Look East Look West: Luang Prabang Laos

Mekong and Nam Khan Rivers meet

We flew from Siem Reap (REP) to Luang Prabang (LPQ). Typical issues with Lao Air (canceled the flight and didn’t tell us until we got to the airport in Siem Reap) so we couldn’t get to Vientiane, the capital of Lao. Luckily, they worked it out and they put us on a Vietnam Airlines jet and we got a direct flight to LPQ. We got an extra couple of days in LP.

Main Street Luang Prabang

Luang Prabang is a wonderful historic little town. It’s is built on a peninsula formed by the Mekong and the Nam Khan River and is exceptional for both its rich architectural and artistic heritage that reflects the blending of Lao traditional architecture with that of the French colonial era. It is a remarkably well-preserved townscape.

Room at Mekong Riverview Hotel

We stayed at the Mekong Riverview Hotel, a typical Lao wood hotel built right at the end of the peninsula. A perfect location. Great staff and the owner, Urban, who’s from Sweden, couldn’t do enough for us. The Mekong and Nam Khan join right below the hotel.

Building the New Bamboo Bridge

While we were at the hotel some Lao entrepreneurs built a new bamboo bridge across the Nam Khan.There was a huge flood that washed away the old bridge 3 weeks earlier. It took them about 3 days to build the new one.The R/T bridge toll is 5000 Kip (8000 Kip=1USD).

Mekong Riverview Hotel

Luang Prabang has both natural and historical sites. Among the best natural tourism sites are the Pak Ou Caves. There’s also Mt Phou Si, located in the center of town and has broad views of the town and river systems. It’s a popular (too popular) place to watch the sun setting over the Mekong River. At the end of the main street of LP is a night market where stalls sell shirts, bracelets and other souvenirs. The Haw Kham Royal Palace Museum (no pictures inside) and the Wat Xieng temple are among the most well known historic sites.