Luang Prabang: Love at First Sight

We spent this week in Luang Prabang, Laos.

To be honest, we weren’t sure what to expect from this city before we arrived, but any expectations we may have had were quickly and completely surpassed. This place somehow managed to blow us away before our flight even landed.

As we descended toward the runway, we were struck by the unimaginable beauty of the landscape surrounding it — steep limestone karsts jutted out from below as far as the eye could see, carpeted in jungle and skirted by mist. As we stepped off the plane, we realized we were fully surrounded by mountains — a 360 degree vista more deserving of a 5-star resort than an airport runway.

Then we made our way into the town, which is nestled in the convergence point of two rivers, the Mekong and the Nham Khan, and again fully engulfed by lush mountains. And it was love at first sight.

The city itself is pretty small, but what it lacks in size it makes up in charm. Quaint French colonial buildings line the quiet streets, running parallel to the two rivers and offering epic vistas from every window. Young monks walk in groups in orange robes, shading themselves with elaborate parasols. And glowing gold-leafed chedis rise up from the dozens of temples that dot the city.

The local people are incredibly warm and welcoming, in a quiet but very sincere way — as we wandered the back streets in the residential area where our Airbnb was located, we were constantly being stopped by people saying hello or waving to the kids as they went about their daily business.

We spent the week meandering around the town, dining riverside, and popping in and out of the local shops and bakeries. The kids fell in love with the baguettes from the French cafe on the high street, and are now eagerly awaiting our visit to Paris in the spring. (Young Mister WorldSmith already has a euro that he’s saving to use to buy a baguette in Paris!)

In all, it was a much loftier pace and chiller vibe than we had become used to in Chiang Mai, and a very welcome respite from the hustle and bustle.

Laos stole our hearts, and we hope to return again one day to explore the country more fully.