowhere? What were they used for? Were they made here, given their size, or did some ancient civilisation cart these around with them.

The Jars can be visited, on a few specific sites, from the fairly remote town of Phonsavan. I took a flight to get there, from Luang Prabang, risking life on Lao Aviation - but then the bus ride out of Phonsavan to return to the capital was the most frightening, harrowing road journeys I have ever taken. Single roads along windy mountain sides, at speed, with all manner of human and animal seat-mates you can and cannot imagine. I will leave the decision about how to get there to you!

Many theories abound about what these jars were for, out here in the middle of this expanse of space. But it seems that since my visit, the notion of it as a burial site seems to have been supported by archaeologists working in the area.

Although traditional Loatian stories of the jars being carted up here to be used to make and store rice wine to celebrate a battle victory, or the idea that they were used to collect monsoon rainwater where free flowing water was hard to come by, could equally be true!

This region is also one of the most bombed areas of South East Asia. Massive craters dote the sites of the Jars - and the town of Phonsavan is littered with re-fashioned artillery bits and pieces. Quite a sight to see!

The Plains are also dotted with UXO, and so taking a guide is needed, to ensure your safety. Traveling alone at this point, I am certain I was massively ripped off, but at the same time got a personalised guide and tour of several sites, at the time I wanted. Travel is a balance of options, sometimes!

After my day checking out the Jars, I met up with Ash who was travelling around the area at the same time, and we had dinner at one of the few places at the time, and then many beers to see into the night. I still remember our conversation as I boarded that scary bus, before he waved me off.

Very remote, pretty isolated from the trappings of Westernisation and excess tourism, the Plain Of Jars and Phonsavan is a bit of work to get to, but the mystery is worth the trek.

I wonder how much it has changed since I was there?

This post is part of a series marking 10 years since I travelled to Cambodia to work as a volunteer. Laos was one of my side-trips.