Exploring Luang Prabang

We explored the Old Town of Luang Prabang today. Every morning at sunrise a religious alms giving ceremony takes place along what later becomes the main night market street. The old town mainly consists of a long road lined with lots of cafes, shops and a few temples. It’s the kind of area you could enjoy wandering around with a cool drink in hand so we got one of the largest fruit shakes we'd ever seen costing only 80p. As we strolled along the Old Town, it became apparent some businesses had not survived the pandemic. Luang Prabang was certainly less touristy than other places we've visited, perhaps due to the country having only recently opened their borders after the pandemic. Speaking with locals, Luang Prabang is used to having a few more tourists, and we hope for the sake of the town's economy and people, tourists do return over the next few months.

Off the main road were smaller backstreet markets, shops and temples including the Grand Palace which is now a museum. Thinking we had the entire palace grounds to ourselves, we entered but later discovered the grounds were actually closed for two hours in the afternoon whilst we were walking around. We must have entered unintentionally through a back door.

In the afternoon after doing a bit of research, we thought we'd check out Nahm Dong Park. This involved a pretty rough and rocky road for the last few miles - not a comfortable ride on a little scooter with virtually no suspension!
Upon arrival, the grounds looked as if they hadn’t had footfall since pre covid. The park included a treetop walk, waterfalls, stunning views, unoccupied buildings and an empty cafe. There were also areas for bamboo weaving classes, a zip line as well as a viewpoint cafe, but these were all closed. It was clear this attraction had not been opened for a couple of years. We were still really glad to have visited as we enjoyed the treetop walks and the viewpoint gave an amazing view across the jungle landscape ahead. As we reached the top of the viewpoint, we were greeted by a group of Laotian teenage girls, seemingly quite excited and giggly. Then one girl approached Jess pointing to her phone. Originally, Jess thought she was offering to take a picture of us, but then we realised she actually wanted a picture with Jess. All of a sudden the entire group of teenagers crowded around Jess for a photograph. We could only assume this was because Jess is fair skinned with blonde hair. The group seemed rather excited by the picture and we suspect this photograph will end up on social media somewhere.

We finished the evening with a walk up Mount Phousi, the central peak seen from all over Luang Prabang, to watch the sunset over the surrounding mountains. After an hour at the top we returned and ate at the night market playing live music on stage this time. Off to Vang Vieng next, known for its adventure activities.Read more