Hansruedi Frutiger
editor@classactmedia.co.th
I departed from Phuket to Bangkok on the evening of May 8 to get a flight the following morning with Bangkok Airways to Luang Prabang. It took around an hour and 50 minutes.
It is a city hemmed in by the Mekhong and Khan Rivers. The timeless city is a dream, rich in royal history, saffron clad monks in the morning collecting their alms, stunning river views, world class French cuisine and stylish boutique residences.
I stayed at the Satri House, a hotel with 31 rooms. It was built during the last century and was in fact the residence of Prince Souphanouvong. Satri House means “House of Women”.
The hotel is a 10 minute walk to the main street where everything is happening. The city is very clean, has two-story shop houses and some small guest houses.
Luang Prabang became a favourite place for French colonials seeking refuge. The city survived the Japanese invasion and remained a royalist stronghold throughout the Indochina wars. The city received the UNESCO World Heritage status in 1995.
Immerse yourself in the old town of Luang Prabang with a stroll around the temples, and historic buildings. If time allows, spend the afternoon trekking and swimming abut lush waterfalls.Temperatures during the day reach 38 degrees Celsius and it is very humid. Rise early in the morning and witness the long queue of saffron clad monks collecting the alms on the road side (be sure to get there at 6am as the monks are only out for 30 minutes).
Throughout the 1980s many business people and aristocracy left the country and the city became a ghost town. In early 1990, there was a return of private entrepreneurship and the shops re-opened. The city became popular again; according to my tour guide, approximately 450,000 people now live in “town”.
A must see is the Royal Palace Museum, and be sure to include in your itinerary the striking temple Wat Xiang Thong, then have lunch at the slow flowing Nam Khan River and dinner at the banks of the mother Mekhong. I also paid a visit to the local morning market. In the late afternoon I climbed 325 steps to the top of mount Phusi. Right at the top is a gold gilded Stupa, where you can witness a beautiful sunset over the city. I definitely think age is catching up with me, I am not a good climber and had to stop on occasions to take deep breaths!
Tune in next week for part two.