We were rudely awoken at 6am to the annoying sounds of my phone’s alarm, bleary eyed, only to found out that it was almost bright outside. We rushed out minutes later to an empty street; failed to spot any monks in their orange robes anywhere in sight. Confused, we quickly hailed a tuktuk which happened to be passing by, but to our dismay the driver couldn’t understand any English. I was at my wits end as streaks of morning lights appeared on the gloomy sky, and a glimpsed at my watch I feared that it was over. In my hopeless attempts to explain to the driver my intended destination, I cupped my left hand whilst all fingers of my right joined together like the Italian’s ma che cazzo; only that it moved towards my other palm – my lame tries at the act of benefaction. Luckily the driver understood it somehow, and in no time we sped off through the quiet streets towards Sakkarine Road.

Tak Bat, as the locals called it, was the reason of this untimely outing. It is one of the most vivid images of Laos, an almsgiving ritual which happens every early morning in Luang Prabang. Although similar events takes place in other Buddhist countries, Luang Prabang is the place where it is done in larger scale over the scenic setting – where hundreds of monks swathed in their saffron robes making their way from the town’s many wats past those faithful devotees, collecting alms for their own daily sustenance, and in return helping those believers earned their religious merits and spiritual redemptions.

When we arrived, the street was already flooded with tourists with camera in hand, ready to pounce at the sight of the monks. Apparently we just arrived in time. I quickly jumped off the tuktuk; almost running – leaving DH to settle with the fare and joined the crowd. Locals already lined the street; kneeled on a mat with their shoes removed, while both hands clasped together at their chest in a submissive form. A bamboo basket of staple Lao sticky rice, banana, biscuits and sweets were laid neatly in front of them. At the end of the street a parade of orange drew closer, barefooted and chanting in silence.

As the procession filed past, the almsgivers bowed their heads, reached their baskets and scooped a handful of sticky rice before dropping it into the monks’ alms bowl, and the monks slid back the lid in a very quick, rhythmic fashion. All was done in a splash seconds, one devotee after another, and yet not a single word was uttered. Excited tourists clamoured over each other, snapping photos and firing flashes, totally ignorant of the religious ethics.  I on the other hand never thought that watching those recurring acts of opening and closing of the lids could be so entertaining, as it was flawlessly executed and almost in-sync, while the anticipation for a single drop built up.

But, no. Well, they’ve been practicing almost every day, haven’t they?  (- _ ^)

Feeling Good

To be frank, my first insight guide to Laos was from a movie.

A Laotian romantic movie. About a young Thai photographer travelling to Laos for an article ended up finding his root and falling for his sweet Laotian tour guide. How rare is that? Honestly I’m not so much into love movies, but somehow I was hooked for two hours merely for the beautiful background sceneries of the film locations. It was as much as a tourist commercial as it is about love story, when love blossomed between the two as they travelled from Southern Laos to Luang Prabang.

Perhaps Luang Prabang is no match to the world’s most romantic city of Paris, and unable to surpass the exotic Bali. But nonetheless I found Luang Prabang has its own romantic charms that I immediately fell in love with, although I was just arrived from the picture-perfect Vang Vieng with severe diarrhoea and all. Anyway that’s just my personal opinion. I didn’t say it was perfect. But it was easy to say that I like it (well, I like many things). Perhaps it was the peacefulness that mesmerized me. Perhaps it was that languorous spell that made time seemed non-existence and the pleasant feeling that you are actually living in the moment. Perhaps it was the baguettes and those French vibes that add to the allure. Or perhaps, it was the tiresome journey from Vang Vieng that I found comfort at the thought that I finally arrived at my destination, the highlight of my short trip to Laos.

For the first time I saw Phousi Hill and the gilded stupa of Wat Chom Si glimmering under the setting sun as the tuk tuk approached our guesthouse in Phommattat Road. We quickly dumped our bags and went out again. It was time to look for dinner. Walking past Wat Visoun we encountered a few eateries but I had no appetite for another Indian vegetarian cuisine. Spicy foods would definitely add troubles to my already-upset stomach. But DH was hungry for rice. Typical Malays.  So I just watched him eat. I hadn’t had anything for a day and was hungry like hell but unable to swallow a thing. Even the smell of curry that I usually craved back at home was suddenly intolerable.

Luang Prabang has nothing much to offer at night. On our part we had enough sleeping out of our long drive from Vang Vieng that we decided to check out the night market which I heard the only happening place in town. Soon when DH settled with his dinner we continued our walk to Sisavangvong Road in search for the night market.

We strolled casually along the empty streets trying to get a sense of the place. Once in a while the silence was broken by the revving sounds of motorbikes that zoomed past us, until it fades away in the dark. All shops were already closed for the day, saved for a local eatery one or two.  And that was all. It was so quiet that I started to doubt whether they even have night market that night. We continued walking nonetheless and were finally there. But it was nothing like what I imagined it to be. There was no sound of vendors calling for customers. No noise from the people selling and haggling. The vendors will smile and say hello, and you are free to do the looking. No pressure of buying. The only thing we could hear was the buzzing sounds of the lamp generators and our own footsteps.

The night market was made up by just two rows of make shift tents. Colourful trinkets and crafts were neatly sprawled on canvases that lined the street. Most of them were handmade. I was immediately attracted to the adorable cloth book on animals, lovely purses and pins, nicely hand sewn blankets depicting Laotian daily life and all other girlish things.  The dim lights emanating from the hanging bulb were diffused by the colour of the red tent, giving a warm, dreamy kind of effect – luring the customers; mostly tourists – like a photophore of the deep sea anglerfish. And I one of them:   just happy to see it.

 The night Market at Sisavangvong Road

All the colorful and cute things!

Tucked away in an alley, we arrived at a totally different world. Here is where you would find the locals and all the commotions that was previously lacking. This is the real night market. Almost everything for sale was food and daily consumptions. No cute souvenirs. Vegetables, fruits and spices were arranged side-by-side along the cramped walkway. Fussy customers were sniffing and picking their goods for bargain. At one corner a long table festooned with dizzying arrays of local cuisines served our eyes, colourful and glistening under the incandescent lights. Foreigners and locals alike thronged the makeshift tables which brimmed with food as cheap as a dollar. For the first time since yesterday I was hungry. But none that I could eat. Too bad. I ended up with a fruit smoothie instead, and got totally overwhelmed by it.  I’m proud to say that I survived Luang Prabang with only fruit juice (and ‘Lao style’ tuna sandwich).

The ‘hidden’ night market

The next day we climbed all the way up the Phousi Hill on a well-paved staircase, and enjoy the view of the town from the summit. A little exercise and breathe of fresh air was all that I need. We could clearly see the Nam Khan river snaking its way into the far behind mountains while brick red roofs of houses down below popped out in between lush greeneries. On the other side Mekong River flows calmly as it has been since the beginning of time. All was peace and calm.

The rest of the morning we made way around the old town, exploring every nook and cranny. The cozy weather of mid-November was kinda perfect for our jaunt, not too hot and not to cold. Occasionally we bumped into monks in their distinctive saffron robes and paper parasols, locals with their casual glance and the unspoken Sabaidee, pretty Laotian girls in their chic Sinh skirts, or tourists on bicycles; while other time saw us marvelling over the old French colonial architectures – some of them have been restyled into upscale hotels and charming restaurants, or otherwise inspecting the intricate reliefs that adorn the roofs and the walls of the many wats. At times when we were out of ideas we simply enjoyed a cup of fine brewed Lao coffee from the side walk café and filled up our time observing the passers-by.

Luang Prabang from Phousi Hill and the  Nam Khan River

The calm River of Mekong

 Haw Phang Ba and the Royal Palace

Caged birds to be released at the summit of Phousi Hill.  Laotians believe that by setting a bird free you will have better luck and happiness in future.

A young monk with his book

The French Colonial Architecture. The fusion of western and traditional Laotian architectures in a well-preserved townscape environment entitled this little, sleepy town a rank in the UNESCO World Heritage Site list.

A monk walking out from a monastery in the compound of Wat Visoun

Hanging in wind

Cleaning time

 Quiet street of a neat town

A lady with her daily chores

 Multi-tiered roof

 Reliefs from the Wats

 Star shaped paper lantern

 Hanging out for a cup of coffee while waiting for the rain

Old carvings

Later in the afternoon we joined the day trippers to the Kuang Si; a dip in its cascading emerald pools was the exact remedy I needed to cure my lethargy. The river flows into the nearby village, which I became to envy – I mean waking up to pristine, turquoise-blue water running endlessly behind your house every day! We returned contented to the friendly Luang Prabang in the evening – as the sun and its sexy crimson rays spilling upon those elegant, multi-tiered pointed roofs, and the soft glow of the colourful star-shape paper lanterns added the appeal to the amicably romantic town.

 The Emerald pool of Tat Kuang Si

Simply refreshing 

The last thing I know I was smiling and laughing on our short excursion to the Blue Lagoon, and the next thing was, I was a sick, sick dog cat (well, I rather called myself a cat than a dog).

We were about to depart from Vang Vieng to Luang Prabang when I sensed something was amiss. As I was packing my stuff I felt a slight light-headedness, followed by a strong urge to vomit. I ran for toilet and emptied the content of my stomach straight into the white porcelain (apologize readers, I know it’s gross). But it didn’t get better. Sudden pangs of abdominal pain crept in and I rushed to the toilet again for another spillage before limping back to bed, exhausted. This went on for several times, that by the time we boarded the minivan to Luang Prabang I almost drained every fluid in me and I was flaccid like some wilted, dry veggie.

With the sickness plaguing me, I dreaded the long journey to Luang Prabang. Will I survive the 6-hour drive of a bumpy, hairpin road when I couldn’t even stand straight and not puke? What if I need to use the toilet, which I’d been frequented like every 5 minutes now and it was totally beyond my control? With trepidation of humiliating myself, I gulped in the last anti-diarrhoea tablet (which fortunately I always take with me during travel) with some Gatorade before jumping into the minivan. The seat by the window was unoccupied and it was a blessing. At least I got a spot to lean and sleep throughout the journey, and the window was accessible for fresh air should I feel dizzy or whenever there’s need to throw up.

The journey to Luang Prabang was not so much of a fun ride; the road bumps, twists and turns as the bus steered the mountain slopes – churning the stomach and reeling of head. It was such a boring ride that our driver amused himself by running into every pothole he could spot on like some kiddo’s whack-a-mole game. Five points if you could hit it right into a cavity; ten if you do it while speeding! Luckily I didn’t embarrass myself (like vomiting in front of others or crapping in my pants) despite the numerous jerking, braking and cornering – partly because I was asleep most of the time (the side effects of the medication, thank god) which was a shame since the landscape of northern Laos is astonishingly beautiful, and partly because we stopped for toilet breaks about a dozen times. And it had become my routine to make a run for it every time we stopped.

The serene landscape of northern Laos.

The road where we came from.

The long, winding road from Vang Vieng to Luang Prabang, cutting through Laos’ mountain range – what a lonely journey!

I felt like I’d slept for hours since our last stop when DH woke me up for another break, and this time it was by a beautiful valley of greens. The vista was superb; rugged mountains stretched as far as the eyes could see, teeming with cute and colourful little flowers wriggling in the breeze. The view cheered me up and it worth all the troubles. It was so beautiful and serene that I felt better by just breathing its fresh air, but the nasty growl in my stomach reminded me for another toilet trip. And what a surprise it had for me. Who could expect a toilet with a view!

Having been brought up in an environment that emphasizes modesty and good manners I was a bit reserved in an open toilet concept, although I was pretty sure no one could see me doing my business in such a remote place. But the twisting pain in my stomach was getting worse by the minute that I was left without a choice. And the pretty view was undeniably stimulating.

So there I was – on my throne, smiling.

Well, all the breath-taking views of the valley as per the photos above were taken from here – while I was doing my business.

NOT!!!  (^_^)