6th January: Luang Prabang, Laos
We fittingly began our first full day on the banana pancake trail by eating banana pancakes! We’d heard they were often made with bananas in the mix to create a dough but unfortunately those in our hotel were very much thick egg-based pancakes with a few slices of banana on top. Still, when served with fruit, with some black coffee, and a sweet homemade orange cordial, it was a great way to start the day.
We’ve four full days in Luang Prabang, plus the half day we enjoyed yesterday, so it was time to catch up on planning and booking our next few weeks. Mid-morning, I popped out to get us some snacks and returned with a freshly made iced cocoa and coffee, and a cinnamon bun to keep us going. Yum! We already had trains and accommodation booked down to Bangkok but will now spend longer in Thailand instead of the originally planned flying visit. From Bangkok, we’ve booked return trains to Chiang Mai with stops on the way up at the ancient capital of Sukhothai and on the way back in Nakhon Sawan for their Chinese New Year celebrations. For one of these legs we got the final two tickets, so that was lucky. We could’ve perhaps gone directly to Chiang Mai via bus (or boat) from Laos if we’d had this plan in advance, but at least this way we can travel by train instead of bus. Way more preferable anyway!
For a slightly late lunch, we headed to the Heuan Chan heritage house found down one of Luang Prabang’s beautiful alleyways. In their peaceful garden, we ate delicious tomato, aubergine, and peanut baguettes. Actually fresh, non-processed bread! Not quite banh mis as we know them, but they hit the spot.
The museum itself was awesome. It was on the upper, living floor of the traditional wooden house. The lower floor was open on all sides and the upper floor had verandas on the eastern and northern sides. Shoes were left here, as is the case in all Laotian homes. Inside, were fascinating descriptions of everyday life in Laos before modernisation.
One fascinating tradition was of Baci Su Khwan. This began as pre-Buddhist but came to contain Buddhist mantras and rituals for returning of Khwan. The belief was (and is) that each person has 32 Khwan, which may be reduced by changes in life circumstances and that it’s important for society to help each individual to refill their quota through this ritual. Quite profound, I think. We underestimate the deep stress caused by upheaval in our lives.
Before departing, we chilled in the garden further with a fantastic dragon fruit smoothie and a slightly bitter but tasty pandan leaf soda. Luang Prabang feels like a calming place.
As the afternoon was going on, we decided to head up Phou Si hill for the sunset. We’d heard that it gets very busy, so got there early for a good spot. We were glad that we had as space was tight. Everybody, mainly people in their 20s and 30s, was really friendly and respectful as people sat down on the floor taking in the scene. This was until 15-minutes before sunset when hoards of boomers, including Chinese tour groups, turned up, pushed through, and kept trying to stand in front of those who’d been sitting patiently. The world over, and I mean this sincerely, boomer entitlement is the cause of so many problems from the micro to the macro. You could genuinely see almost any issue through that prism and not be far wrong. I had words with quite a few, so that Kaja and another girl could see. It was all calm, but I went from being super relaxed to shaking and barely able to hold my camera. I hate confrontation but also can never just let people attempt to walk all over those they perceive as unlikely or unable to resist. Anyhow, the sunset over the Mekong was gorgeous but we preferred yesterday’s chilled vantage point!
We left straight away to get down before the rush and headed to the night market for dinner. This time, we ordered from a place in the main square. £5.50 for plate of spring rolls with a peanut dip; a ginger tofu and bean sprout stir-fry, a plate of moreish sweet-savoury pineapple rice; and a giant local beer to wash it down was a bargain. We’re settling into Laos just fine.
