Luang Prabang – a peaceful beauty of Laos

In Laos, apart from the developing and modernizing Vientiane Capital, there is an ancient city that embraces hundreds of years of Laos’ significant cultures. That city is a perfect choice for those who are in search of a mind - calming getaway from their rushing daily life. That city, is Luang Prabang – the former capital of Laos.

Surrounded by Mekong river and Namkhane river, the ancient city of Luang Prabang appears in my mind with its peacefulness and magnificent cultural sites. Here in Luang Prabang, you can hardly find any overcrowded streets, car horns, or factory chimneys. All that you can find are the smiles from Laotians along the way, from the children to the elder people. People in Luang Prabang are known to be calm and hospitable. Our ancient Kings must have had a good reason to choose this place to be the capital in the past.

One of the significant Buddhist cultural customs that you can see everyday in Luang Prabang is the image of the monks seeking alms along the streets in early mornings. Lao people feels honored to kneel down and give alms to the monks every morning. This is considered as a sacred duty for Laotians because monks represent a pure social class, a symbol of Buddhist and a hope of a bright future for the country. People who complete the alms giving duty every morning may find serenity and calmness in their day of life.

Being recognized as a city of the World Cultural Heritages, Luang Prabang is a place where you can find the most ancient temples in Laos. Taking a walk in the city, starting from Dala market

on the corner of Kitsarat, you can stop by Wat Wisunarat – one of the most ancient pagodas in Luang Prabang and in the list of World Cultural Heritages, next to it is Wat Aham. Continue the walk along the central street, you will find the Royal Palace Museum, across which are other temples namely Wat Saen, Wat Sop, Wat Sirikhungmun, and Wat Xieng Thong at the end of Sakkarin road. Wat Xieng Thong is the most important temple in Luang Prabang, it is close to the junction where the Mekong and Namkhane rivers meet. It was built in 1560 under King Setthathirat with the main gate on the brink of Mekong River.

The temples in Laos are built on the basis of simplicity but with sophistication from the structure to contours. Temples were elaborately filled with carved symbols, all of which were wholeheartedly made to be a work of art that stays through centuries of Lao history. The whole city has about 40 temples built in different dynasties. They are all cultural work with high artistic value.

In Luang Prabang, there is a spectacular and famous venue to see the sunset. On the top of Phousi hill, with cool winds blowing in your face recalling the feeling of calmness, you can see many people coming from every corner of the world just to witness the reflection of sunset that turns the Mekong river into a beautiful reddish pink color. It dawns on me that in a life full of impermanences, hatred and jealousy; people are always oriented to goodness and the beauty of nature. Standing on Phousi, your eyes can capture the whole city of Luang Prabang and feel its peacefulness.

If you are lucky enough to be in Luang Prabang during the mid of August (17 th to 18th August), when the Bun Kao Padabdinh takes place, you can see the city lit up with colors and music. There is a Boat Racing Festival on Namkhane river and a trade fair in Luang Prabang city. The festive atmosphere of Luang Prabang has its uniqueness. This is the time when people feel like family, as if there is no borders between them. All that remain in your mind are just those kind and friendly smiles from local people. You will feel like home.

Before leaving Luang Prabang, you should step by the night market. It is not important whether you have intention to buy souvernirs or not. The night markets in Luang Prabang will give you a chance to feel Lao culture to every layers of it and to understand Lao people deeper. Most of the items at the night markets are handmade by native Lao people. You can try bargaining some items to your wish, the sellers will still be happy to give you a discount price. However, Lao people are famous for their kindness and honesty, so you can rest assured that your purchasings are usually not so much overpriced.

The impressions that most tourists carries with them after coming back from Luang Prabang are the sophisticated beauty of ancient temples, the holy image of the monks and the hospitability of local people. Every once in a while, anyone of us can suffer from stress and feel hard to cope up with the pace of life, Luang Prabang can have a remedy for it. Lao people live their lives in a calm way with no hustle or harsh competition. As a visitor to Laos, especially to Luang Prabang, you will experience a peaceful life of carefree people in one of the most friendly countries in the world. I can assure you that this experience would be unforgetable…