The town of Luang Prabang in Lao People’s Democratic Republic is the country’s first UNESCO World Heritage Site. Located in northern Laos, Luang Prabang has a unique townscape of more than 30 Buddhist temples and European colonial style building. I went on a short 4D4N solo trip to this mesmerizing town and left with fond memories.
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About Lao People’s Democratic Republic
Lao PDR is landlocked between China, Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand. One of the poorest country in Southeast Asia, the Buddhist nation also has the dubious honour of being the most bombed country in the world. The country and its main cities Vientiane and Luang Prabang have yet to be popular travel destinations among Singaporeans. This, i believe, is set to change with low cost carrier Scoot offering Singapore’s first direct flights to Laos since April 2019.
Image from Wikipedia Commons
Recorded Laotian history started off with the country as a single state known as Lan Xang, or ‘Land of a million elephants’. Lan Xang split into 3 kingdoms under 3 different kings in the 18th century; namely Luang Prabang, Vien Chan (modern day Vientiane) and Champassak. The country became a French protectorate from 1893 to 1954 and was briefly occupied by Japan during WWII. After civil wars and the Vietnam War, Laos declared independence in 1975, ending a 600-year monarchy.
Laos has 3 UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Luang Prabang was inscribed in 1995, followed by Vat Phou and Champasak Ancient Settlement in 2001. Plain of Jars recently entered the list in 2019.
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Summary of my Itinerary:
- Day 0 – Travel to Bangkok for lay-over
- Day 1 – Reach Luang Prabang, visited Wat Mai Souwannaphummaham, Royal Palace Museum, Luang Prabang Library, Wat Visounnarath and night market
- Day 2 – Mekong River cruise, Xiangha Village, Park Ou Cave, Manifa elephant camp and Kuang Si Waterfall, night market
- Day 3 – Mount Phousi, morning market, Monument du President Souphanouvong, UXO museum, Wat Xieng Thong, bamboo bridge, Luang Prabang temples (including Vat Pak Khan Khammungkhun, Vat Souvannakhiri and Vat Sensoukharam), night market
- Day 4 – Tak Bat Ceremony, morning market and headed home via Bangkok
Stayed in Indigo House Hotel during my 3 nights stay in Luang Prabang
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Day 0
A night flight out to Bangkok. Bought my tickets to Luang Prabang from Singapore at S$266 on Thai Airways which to me was a great deal. The catch was a 10-hr layover on my way to LP and another 5-hr one on my way back. This choice potentially can help to lower my travel expense, but I blew it on a transit hotel stay. Another plus point was the timing of the morning flight which gave me almost one full day of sight-seeing.
The initial plan was to travel out of Suvarnabhumi Airport for cheaper overnight accommodation. Having considered safety reasons and Thailand’s cases of COVID-19 outbreak, I decided to stay put within the airport.
Not prepared to spend the night on the airport benches, I booked a 6-hour stay in the airport’s Miracle Transit Hotel.
Day 1
Rise and shine in the early morning for my flight to LP via Thai Smile Airways.
Thai Smile Airways is a wholly owned subsidiary of Thai Airways, offering regional short and medium haul flights. Though a low-cost airline, they offer full service and their inflight meals, I felt, tasted much better that the parent airline’s.
The flight time from Bangkok to Luang Prabang is around 1hr 35min so it did not take long before I finally reached my destination.
The taxi counter is easy to locate as it is just beside one of the exits. I bought a taxi voucher for travel from airport to downtown at 50,000 kip for 1 to 3 pax. They will gather a few travellers to a minivan before starting the ride downtown.
Dropped my luggage off at Indigo House Hotel and headed out for a feel of the place. First it was some time photo-taking in Royal Palace Museum compound. Do take note that they have a lunch break between the morning and afternoon opening hours. Due to this, I wasn’t able to get into the museum the first visit and had to head there again after lunch.
From there, I visited Wat Mai Souwannaphummaham or Wat May in short. Located next to the Royal Palace Museum, it is one of the largest temple in the city. Richly decorated, it was once the residence of the head of Laotian Buddhism.
Dropped off some of my kids’ books, stationery and clothes at Luang Prabang Library. They welcome donations for their works with children in rural areas. In Luang Prabang Library, they have a well-stocked library for the local children.
Second temple visit of this trip. The Wat Visounnarath temple is the oldest in Luang Prabang, originally built in a rice field in 1512. The restoration works here is underway.
The night market hours are from 5pm to around 10pm and starting point is right in front of Indigo House Hotel so I can see it right from my balcony. Went around the night market for all 3 nights in Luang Prabang!
Day 2
I joined a day tour with a cruise along Mekong River to Park Ou Cave and a visit to Kuang Si Waterfall by Manifa Travel.
We started off with an early morning slow cruise down the Mekong river, the 12th longest river in the world. It was a 1.5 hour ride in a long boat to Park Ou cave.
Along the way, we stopped at Xiangha Village, also known as whisky village, for its production of ‘Lao Lao’.
Park Ou Caves consists of two caves which are known for their collection of Buddha sculptures. These caves were important Buddhist temples in the past when travellers along the Mekong River stopped to pray for their safety.
Lunch was buffet style at Manifa elephant camp. And thereafter, it was a 1.5 hours drive to Kuang Si Waterfall, a well-known attraction of Laos.
Last stop of the day was at a Hmong village exhibition house where the lifestyle of Hmong tribe is showcased.
Day 3
Wanted to start the day off with Tak Bat or morning alms giving ceremony but missed it.
Tip: Some travel blogs have given the time for Tak Bat as 6.30am during January which unfortunately is inaccurate. The ceremony always starts from 5.30am onward, before sunrise. By 6.30am, the sun has risen.
Mount Phousi is an important religious site and a popular location to watch sunrise or sunset over Luang Prabang. Any time in between, there is less of a need to jostle with the crowd.
A walk through Luang Prabang’s morning market where the locals shop. Gives an insight into what goes onto a Laotian dining table.
Next I headed to UXO (or Unexploded Ordnance) Museum, which is a 20-min walk from Indigo House. As UXO clearing efforts are far from complete, Laotians still suffer from dreadful injuries and at times devastating fatalities.
Bought a can-opener souvenir that cost 30,000 kip, more than what you would be quoted at the night market. There are also t-shirts on sale. The museum’s placard suggests that visitors make a purchase if possible to support their overheads and efforts. After all, the admission to the museum is free.
Passed by Monument du President Souphanouvong.
Breaking up a long walk with an iced hazelnut cappuccino at Dada Cafe with view of the Mekong River. Many of LP’s cafes proudly proclaim to be using coffee beans grown in the country.
Wat Xieng Thong is a must-visit in Laos. The temple is one of the largest in Luang Prabang and also said to be the most beautiful in the whole country.
The bamboo bridge near Wat Xieng Thong has also become a tourist attraction. It was quite an experience crossing this bridge which is open only during the dry season. The bridge is dismantled during monsoon season to avoid it being washed away and re-built again after the wet season, year after year. Foreigners pay 10,000 kips to cross it and part of it goes to the family that maintains the bridge.
Bamboo is a very light building material that can be used in place of wood. It is said to be three times stronger than timber and has greater tensile strength than steel. Yet when walking on it, the bamboo bridge looked quite fragile to me. This sounds silly but I held on tightly to the bamboo handrails as I crossed, hearing it creaked under my weight. And my observation told me I wasn’t the only one.
A walk along the main street where many temples are located. Vat Sop Sickharam as pictured below is just one of them.
I had a really late lunch at afternoon tea break time at Bamboo Vatsene Restaurant. I went for one of their sampling menu – set 9 Lao Authentic of Luang Prabang at 110,000 kip.
Day 4
Final day of my trip with a late morning flight back to Bangkok and then Singapore.
Woke up early for Tak Bat or morning alms giving. I was waiting across the road from Wat May by 5.20am. Slowly the locals got ready with their home cooked sticky rice. Present that morning was also a couple of groups that provided alms giving experience tours. The drums within the temple sounded at around 5.35am as the monks gathered and walked towards the alms-givers who knelt on a carpet or seated on a low stool. Each of the alms-givers will then place a little sticky rice or other foods they have prepared into the monk’s bowl.
The alms-giving ceremony was a timeless tradition and a way of local life. Tourism, however, has made it into an attraction or a must-do in Luang Prabang. Myself also guilty of this as I made it a point to watch it by waking up even earlier since I missed it yesterday. Today there were quite a number of tourists watching the ceremony, approximately 10-15 pax. Some went right up to take close-up photos, and some even used flash photography. Both of these are disrespectful as listed in placards pasted in most temples. I took some photos too but from some distance. At low light (the only lamppost nearby was not working), the photos didn’t turn up well. But happy that I have witnessed a tradition.
Went for another walk around the morning market. Read about the market here.
A late morning flight brought me back to Bangkok for a 4-odd hours layover before heading home. I spent half of this time at Miracle First Class Lounge with Priority Pass at US$32 for 2 hours.
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Speaking from my personal experience, I think Luang Prabang is a safe destination for solo female travellers. I felt at ease and safe throughout to the extent I dared to walk alone on the streets so early in the morning.
Solo traveling may not be cost-effective if not prepared to rough it out. This is the total amount I spent for this trip and a comfortable one.
Total Spending:
Air Ticket = S$266.40
Accommodation = S$206.14 (Bangkok) + S$283.85 (Luang Prabang) = S$490
Food = S$50.00
Transport = S$15.50 (to and from airport)
Admission Fees (& Donations) = S$17.05
Day Tour (& Tips) = S$77.00
Lounge Fee = S$45.00
Total = S$961
(Note: 10,000 kip = S$1.55)
There are several ATMs and money changer along the stretch of Night Market road. Rate-wise it was around US$1 to 9,100 kip. I had my money changed at the airport.
Tip: The Lao Development Bank has a lower rate than what was widely offered. I received 20,000 kip lesser for my US$100 than if I used the downtown changers. Another point to note is that SGD is widely accepted at money changers, contrary to information on the internet. So save the commission of changing SGD to USD to Kip for other stuff.
