Luang Prabang - the quiet city of golden roofs
The small quiet city of Luang Prabang, overlooked by Mount Phousi, is in north central Laos, on the Mekong River. Relaxing and beautiful, it was formerly the capital of a kingdom of Luang Prabang, and, until the communist takeover of 1975, it was the royal capital and seat of government of the Kingdom of Laos. The city is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The architecture of Luang Prabang is a combination of Lao traditional wooden houses and the European colonial architecture of the 19th and 20th centuries, Laos once having been part of the French colony of Indochina.
Mount Phousi is really more of a hill than a mountain, and if you climb up it, which makes a great day out for the reasonably energetic, you get a panoramic view over the whole area. From here you will see many shining, golden roofs – these are the temples, also known as wats. Visit one of these and you will find that they are decorated with mosaics and murals of the life of Buddha. The city has some thirty monasteries as well as the old Royal Palace, Haw Kham. The oldest, and probably the most beautiful, monastery isVat Xieng Toung, which is well worth a visit.
For your shopping there is a night market where you can find all the traditional Lao arts and crafts.
Local natural wonders include Kuang Si Falls, which are 29 km to the south. This is a large cascade, with multiple stages and pools at different levels, which makes it very impressive. You can even bathe in the pools. Altogether, besides being very picturesque, this is a great place to chill out and meet other travellers.
Laos is still relatively undiscovered, and Luang Prabang is a good place to start your exploration of this intriguing country.