Luang Prabang, Laos

Luang Prabang, a UNESCO world heritage site, is Laos’ most touristy destination. The city is scenically located at the confluence of the Mekong and Nam Khan rivers and is surrounded by mountains. The city also boasts diverse architecture, primarily the French colonial and Lao wooden styles.

Luang Prabang is famous as the imperial capital of Laos. The National Museum (formerly the National Palace) is situated there, with the Pha Bang, the gold Buddha statue that the town is name after, housed inside. There are also numerous temples, or wats.

One highlight of the city is witnessing the morning alms procession by the monks. Every morning, around 6:30am, groups of monks clad in orange robes would march from their temples around a couple blocks to collect alms from people. These alms primarily include sticky rice and sometimes bananas and candy (though the latter is usually thrown out of the alms bowl by the monks to the children). This daily march has turned into a “tourist show” with many people snapping photos and even paying for the privilege of sitting on a mat and handing out rice to the monks.

Similar to what I observed in Vientiane, there were more tourists than locals! It also seems like the French influence is the strongest in this city. This can be proven through the number of French restaurants, cafes, signs and architecture that pervades the city. Because of this, many tourists find it comforting to find Western fare and end up staying longer than they had planned.

Many of the guesthouses in Luang Prabang have undergone renovation and are now posh B&Bs. This is unfortunate as backpackers are being priced out of Luang Prabang. I believe that in 10 years’ time, the city will turn into a retirees’ village, with only the wealthy able to afford staying there.

Vientiane, Laos

From Pakse, I took a ten-hour “VIP” sleeper bus to Vientiane, the capital of Laos. I was glad that I could lie down (even though it was a narrow bed), but the journey was cold and bumpy. We were served snacks and drinks though, a cut above the Vietnamese buses.

I arrived in Vientiane after the conclusion of the 25th Southeast Asian Games and thus I did not expect prices to be cheap. I was right as I struggled to find an available room for less than $10. (Keep in mind that rooms could be easily found costing $5 two years ago, according to the guidebook.) It was also hard to find a meal for less than $1, even in the street stalls (unlike in Vietnam). Bus prices in Laos were double those in Vietnam. Thus, Laos has been sticker shock for me, as I, like many others, are basing prices from the guidebook.

These days in Vientiane, tourists outnumber locals. I believe it is great that development money is pouring into Laos and the people are improving their lives. However, I am wary of Westernization as it makes the world a bit homogeneous. It also introduces unhealthy elements into people’s lives, such as over consumption and the obsession with money. What was once the exotic, “untouched” Laos ten years ago is now a very touristy country. I guess there are very few places in the world that are not turning into “Disneyland”.

Vientiane, just like the rest of Laos, is very sedate (no honking!). The city has a few famous sights, such as Pha That Luang, the golden stupa that is the symbol of Laos; and Patuxai, a pseudo Asian-style Arch de Triomphe.

One interesting observation is that French influence is very visible (the country was once colonized by France). Street and building signs are still in French. There are a good number of French restaurants and bakeries. And of course, there are many French tourists (for once outnumbering the British)!

My highlight in Vientiane (I was bored after my first out of two days there) was dining in a makeshift restaurant by the Mekong River. During the day, there is nothing but construction on the shore. However, at night, the place comes alive with people setting up barbeque and fruit stands, along with tables and chairs. I treated myself to a Chinese-style hotpot by the Mekong. It was delicious and commanded the best view of any street dining I have ever had!

Phnom Penh, Cambodia

It was time to leave the hassling of Vietnam behind and head to Cambodia. I boarded a bus from Saigon to Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia. I was impressed with the wide leg room and excellent customer service on this bus (way better than the service on Vietnamese tourist buses). The attendant even filled in the Cambodian visa form for me, ensuring a seamless border crossing.

Phnom Penh was chaotic! People who everywhere, hawking goods. Like Vietnam, motorcycles and makeshift cafes took over sidewalks. Noticeable differences include the pervasiveness of tuk tuks (motorcycle-pulled-carriage) and litter.

As soon as I got off the bus from Saigon, I was harassed by hotel and motorcycle touts. Along with travelers Ivy (from Laos) and Anh (from Vietnam), we found a hotel and explored the city together. Sights in Phnom Penh include the markets, Wat Phnom (Khmer-style temple after which the city is named), Independence Monument, National Museum and the National Palace (with its temples). A stroll along the Mekong River waterfront is also an enjoyable experience.

My most profound experience in Phnom Penh, though, had to be the visit to the Tuol Sleng Museum, a school--turned-prison that was used by the Khmer Rouge to torture people. The Khmer Rouge were a group of radical Marxists who terrorized Cambodians from 1975-1979. Basically, anyone who did not support their agrarian revolution were killed. These included innocent people such as teachers, doctors and intellectuals. The Khmer Rouge were finally driven from power by the Vietnamese in 1979, only to have the UN refuse recognition of the new government. The Cambodian government finally established a Khmer Rouge Tribunal in 2006, eight years after the leader, Pol Pot, passed away.

Inside the museum were remnants of what appeared to be a concentration camp. There was a case full of clothes and a case full of skulls. In the courtyard, there were the gallows, used to hang prisoners. The classrooms were either torture rooms or prison cells. Each prisoner had a metal can, which served as his or her bathroom.

The photo exhibits were what touched me the most. It was very eerie to walk past thousands of photos of victims’ faces, before they were executed. In fact, it was sickening and inhumane that such injustice could be done to others. Another intriguing photo exhibit was put together by a Swede, one of the few foreigners allowed into Cambodia during the Khmer Rouge period. His pictures each show his thoughts from 1978 (when he visited) and from 2008 (the year the exhibit was compiled). His opinions were very different, as he was a Marxist back in 1978.