Luang Prabang

[ChiangMai noon]

We've been a number of times on the slow boat and thoroughly enjoyed LP for a 2-3 days, and then the trip back to Chiang Kong. A nice weeks excursion.

It's a nice trip, especially now they have decent accommodation at Pak Bang.

Best to avoid the backpackers though.

[Scottish Gary]

LP as everyone says is a nice relaxing town where its good to spend time with your wife/GF just roaming around chilling out. If you do what I did however and go on your own you will be bored out your mind after a couple of days. The food is good and Beer Lao is nicer than its Thai equivalent but the three nights I was there I was in my bed alone at midnight every night stone cold sober saying to myself ''I wish to fuck I was in Pattaya''

God, what an oaf you are. I suspect most decent folk with any discernment avoided conversation with you like the plague.

I have been there on my own and struck up no end of pleasant conversations with many people but then, I am an attractive person full of wit and charm.

I stayed at the Villa Santi and ate in the evening at the L'Elephant restaurant which has a nice bar very much in the colonial style and with interesting patrons to match.

Quite why low end dross from the mongering classes should wish to go to somewhere like LP and then express disappointment at the lack of prostitutes is somewhat mystifying. I suppose in their crude way they just assume all Asian women are like Thai whores and will fuck anything, no matter how gross, for the price of a decent meal.

The thought of you mincing around a tourist trap like L' Elephant trying to inflict your effete charm on innocent diners fills me with dread. You might have felt you were indulging in pleasant conversation but im sure it was a mind numbing experience for the complete strangers who's privacy you decided to invade for a few unwelcoming minutes.
For the record I stayed at the Mekong river view hotel and as per habit acquired over the last 15 years dined on street food when I ventured out at night.

[thailazer]

Just got back from a 6 day trip to Luang Prabong and nid is spot on. Lovely time, no soi dogs, quiet, and clean clean clean. Ate some of the best breads I have had in a long time. Talked to several expats living there and they all spoke of how easy it is to run a business there. All of them had given it a try in Thailand and moved across.

Leaving the town though you sure can see the poverty in Laos. Get off the main roads and you find yourself axle deep in mud. I would certainly put Luang Prabong on the travel list if you haven't been there as it is such a civilized change of pace after Thailand.

[ENT]

The place is worth an extended visit, for sure.

Prices have gone up, but it always was more expensive than Vientiane.

A great jump off point for touring the north and to get to Phonsavan and the Plain of Jars.

I'll go there again.

[terry57]

^
I took the Bus From LP to Vientiane.

Don't know whether I liked that or not, seemed to be quite a few wrecks along that road.

[ENT]

Done that a couple of times too.

Took a minibus from LP to Pakse and the driver managed to ram it into the back of another one. Later, on the same trip, we had to stop because of a local bus that had gone over the side of the road (mostly) leaving its rear end and a load of luggage and dazed Laotians blocking the road.

I haven't been on a bus in Laos since.

[AntRobertson]

Ate some of the best breads I have had in a long time

That's my abiding memory also.

Some of those breakfast baguette things were awesome.

[beerlaodrinker]

^ Thank you France. They might be a bunch of cheese eating surrender monkeys but they sure introduced good bread to the region, got my brother and his wife arriving soon and going to take him to vang vieng and nam ngum lake for the weekend, if I can get more time of work I will take them to Luang Prabang . If not he can jump on a plane and be there in an hour, love Luang Prabang but wouldn't recommend doing it by bus quite scenic but scary when Lao somchais behind the wheel of the bus , fuk that. Better to go with Lao airlines, they only have 3 accidents a year and they already had them , so the odds are better., stayed at the villa santi once and found if quite nice if you can ignore the aging chutney ferrets and there Lao boyfriends mincing about the place

[ENT]

They certainly have some better breads easily available in Laos and Cambodia than in Thailand, large crusty rolls and big 'French sticks'.

The one thing that pisses me off is the insistence on labelling those fluffy rolls baguettes, which they clearly aren't.

The French probably did teach the locals how to make genuine baguettes, but I'm afraid economic short cuts precluded the time and labour consuming effort it takes to make a real French baguette, something that doesn't scatter flaky crumbs all over the breakfast table or melt in your coffee.

[fishlocker]

Laos is a dirty dusty poverty-stricken backwater with bad bread to boot. Best to stear clear. Trust me it only gets worse the farther south you go. Not only that but all the people I met just seemed to want to get thier hands in my pockets.

Ok so the bread ain't all that bad but if you really wanted some poor child to put thier hand in your pocket best to head to Cambodia wearing loose fit shorts.

Tell them it's a roll of dimes and if they squeeze it long enough it will magically turn into a roll of quarters.

Of course I'm just pulling your chain but I'd really hate to see a bunch of wobbly end shifters screwing it up anymore than it's allready been.

Oh and the Mekong is so brown you can't even see the giant stingrays much less the little ones. Fish?

Ok, so it was only my gfs sister that wanted me to buy some paint for her house. Oh yea and a tractor.

[sweaty]

Ok, so it was only my gfs sister that wanted me to buy some paint for her house. Oh yea and a tractor.

It would be amusing to hear her pitch making what I assume is a rather tenuous link between why you should part with monetary and a coat of paint on her walls is.

[fishlocker]

^ A falling tone waaaa followed by a curled lower lip pouting sad face.

After I said no that is.

Actually it's a long story suitable for a thread in itself.

For more on this topic see the sin sod or no sin sod thread. It has nothing to do with Luang Prabang Laos.

Peace , and happy travels. The fish

[sweaty]

Get that thread started!

^ A falling tone waaaa followed by a curled lower lip pouting sad face.

After I said no that is.

Actually it's a long story suitable for a thread in itself.

For more on this topic see the sin sod or no sin sod thread. It has nothing to do with Luang Prabang Laos.

Peace , and happy travels. The fish