Luang Prabang, Laos – Photos
Tuesday, March 18th, 2008
We were actually a bit disappointed with Luang Prabang; 1) it’s overcrowded with tourists – we couldn’t get over how many tourists there were in this little town, 2) We just had a feeling that the locals were in over their heads with the tourists, that they couldn’t cope the way the Thais have in the more touristy places (a case of too much, too fast?), 3) I somehow expected Luang Prabang to be a bit more grandiose – it wasn’t. Temples were actually not as impressive as ones we’d seen in Thailand (actually, when comparing, you can see that most temples have in Thailand have had a lot of restoration work. Luang Prabang’s temples are a bit shaby in comparison – Laos however, is also a much poorer country). Finally 4) we were surprised by the weather – everyday in Luang Prabang started cloudy and cold. Not cool but cold. The sky would clear up a bit in the afternoon but even then wouldn’t get really warm. Evenings got downright cold!
The selling point of Luang Prabang is that it’s a relaxing, laid back kind of place. Maybe it used to be (in which case I can see that it would have been charming), but it certainly wasn’t in February 2008. Just too many tourists…
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