luang prabang day 1, 27 January 2006



I was originally planning to go to Kathmandu over the chinese new year. I still have 9 vacation days to use and have to use these by hook or by crook. Unfortunately, the tour group I was trying to join did not muster the number needed for the tour to go through. For myself, I was somehow glad it did not push thru because, I am not fit enough to handle the mountain climbing that may be needed in visiting places in Nepal. Secondly, there are recent disturbances in Kathmandu with the arrest of the opposition leaders that the opposition groups are organizing bandhs or general strikes. As soon as this fell through, I then went back to my original plan of going to Luang Prabang. This may be a good place for me to go to, I am looking forward to the quiet and the serenity of the place.

The Bangkok Airways flight only took an hour and a half. I was glad to see that a large plane was in the runway waiting for us. But then our bus did not stop there, instead we were herded off to a smallish plane called "Hua Hin" with brightly coloured patterns on its side. The girls seated beside me in the bus look worried. I told them that there is nothing to worry about because I had taken one of these mini planes once on a trip to Samui. We exchanged cameras so that we can take each other's pictures in fron to the colourful plane. The take off was normal. But then when we got to cruising altitude, I seem to have manage to start a panic attack because I was staying in a window seat. The smallness of the plane did not provide me with enough security when I am looking out of the window. Luckily, Maurice, the old man seated beside me moved to the empty seat across the aisle and I merrily moved to the aisle seat and took a nap until I was suddenly roused out of my sleep with the captain's routine announcement. I tried taking a movie of the landing approach which looked fantastic because of all the terraces that I could see in the terrain below. Unfortunately, my camera did not cooperate.



The Luang Prabang airport reminded me of the airport in Laoag. It is similar in size. However, it is much more efficient and equipped compared to the airport in Laoag. Immigrations was quite efficient. They even have a carousel for the luggages. I remember that in Laoag, the luggages had to be manhandled. I took the airport taxi which is really more of a samlor and the cost to town is 200 baht. Apparently the Thai currency is very much welcomed in this place. So off I went to the guest house I am staying in, Pathoumphone guest house which I probably picked out in the Lonely Planet website. Calling the place a dump is actually being kind. When I get back to Bangkok, I will be posting pictures of the place. I think for $10, I am paying too much for this place. So off I walked the streets trying to find Thongbai Guest House which was recommended by a friend. I actually sent them an e-mail enquiring availability of the rooms. I never got a reply. I kept on walking, got myself a map and realized that I am not getting anywhere. So started walking back and hailed a passing tricycle. He agreed to take my fare to Thongbai for a $1. We got to the place. From outside the place looks very nice. But then outside is a dirtroad and it seems like it is a major distance from the center of town. Besides the earliest they can have rooms available is next thursday. This is way too late for me. So I asked the tricycle driver to take me back to town. It was here that I struck up a conversation with him and asked him that I noticed most guest houses seem to be available for the farangs and not to me. He said, that is not true. Being the Lunar New Year season, there are really so many tourists in Luang Prabang at this time of the year. This is when I learned that his name was Bong. He then volunteered to take me to the guest houses around his neigborhood.

The place was in Ban Houaxieng and from what I see, it is like Luang Prabang's equivalent to Khaosan road in Bangkok, only this is a whole community with may guest houses run by the locals. So we walked around enquiring for available rooms. Most of them are full tonight but they will have available rooms tomorrow. Rooms at $10 here are much much better than the mosquito infested place that I am booked in tonight. After looking at several places in the village, I then have a better feel for the place. I think this is a much better place for me to stay in. I then asked Bong to bring me back to the guest house I am staying in tonight and I arranged to meet him at 8:30 am tomorrow morning. I promised to hire him tomorrow for the whole day. The first order of the day will be to look for a much better guest house to stay in. I felt cold on the trip back. It was already dark and the cold wind was biting my face and the thin sweater was no match to the cold.

For now, I am enjoying my dinner at Le cafe et restaurant Ban Vat Sene. I ordered a simple pizza and a cup of hot chocolate. I remembered Freddie telling me how he felt when he had this hot chocolate somewhere in Chelsea. This one probably does not match that. But then the warmth is comfort enough to me.

Tonight, I plan to go to the night market for a stroll. Go back to the guest house and have a hot shower and start reading Coelho's "The Alchemist". I hope though that the mosquitos will be kind to me tonight. Perhaps I can find some cheap mosquito coils in the market. You never know.