The Best of Cambodia & Laos

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LUANG PRABANG LUANG PRABANG & NORTHERN LAOS
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friendly Canadian owners are full of good advice and lend books from their downstairs
collection. Have a pot of tea or a cocktail (don’t miss the lao-lao margarita) in their
atmospheric upstairs teahouse and gallery; it’s also a good place on a steamy afternoon to
relax on the floor against a cozy Lao cushion while perusing one of the old National
Geographic magazines. Young travelers descend for the films, played each day at 4 and
7pm.
A popular restaurant on “restaurant row,” the Luang Prabang Bakery, 11/7 Sisavangvong
Rd. (& 071/212-617), serves some good pizza as well as a host of baked goods,
plus has an extensive collection of books. Farther east, the Scandinavian Bakery, 52/6
Sisavangvong (& 071/252-223), and chic, air-conditioned Joma (& 071/252-292)
both serve similar fine coffee and baked goods.
The same team of expats who run L’Elephant (see above) own Le Café Ban Wat Sene
(& 071/252-482), an atmospheric, open-air space. Their desserts and coffee are excellent,
as are their light lunch specials of sandwiches and salads. They also offer wireless
Internet access. Find them just across from the elementary school.
The best place in town for authentic French crepes, savory or sweet, is Dao Fa, on
Sisavangvong Road (& 071/252-656), also a good spot for people-watching. It has
excellent Mediterranean entrees and homemade pastas cooked to order, too.
Vegetarians should be on the lookout for the side-street buffets by the Night Market,
along Photisarath Road. Only 5,000 kip gets you a bowl and all the nonmeaty goodness
you can handle.
ATTRACTIONS
Mount Phousi Rising from the center of town and forming something of a defining
feature, Mount Phousi has temples scattered on all sides of its slopes and a panoramic
view of the entire town from its summit. That Chomsi Stupa, built in 1804, is its crowning
glory. Taking the path to the northeast, you will pass Wat Tham Phousi, which has a
large-bellied Buddha, Kaccayana. Wat Phra Bat Nua, farther down, has a yard-long
footprint of the Buddha. Be prepared for the 355 steps to get there. Try to make the hike,
which will take about 2 hours with sightseeing, in the early morning or late afternoon to
escape the midday heat. It is also a great spot from which to watch the sunset.
Sisavangvong Rd. Admission 20,000 kip. Daily 8am–6pm.
Royal Palace Museum or “Haw Kham” This palace was originally built for
King Sisavang Vong after the original building was destroyed by Chinese Haw invaders
in 1887. Started in 1904, it was completed in 1909. It is also called Haw Kham which
means golden hall. The site it occupies was chosen so that visitors could be received
directly from the boats in which they arrived. It remained the royal residence until the
Pathet Lao takeover in 1975. The last Lao king, Sisavang Vattana, and his family were
forcibly relocated to a remote jungle in the northern part of the country where they
perished in the late ’70s and early ’80s. The palace contains exhibits that are interesting
if few in number. The architecture of the building is a combination of traditional Lao
styles with French neoclassical. The layout is cruciform on a multitiered platform. Over
the entrance is an image of the three-headed elephant sheltered by the sacred white parasol
that was the original symbol of the Kingdom Lan Xang and the Lao monarchy. Italian
marble steps lead up to the colonnaded doorway at the entrance.
To the right of the entrance as you walk in is the king’s reception room. It contains
busts of the Lao monarchy as well as two large gilded and lacquered Ramayana screens,