The Best of Cambodia & Laos

SHOPPING
The central area of Luang Prabang is full of places to buy souvenirs, silk, handicrafts, and
jewelry. With its royal heritage and the accompanying emphasis on pageantry and tradition
it is no surprise that Luang Prabang has a rich tradition of artisanship. This is
compounded by its situation at the heart of a mountain region where ethnic minorities
forged their own traditions of craftsmanship. Bargains are hard to find these days but
there is a lot of competition so you can certainly get a reasonable deal.
Bookshops
L’Etranger Books & Tea This bookshop stocks both secondhand books plus some
new books on Southeast Asia. They also serve a delicious range of tea in the gallery
upstairs or on the terrace at the front. Open Monday to Saturday 8am to 10pm, Sunday
10am to 10pm. Kingkitsarath Rd. & 020/537-7826.
Monument Books This branch of the Indochina book chain stocks glossy coffeetable
books, fiction, and nonfiction. It also sells foreign and international magazines at a
fairly hefty price. Daily 9am to 9pm. 2 Thou Gnai. & 071/254-954.
Markets
Dara Market This is the central market next to Wat Phousi and until recently it was
a rough-and-ready functioning provincial commercial hub selling motorcycle parts, electrical
goods, flip-flops, light bulbs, some foodstuffs, and pretty much everything else you
might need. That has now changed and it has been rebuilt and gentrified. This was
inevitable given its position and Luang Prabang’s progress as a major tourist destination.
Now it is a pleasant, clean, orderly, and mildly antiseptic tiled market with a series of
stalls selling clothes, fabrics, and jewelry as well as more practical things such as shampoo,
shoes, bags, and coffee. The sell is notably gentle here, and with a smile you can get
people down by about 30% from their asking price. Daily 8am to 5pm.
The Night Market Every evening from approximately 6 to 9pm, the end of Sisavangvong
Road between the central junction with Setthathirath Road past the Royal Palace
to the start of the main shopping area is blocked off and becomes a Thai-style night
market. Here you can get fabrics, wall hangings, T-shirts, ceramics, woodcarvings, and a
great deal more from legions of grinning old ladies from the hills. Grinning they may be,
but you will still need to bargain hard to get a good price. The place has a nice vibe and
it’s quiet and largely candlelit. In high season there are crowds but they are rarely stifling.
Shops & Boutiques
Caruso Lao Handicraft Sandra Yuck’s inspired collection of housewares, furnishings,
and silk. Daily 8am to 10pm. Sakkarine Rd. & 071/254-574.
Fibre2fabric Fibre2fabric Gallery is a not-for-profit exhibition space that demonstrates
the role and function of textiles from different regions and ethnic groups in Laos.
Through temporary bilingual exhibitions, visitors and locals have the opportunity to learn
about the cultural significance of textiles in local daily life. F2F, situated in a two-story shop
house, is a small resource center for those interested in learning about the textiles of Laos’s
ethnic groups. The ground floor hosts the changing exhibitions while the first floor houses
a permanent textile collection representing 12 ethnic groups from Laos. There is also a
selection of specialist films and documentaries that can be watched in the upstairs room.
Ban Vat Nong, Luang Prabang, opposite Ban Pack Luck Guesthouse and next to L’Elephant
Restaurant. Daily 9am to 8pm. & 071/254-761. www.fibre2fabric.org.
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LUANG PRABANG