La La Laos
Trip Start
Oct 15, 2008
1
13
41
Trip End
Ongoing
Luang Prabang,
Lao Peoples Dem Rep
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Luang Prabang is the most amazing city I have ever been to. The old city is situated on a peninsula at the junction of the Mekong and NamKhan rivers and is surrounded by mountains and limestone cliffs. Thirty years of communism make for an extraordinary architectural landscape. Classical French colonial buildings stand majestic in various phases of decay and restoration; a juxtaposition reminiscent of Havana, Cuba. The city is in the beginning stages of gentrification so that coffee shops and boutiques stand side by side with temples, farms, and wooden shacks.
There is so much to do here and my ordinarily relaxed approach to touring has assumed a frenzied pace. On Tuesday I took a boat across the Mekong for a "Temple Walk" that was highlighted in my city map and described as a "one and a half hour walk that follows paths around the hills". Ha! After about 1 kilometer and 4 temples the path disappeared entirely. I was left to navigate on my own through forests, farms, and villages. At one point I think I accidentally walked through somebody's house. At another point the path was paved ankle-deep in buffalo refuse. (I was quite proud of myself for being able to identify the species). Finally after about 2 hours I reached the boat landing. The entire journey seemed like some sort of test and I half expected to be met at the end by a group of monks who would present me with a certificate, perhaps Zen Master. But that is what I love most about Laos. The nascent tourist infrastructure is often underdeveloped or inadequate, allowing the adventurous traveler to charter his or her own path and seek out unique experiences that are endowed with a raw authenticity.
Yesterday I planned to take a boat up the Mekong to the Pak Ou Cave, famous for housing more than 4000 Buddha sculptures placed there by worshipers several hundred years ago. Many agencies in town offer tours of the caves but I've learned it is much cheaper to negotiate directly with the boat drivers. The first boat driver I approached told me that he would take me for 60,000 Kip ($7), but that I would have to wait for more people to fill up the boat. Eventually a Lao tour guide with 2 Germans approached the boat. The Germans had expected a private tour and were not thrilled with the idea of sharing the boat. The Lao tour guide told me that I would have to find a different boat. Next I went to the boat office and bought a ticket, again for 60,000 Kip. I was told that I would be joined by 10 other tourists. I followed the boat driver to his boat and we ferried downriver to another boat landing where we were met by 10 Koreans. When the Koreans saw me on the boat they became very upset. One of them asked how much I had paid.They had paid 100,000 Kip apiece and were really unhappy with the price discrepancy. Eventually I was told to get off the boat. I was upset for about 3 seconds. It's hard to be upset for more than 3 seconds when you are on a 6 month vacation. I did suspect that perhaps it was Buddha's will that I not visit the cave. Finally I was accepted by a group of 2 Spaniards and 3 Dutch (Duchesses?). It all worked out in the end. We bonded really quickly and today I am going to the Tad Kuang Si Waterfall with 2 of the Dutch people.
Last night I went to a performance of the Royal Ballet Theatre. The troupe performed an episode from Phra-Lak Phra-Lam, the Lao version of the Ramayana. This was less of a ballet and more of a pageant. It seems that the first rule of Lao classical dance is to only move one body part at a time. So if you're moving your left pinky you can't move your legs, and if you move your head the rest of your body must remain still. The dancers also wore masks, which robbed the performance of any emotional expression. This is all a subtle way of saying that I was a bit bored. I think the rest of the audience shared my sentiment. About 30 minutes into the performance about half of the audience (the Japanese half) began conversing out loud. The other half of the audience (Westerners) started aggressively shushing. After about 40 minutes the first two rows of the audience (Japanese) got up and left. I did enjoy the orchestra. I don't know much about Lao music, but it seems to draw from Chinese and Indonesian influences.
Comments
Question
When do you meet a gorgeous Laotian man, fall in love and decide never to return...?
I am eagerly awaiting you next blog post.
As always,
Alex
Thanks for the wonderful photos
I'm a complete stranger who stumbled upon this travelogue. Thanks for the wonderful photos of Lao. What an amazing adventure. You go, girl!