Our hotel was situated in a local neighborhood. The streets were clean and perhaps when cleared off parking vehicles they can comfortably accommodate the size of our Toyota Fortuner. The neighborhood was mostly peaceful with sporadic bike traffic, and occasionally the air punched by the bypassing street hawkers. Unlike traditional lady street hawkers in India where the produce in a bulging basket is delicately balanced on the head, in Laos the lady hawkers carry the produce on their shoulders using a homemade scale balanced by two baskets at the end. I am unsure which is more efficient or/and less damaging to the spine in the long run.
Our hotel room at the ground floor opened to a street with regular houses that would fit into local upper-middle class standards. Apparently, Laos is the land of SUVs, Fortuners being the locals’ favorite, possibly holding a special status symbol of ‘I made it’. A number of houses had SUVs parked in front of their houses, precariously parked close to the ditches (not an open sewer) on either side of the bylanes. The neighbor’s penned puppies were relentlessly crying during the day time to be let out. The possibility of an after-noon siesta was ruled out with puppies yelping. It was a minor aberration amidst what the neighborhood had to offer.
We explored the city in a bicycle. A quaint charming town with a number of tourists yet maintaining the authenticity of local culture. The French colonial style set-up is prevalent across the town – flat symmetrical structures, open verandas, over-sized wooden windows with contrasting color to the lighter colored walls, tropical lush green plants occupying empty spaces, pavements almost flush with road. None of the typical modern developments (san mobile phone) – such as high rises, the ubiquitous American brand joints – have made its way into Luang Prabang yet. The Laos people, including kids, seem to be engrossed and lost in their mobile phones, lending well to the already laidback careless Laon lifestyle. Perhaps the colonial set-up infused with relaxed Laos lifestyle brings out a unique charm to this ancient and spiritual capital of Laos.
Apart from the authentic sumptuous lunch at the serene and scenic Silk Road restaurant overlooking Maekong River, the highlight of the day was visiting Mount Phousi. Mount Phousi is a temple in a hillock rising 100m at the middle of the city. The mount top provides a 360 view of the city with a stunning scenery at sunset. We soaked in the visual feast and let our cardio cool down after the hike
Given that the tourists flock to Mt. Phousi for sunset, the kids from local organization ‘Big Brother Mouse’, yearning to learn English, also assemble to strike a conversation and practice their English with foreigners. For locals with limited choices, the tourist guide profession seems like a promising one in the yet to open economies such as Myanmar, Laos, and Cambodia. The earnestness in the eyes of the kids and the voluntary hard work they put in to learn English present a stark contrast to what is easily taken for granter in resource richer countries.
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