Enchanting Luang Prabang

Since Luang Prabang is not far from Thailand and easy to visit, I often took it for granted and looked for other destinations with fancy attractions. However, my trip to the town early last month changed my perception and made me understand why many kept telling me to go there.

During the hour and half flight from Don Mueang Airport, a friend sitting near the window said: "Look, this is gorgeous!" Appearing below us were lush green mountains as far as our eyes could see. From our view, the landscape looked like a huge velvet carpet with many shades of green.

We knew we had entered Laos as the dry Northeast or Isan region of Thailand gave way to thick green forests.

Luang Prabang is a top tourist destination in the north of Laos. Nestled in a valley encircled with green mountains, the historic town was a royal capital in the first half of the 20th century. It earned a Unesco world heritage status 29 years ago.

The first destination during our trip was Kuang Si, which is hailed as the most beautiful waterfall in the country. Even though it was located only 30km from our hotel, Sofitel Luang Prabang, in the city centre, the journey took almost an hour.

That's because most drivers there drove slowly and the fact they had to avoid potholes every 100m.

The Carriage House at Wat Xieng Thong. Patcharawalai Sanyanusin

The entrance fee to Kuang Si is 25,000 kip (42 baht) for foreign visitors including electric transport to the waterfall. However, you still have to walk a few hundred metres up to the waterfall.

Before we could become exhausted, we reached the waterfall and were stunned with the gorgeous sight -- a large amount of water was flowing from multiple tiers of limestone rocks to the blue and green pools at the bottom.

It took us a while to brave through a crowd of tourists along the wooden bridge to get the best spot to take pictures. I think one thing that makes this waterfall so unique is its turquoise water.

According to a message on a sign nearby, the limestone particles, containing high levels of calcium carbonate, collected along the way reflect light, making the water appear to us as turquoise.

It was a wonderful experience to have a picnic by the picturesque waterfall. However, what made me feel more relaxed on this trip was the three-hour sunset cruise with dinner that took us along the enchanting Mekong River.

Prepared by our hotel, the luxury boat with a 360-panorama view open-air rooftop that we rode at a slow pace allowed us to take in the clean air and get immersed in Luang Prabang's scenic landscape with mountain ranges in the background before the sun touched the horizon.

For me, eating fine food and sipping a refreshing drink in a tranquil atmosphere while enjoying the natural beauty on both sides of the riverbanks was truly relaxing.

Tuk tuks are the only mode of public transportation in Luang Prabang. Patcharawalai Sanyanusin

Then, it was time to get active at the famous Luang Prabang night market in the town centre. There, an entire length of a road, named Sisavangvong, located near the Royal Palace is closed off to vehicles, from 5pm onwards.

This is a must-visit venue as it's said to have the most extensive collection of handicrafts in the country. What we saw lining both sides of the 1km long walking street were mostly silverware and accessories, local fabrics with exquisite patterns, casual clothing especially elephant pants, fabric bags with vibrant embroidery, and small coin purses with hand-stitched motifs that could make perfect souvenirs. The prices were negotiable and quite friendly to our pockets.

This trip was also a blessing for me as I got the chance to join morning alms giving or sai bat with local people in the town. We offered steamed sticky rice and some other food wrapped in banana leaves to the monks. To my calculation, there were more than a hundred monks on an alms round that day, most of them novices.

This ancient Buddhist tradition is a major attraction for foreign tourists. There is even a sign in the town showing the price of sticky rice to purchase for the alms and how to properly observe or join this morning ritual.

After that, we were ready for a little adventure at the Luang Prabang morning market where we had to rub shoulders with both locals and tourists to do our shopping for goodies to take home.

Tourists can always find something for breakfast on the street. Patcharawalai Sanyanusin

My first impression about this market was that it was rather clean and tidy and the atmosphere wasn't busy. Mountains of fresh seasonal vegetables and fruit were mostly set up on the ground while some vendors had stalls and tables for their meat and foodstuffs.

There were also exotic items like grilled rat, live frog and turtles, and bee's larvae at this market, not to mention delicious snacks for breakfast and some local noodle shops.

After getting the flavour of Lao culture at the market, we proceeded on a city tour to get closer to the lifestyle of Lao people and also witness the fusion of Laos' traditional architecture and foreign influences on many buildings. One of them was our own hotel, Sofitel Luang Prabang, which has an element of French architecture as the property was originally built as a residence for the French governor a century ago.

We also paid a visit to Wat Xieng Thong, one of the most important temples in Laos, built around 460 years ago. The temple is renowned for its classic Luang Prabang architectural style.

Admission to this monastery complex is 20,000 kip per person and we took our time strolling around many chapels and structures on the grounds. The highlight is the magnificent sim, or central shrine hall, which has a rich interior and exterior decoration.

Sofitel Luang Prabang. Patcharawalai Sanyanusin

My three-day, two-night trip in this cosy town turned out to be much more impressive than I expected. It might sound rather short in the eyes of many but, thanks to a game titled "Treasure Hunt", arranged by our hotel, we got to learn more about the rich history of Luang Prabang and some of its lesser-known attractions that are equally interesting.

The activity took us on an expedition to find "lost treasures" using clues in a little guidebook before we enjoyed a refreshing reward at the end.

I don't know when I'll be able to go back to this small and quiet town. But, surely, I'm more than willing to tell anyone who is looking for a calm place to spend their vacation to go to Luang Prabang.