Luang Prabang--anybody been

[nkped]

:question: Anybody been to Luang Prabang? Cos asked the question in 2004, but did not get much of a response. Considering expanding my horizons on the next trip. Thinking in terms of the best way to get around and how long to stay for a good look around the area. While I don't object to recommendations about a place to have a Beer Lao and mingle, that certainly is not the reason for the trip.

[Encore]

centre Lp you can walk, small enough. Also, you can rent a motorbike, for trips outside. tuktuks available, although not as cheap as elsewhere. take at least 3 days there, it is a lovely place, be it a bit touristy. Beer lao, everywhere, do a sunset on the riverbank, sipping a beer.

 

Sanuk, i don't really know, apart from one (out of many I tried) MP which offered a HJ.

[rookie]

Luang Prabang is a World Heritage city and a _major_ tourist and backpacker magnet.

 

I spent two days there late last February, when motorcycling throughout Laos.

 

The place is laden with tourist oriented cafes & eateries...at tourist prices. Their nightly open air market is held in the middle of a main street and stretches for 2-3 blocks. I think there are more trinket sellers at the market than residents of Luang Prabang.

 

A few notable wats to be viewed...but after seeing a zillion wats they are all beginning to look alike to me! A nice river view..if you haven't already seen a few dozen rivers...and a cave which is slightly out of town.

 

No, I didn't like Luang Prabang...as I prefer not to visit heavily touristed places and I generally abhor backpackers. I also avoided passing through Vientiane and Vang Vieng for the same reasons.

 

But, if you've never been to Laos, then it's almost requisite to say you saw Luang Prabang.

 

PS...I don't believe you can rent a moto...the city had put a halt to such rentals due to the number of farangs having accidents. However, bicycle rentals were available...and do-able as the city is fairly small.

[chuckwoww]

Pity you didn't go ten years ago....or even five. It's on the list of exotic locations now for sure. Surrender...escape is hopeless.

[colorwolf]

very true...i keep on wondering why people travel half way around the world to go to a place chock-a-block with others who traveled half way round, eat tourist-friendly interpretations of the local food and swap stories about how though a trip its been...

if you go to LP make sure you don't go during high season...

if you really want to enjoy lao, go to vientiane, rent a dirtbike and go tour: empty roads, fine scenery, excellent people, good food, cold beer. like rookie, i'm pretty sure you no longer can rent bikes in LP. some are available in pakse, and perhaps some scooters in savannakhet...

enjoy...

[bobdim]

In response to nkped

 

I spent new year's eve 2000/1 in Luang Prabang. I went to Laos not expecting any sexual activity, and when seeing the 'no Laos allowed in hotel rooms' signs, when I checked into the Lao Plaza Hotel in Vientiane, I thought I would have to just try out massage places, many of which were attached to temples, and only open for a few hours each day. That was before I was accosted by a young lady with an inverted nipple, revealed later, who spent 2 nights with me at the Lao Plaza, one before and one after my visit to Luang Prabang, which is what this topic is about.

 

After my success in Vientiane, I thought I would try my luck in Luang Prabang. First night nothing. Bars shut at 10.30 pm, so back to my hotel the Phou Vao, very nice but on the edge of town. Would recommend the Hotel Phousi, which is more central and has a bar in the gardens.

 

On the second day after my trip up river, sampling Lao hooch in one village, I found a house advertising massage. This was upstairs in the family living room, with the whole family watching and laughing when I felt pain, so nothing happened. My guidebook talked about massage at one of the temples, so that evening after a few drinks, I set out to find the temple and check out opening times. As I was walking the streets, I was approached by a very attractive young lady, who thought I was lost. I told her I was looking for the temple that did massages. She said that she was a masseuse and that her massages were different. With years of visiting Thailand and my experience in Vientiane, I thought I had scored. I asked her when she could massage me and she said she could do it now at my hotel. However, when I told her where I was staying, she told me she could not go there, as she knew people who worked there. She suggested we try to find a guesthouse and rent a room for about $10. We spent the next hour calling at small hotels and guesthouses, without success. By now it was about 1.30 am. We decided to try one more and this time we were lucky. We were given a key to a room, which didn't appear to have any electricity, but had a large bed. I stripped off and she started the massage.

 

After about 30 minutes, I was wondering when we would be moving on to the next stage. I broached the subject by asking how her massages were different. She told me she had trained in Thailand, where massages are different from Laos. As this had not met with the response I wanted, I hinted that we should have sex. She told me that she did not do that and implied that she was a virgin. After a few minutes, seeing that I was disappointed, she told me that there was something she would do for me if I wanted, something which she told me a Canadian had taught her. She then proceeded to give me one hell of a bj, including cim. When we were finished, I gave her a good tip, over and above the agreed massage charge and returned to my hotel, in readiness for the next part of my tour. Having paid for the room, she slept there.

 

So to summarise, Luang Prabang is or was a quiet town, full of tourists visiting ancient monuments, but if you look closely you might find some other activities. I saw in the new year at a disco attached to either the Muangsua or Manoluck hotel in Thanon Phu Wao, on the edge of town. The locals offered me drinks and tried to speak English with me. This might be a place to pull.

[Sukhumvit]

They've got several massage spa places in town now. They look kosher i.e. not knocking shops.

There's a nice little trip about 40 minutes or so out of town to a waterfall with pools where you can swim. Very pleasant. They've got a caged tiger and bears nearby.

I thought LP was alright. Was just there in May. Saw a couple of old Mercedes 190s. A lot of the old colonial houses have been done up and are now snazzy hotels or restaurants. But for sure there are the usual backpacking phools with dreads looking for smokes and trekking with the elephants.