One moment I was sipping coffee with the ‘girl’ gang at work; caffeine and gossip guiding the conversation into a ‘trip’..so where to? Little Laos erupted as a destination of choice as we peeled away the touristy and popular destinations of Vietnam and Thailand from the map..
So Laos it was then..the silent and obscure little sibling
in the family who never had too many days in the sunshine..dwarfed by the
bigger and more popular siblings, aka Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand..and yet
Laos offers glimpses of the multiple influences - China, Vietnam, Bali and not
to forget the French colonial remnants..
With no expectations, an explorative and ‘play by the ear’
attitude, we landed in the heritage city of Luang Prabhang, not having a clue what
was in store. Just like the traditional skirt (sinh) that caught my eye, Laos
wrapped me in a mosaic of prints, moods, weathers and landscapes, and I just
gave in to the sluggish, lazy Laotian air..
After checking into our guest house in the middle of a
quaint quarter, we stepped out to first explore the ‘famed’ night market and
dive into the delicacies served by the little carts (all operated by women
incidentally) ..after devouring a heavy Laos avacado sandwich and washing it
down with a watermelon juice, I greedily looked at the handicrafts, trinkets
and array of clothes; impulsively owning a Laos ensemble of wrap skirt and
wrap top..
Dressed as a ‘local’, the first ‘day’ was love at first
sight.’Indigo café’ our first stop and continued to be our ‘pit’
stops..fueling us everyday with a liberal dose of croissants, baguettes..the
French colonial expertise bubbling in the warm moistness of their breads served
in a classy indigo setting..we then ambled through the heritage
streets..exploring little knick-knacks shops and a generous dotting of ‘wats’
or old temples at every nook and corners..
Escaping the blazing sun, we stepped into the Wat Xiengthong-
the stunning arches, bold mix of prints and motifs and effervescent Buddha
statues greeted me inside the Wat and took me into an era of richness, calm and
heritage…I was lost in the pillars, the roofs and the little blue glass pieces
coming alive in the façade with the soothing background of a Laotian instrument
played by little kids…as the day was winding down, we decided to hit the little
restaurant by the Mekong river. Sunset and a traditional set of dances kept us
engaged and entertained through the evening and we eagerly awaited the
adventures ahead in the coming days..
The next days at the palaces, museums and a plethora of heritage wats and streets, nooks and corners we unearthed the culture, history of this little land..surprising discoveries included the ramayana connection, the coconut and boat race connection (for the Malayalee in me), the Cambodian buddha gifted to Laos and many other interesting bits that we stitched together through our explorations ..the city itself is an ode to crafts as we discovered through the ‘art villages’ where weaving, paper making and many other crafts enticed us with their beautiful and colourful products…the city neatly nestled between the Mekong and Nam khan rivers that snaked through our escapades, riverside cafes and meals..
When history, cafes and shopping were already brimming our
minds with satisfaction… an enchanted waterfall trip stuffed us into a ‘glutton’
of experiences..a blue cascade of waterfalls was the right connect with nature.
As I descended down the steps from the Kuang Si waterfalls and rode our little
tuk tuk back to the guest house , the scenes started to blur and small thoughts
of why, how and ‘why nots’ started to broth in my mind…. cleansing and curing
the ‘urban malady’..
The tabboo word of departure was slowly looming and I decided
to soak in the last sights, temples and cafes of Laos..one last shopping trip
to pick up more indigo stuff, drink some more iced coffee…and watch the school
girls playing in the little school near our ‘neighborhood’..armed with the ‘sinh’
and a bunch of handicfafts, I kissed the city good bye..making sure that the ‘unpacing’
that Laos taught me is still a part of me when the grim noise of urban living
hits me in the face and blairs its noisy horn in my ears…’unpacing’ with a
smile and abandon is a choice as Luang prabhang taught me!
