In my opinion Luang Prabang is really overhyped. It’s a very nice city, true, but it doesn’t offer great architecture or temples which are a lot more impressive than elsewhere in Southeast Asia. The city is UNESCO world heritage and attracts tourists from all over the world, backpackers but also a lot of package tourists. If you want to enjoy Western lifestyle after having had a trip full of privations, then maybe it’s the perfect place. There are French bakeries, pizzerias, bars, night clubs, everything! Do you see anything from Laos here? Clearly no! Anyway, I don’t want to be negative but the name “Luang Prabang” for me was associated to something very impressive. What I found was a tourist enclave and I don’t even know why all these people are here. If Luang Prabang is on your way while travelling Laos (and it normally is), then it’s absolutely worth stopping here. In change, it’s not worth it flying in here only to visit the city.
I arrived the day before yesterday together with the Polish couple I met on the trekking in Luang Nam Tha. In the evening I went to the night market and met again Mario from Zaragoza, whom I have met the first time at the border. We hooked up with a couple from Chile and had a good time speaking Spanish. Yesterday I did the obligatory sightseeing, without great enthusiasm because I didn’t feel very good, a little sick from the bus ride the day before. In the evening I met again with Mario, Juan and Valeria (the two Chilean). We ate a great grilled Mekong fish at the night market and took some beers later in the evening. Today I continued my sightseeing tour without stress. I met Torsten from Bremen in the Internet café. We had lunch together and agreed on having dinner at the night market later in the evening. I also met other people here I have already met previously on my trip. It’s really funny because it seems as if Luang Prabang is one of the main meeting points for travellers in Southeast Asia. You just have to walk the streets and you find someone you already know.
Tomorrow morning I will go to Vang Vieng in a “V.I.P.” bus. For Laos it’s really expensive but I am almost ready to pay every price for having more leg space. Travelling would be so cool if I wasn’t so tall! OK, there are also advantages, but not too many. Vang Vieng is the place I was most looking forward to because it offers a lot of water activities such as kayaking, tubing, rafting, etc. I hope that water levels are still sufficient. That’s the other side of the coin when you are travelling in dry season, you have nice weather all the time but the nature is more abundant in rainy season.
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