When we were in Germany recovering and talking about what we would do now in the last remaining 2 1/2 weeks we had in Asia, we first said we wanted to focus on Thailand and Cambodia and its Angkor temples. The main reason was that we did not want to do too much and change countries every few days. We had learned on our trip so far that this will be quite exhausting. The more we talked about it though, the more we started to think that we cannot possibly miss out on Laos. Every single traveler we had met on our journey so far was in love with Laos and said it was one of the best places they had been to and that we definitely have to do a Mekong boat tour. To us that meant though, that we should give this country more than just a few days, but we didn’t have so much. In the end, we decided to only go to Siem Reap in Cambodia to see the Angkor temples and then fly to Luang Prabang, which we heard was the most beautiful city in Laos. There we wanted to stay 3 days and then travel down to Thailand again by boat on the Mekong.
We flew to Luang Prabang with Vietnam Airlines and were already amazed about the view of Laos from above. While Cambodia has been pretty flat, Laos was a sea of mountains with the impressive Mekong going through it. We landed in Luang Prabang in the evening. When we arrived at our guesthouse, we were welcomed by incredibly lovely and friendly people who had been waiting for us. We were welcomed with a tea and shown to our room, which was another treat as it turned out. I am impressed what these Asian can do with simple towels!
We were told that there is a night market just a few minutes walk away and that we were very close to the Mekong. So we went for a stroll through town and right away noticed how quite and relaxed everything is. There was hardly any traffic, the streets were closed off for the night market and as it was low season, there were also very few tourist around. So we walked through the streets and encountered a mix of beautiful old colonial buildings, nicely decorated river restaurants and small street vendors and street food buffets. We fell in love with Laos right then and there already and decided to skip our Mekong tour. We cannot possible stay in this place for just 3 days, especially as we wanted to do some trekking in the area as well. With this decision made, we had some dinner at one of the street buffets and went back to our romantic hideaway. The next morning, we had breakfast on our cozy balcony and went into town to book our trekking tour. We had researched that you could hire a local guide that will trek with you through the jungle to remote hill tribe villages, where you can also stay in a home-stay overnight. We wanted to do exactly that, but make sure at the same time that we chose a company that gives a good chunk of the money to these villages and the guide and that is not just another Asian rip-off travel company.
On our way into town, we past the street juice stalls again. We could not resist to try it and it actually became our morning ritual. These shakes are simply so fresh and delicious, that I sometimes had 2 within 10 minutes. If you ask me, I could have spent all day there and just drink one different shake after another. But we were on a mission. So we continued on and first booked a flight to Ko Samui from there, as we decided not to travel overland and instead use the time in Laos. And we also booked a 2 day trekking tour with hiking, homestay and kayaking. Mathias will tell you all about this experience, but it was certainly one that we will never forget. So much I can tell you already now. With this done, we felt like trying some more local food. We had read about a very good restaurant in town that served superb Lao food and also offered a cooking class.
A cooking class was actually something we hadn’t done yet and really wanted to do in Asia. So we went to the Tamarind restaurant and ordered 2 Lao classics. Chicken in lemongrass and spiced fish in a banana leaf. OH MY GOD!!! We had a food orgasm eating this food. It didn’t take us long to decide that we would also do the cooking class with them, where you actually learn how to make exactly these 2 dishes! I mean, just look at the picture above. Doesn’t it already look fantastic? I can tell you. We have tried a lot of Asien food by now, but this chicken in lemongrass is my absolut favorite by far!!! The amazing thing is that it is so full of fresh spices and you can taste every single one of it! We couldn’t wait for the class to start, which was however only after our trekking tour.
Extremely satisfied with the day, we went back ‚home‘ and couldn’t wait for the next day to come. Up on the list: a Lao massage and some more local food :). We started the next day with more fruit shakes and on our way to the massage place stopped at the market to buy some pencils and writing books for the kids in the village. We wanted to bring some gifts for the village we would stay in and got told that these are the best things to bring. Next up was a 1 hour Lao massage. It was fantastic and we both fell asleep while two Lao ladies worked there way up our body. We hadn’t had a Thai massage yet, so we will do that to compare, but this Lao massage really loosens up your tense muscles. It is nothing for people who like it soft and cautious though. They really work with force. Mathias even felt a bit sore the next day.
It was the perfect preparation for our trip that would start in the morning. That and the Lao barbecue we had that evening. Another delicious food encounter. You sit down at a buffet of fresh meat, fish and vegetables and can grill or cook your ingredients as you prefer. It is a hot affair, as the aluminium barbecue pan sits on top of a pot of hot charcoal in the middle of the table. We were extremely stuffed and satisfied, but also totally sweaty after this experience. So it was time to head home, take a shower and then get up early the next day to start our trekking tour. As mentioned, Mathias will tell you about this experience. Only so much, while it was a tour through breathtaking scenery with unique local encounters, it was quite exhausting for me as I suffered from bad dehydration during the trip. So when we returned on day 2, Mathias treated me to a top-class dinner in another highly recommended place. The Blue Lagoon was a Swiss/Thai fusion restaurant that creates a little oasis for their customers. We tried a mixed Lao specialty platter. I have to say it was very good food and beautifully presented, but not as good as the one we had at Tamarind. So I couldn’t wait for our cooking class the next day.
The cooking class actually took place in a remote location 30 minutes drive outside of the city. It was a very atmospheric setting and very idyllic. 4 expatriate ladies from Hong Kong, who were spending a few days in Laos to relax from the hectic of Hong Kong, shared the class with us. Mathias and I both never attended a cooking class before, so we cannot compare, but we enjoyed every single minute of this one and can only recommend it. The chef was obviously from the Tamarind restaurant and explained every thing extremely well, while allowing every one to do their own dish. As mentioned, we prepared the 2 dishes we had a few days earlier in the restaurant and another dip and a desert. It was surprisingly „easy“ when I think about the taste that comes out of it later and we all did pretty well. Our self-made dishes came quite close to the ones in the restaurant. Of course not the same, but with lots of practice, you could get there. Thank god, we also received a cooking book in the end. So everyone, be prepared! When we come home, we will try this for you :).
And with this, our time in Laos came to an end. The next morning started before sunrise. On our way to the airport to fly to Ko Samui in Thailand, we had the chance to become witness of one of Laos cultural ceremonies: the early morning alms giving to the monks. In Luang Prabang, this tradition manifests as a morning ritual where monks silently line the streets while locals (and interested tourists) put gifts of food into the bowls carried by the monks. We had seen signs in the city before, where the tourist office was asking tourists to keep their distance and respect this tradition. So we viewed this ceremony from a distance on the other side of the road in a corner, making sure we didn’t get in their way or be disrespectful. It was very sad to see though, that some tourists obviously did not care much about showing respect. A few even sat up cameras directly in the way of the monks, while another person would shine a light on them to get a better picture. We thus left this place very quickly as we were ashamed to be a tourist in that moment. I read later that some Lao officials are considering stopping the tradition, because of the deep offense caused by tourists‘ beastly behavior. Fewer locals are inclined to take part, because they refuse to be part of a dog-and-pony show for tourists. It really makes me wonder sometimes what goes on in people’s heads…
Well, I hope the city will find a way to keep up the tradition and keep tourist at a respectable distance somehow. During our travels through Asia, it was quite obvious that so many places have lost their true soul and are merely a yet underdeveloped copy of the Western world. Laos is still one of the few places that is not so far down that road yet and as a traveler this is very refreshing. It is the reason why we travel and we hope that Laos will somehow find a way to keep its beauty on the way to modernism and not become another place full of cement blocks in Asia. We are extremely happy we decided to come here, even if it was only for 5 days. We will be back for sure!