Thread: Trip report - Return to Luang Prabang - with photos

Right-eo, here we are...

Last weekend, I made an overnight visit to the northern Lao city of Luang Prabang from my current, temporary home in Bueng Kan, just east of Nong Khai on the Mekong river.

Having had enough of the 'slowly-boiled-frog' syndrome that many expats are enduring in oh-so-friendly Thailand, and having no easy solution to obtain my next visa in September, (I don't and won't put 800,000 baht in the bank and I won't jump through hoops any more with the immigration guys), I decided to check out the fair city of Luang Prabang, where I lived and worked in 2012/13.

At that time, I loved the city, with its mixture of Lao and French architecture, the unspoilt city centre on the peninsula (protected by UNESCO status), and the slow pace of life, not forgetting Beer Lao.

My work as an online teacher means that I can work from anywhere in the world that has decent internet access.

So onto visit Luang Prabang.

Would the lousy internet service that existed in 2012 be unchanged?

Would the Yunnan - Bangkok train line that was being built close to the city turn the city into a mini-Phuket, crowded with rowdy mainland Chinese shitting in the gutters?

I had to go and see for myself.

Early on Saturday, I drove to NK in my pick-up, leaving it in the safe hands of a car-park company for 100 baht a night. I exited Thai immigration without a problem, took the 20 baht bus over the bridge, and completed my visa on arrival form for Lao immigration. The two immigration officers were very friendly as we spoke in both Thai and Lao, and they joked about my wonderful Lao language skills, (crap nowadays because I hadn't used Lao for years, but basically all you have to do is to change letter r to letter l, (or letter r to letter h), plus chuck in a few local words and Bob is your 'lung'.

It cost me 50,000 kip to take a taxi from the Friendship bridge to Vientiane Airport for the short flight to Luang Prabang.


While waiting, I had my first snack of the day.




Having got that out of the way, it was time to board Lao Air QV101.



I first visited Laos in about 1985, and at that time the road between Vientiane and Luang Prabang was too dangerous to use, either because of bandits, or because of treacherous road conditions. You can understand why when you look at the topology.



As the plane neared Luang Prabang, I spotted the the construction site of the new Yunnan-Bangkok railway line, with tall cement piers leading to a new tunnel. When you consider the topology in Laos, this railway line construction is an amazing feat of engineering. That photo shows the small road to Kuang Si waterfall passing by the construction site.



Would the town be overrun with Chinese labourers? Er... no! In fact, although it was a sunny day, there were very few tourists of any nationality in the picturesque town centre.



I wandered by the Nam Khem river (the smaller river that joins up with the Mekong river at Luang Prabang. Although it was the rainy season, the seasonal bamboo bridge across the river was in place and the river very low.



On to Utopia Bar to chill out with a fresh salad, cold Beer Lao and a chat with my landlord from 2012, from whom I was going to rent a house again. The bar chill-out area overlooking the river was populated with the same unwashed backpackers 'finding themselves' as in 2012. Nothing had changed.



Here's an outside view of the hardwood, traditional house that I'll rent. It is furnished 'opulently' (my landlord is a well-off Swiss guy), and the house is about 200 metres from Utopia and a few minutes from the town centre. It's ideal for me because I can safely jog and cycle (lorries and buses etc are banned from entering the town centre).



I stopped by one of the wats in the town centre to watch the monks chanting - I recorded all of their chant if you're interested.



What I like about Luang Prabang is the large choice of cafes and restaurants. That vintage car has been there for decades...



To show you how quiet the tourist centre was, here is a 360 degree pan on the main tourist street.

http://teachersimon.org/video-1561973052.mp4

Spot any tourists? No, nor did I...

It was oh so relaxing to sit at a cafe with a strong glass of Lao coffee.




Definitely, I felt just like the cat that got the cream




Right, but what about pros and cons of living in Luang Prabang? Here is a list, according to what I want, (so you may not agree).

PROS:
- Easy, cheap one-year business visa with work permit and ID card for about $500 all-in per year. You can get that visa even if you're not working.... just smile nicely in the immigration office. No 90 day reports, no TM30 registration every time you stay overnight at a different place, no money required in the bank.

- Easy to open a bank account with ATM card. I asked at 2 banks. They will open an account on sight of your work permit and passport - no other documents required. Term savings interest is up to 7% pa.

- No need to speak Lao. Most people speak some English, everyone understands Thai, some speak French, (and no doubt Chinese by now).

- Quiet and unspoilt. The Chinese workers all live in a China town area near the stadium. Smoking in the street in the town centre is not allowed.

- Availability of loose women. In 2012 I never had a problem to find loose women, in spite of the ban on foreigner-Lao sexual relations. With the influx of Chinese, several Vietnamese karaoke/massage/fuck-you-until-your-teeth-fall-out venues have opened on the edge of town.

- Cheap. some say that LP is expensive. I don't agree. My intended residence at 15,000 baht rental per month is expensive by local standards. My huge fresh salad and chicken and red wine for less than $10 is hardly expensive. Cheap charlies can eat for $1 in the veggie all-you-can-eat street at the night market.

- Wine is available at prices that will not make your eyes water, (unlike Thailand).

- If you're into nature, rivers, hills, culture etc, Luang Prabang and its environs offers it all.

- Mobile internet speeds were like shit off a shovel ==> 40 Mbps up and down, compared to 4 Mbps that DTAC gives me in Thailand. The international internet gateway didn't seem to be a bottleneck either, because I tested speeds to servers in China.

CONS:
- The hospital healthcare sucks. You need medical evacuation insurance if you get something serious. Chiang Mai and Udon hospitals are 1 hour away.

- LP does suffer to some extent from smoke in the burning season, due to its proximity to the wooded hills and mountains and local Hmong and Khamu hillfolk who get kicks from slashing and burning. I will deal with this problem when it comes.

- Banking connections are not great. One cannot link a local Lao account to Paypal for example.

- Lazada doesn't deliver to Laos.

Anyway..... I was very happy with what I saw during my short trip and will make a move to live in the city over the next 2 months, before my Thai visa expires.

Questions and comments invited!