Luang Prabang would have to be one of our favourite places in the world. This beautiful old French colonial town has managed to keep its authentic charm, blending elegant French architecture with traditional Lao culture. Its remote location has helped preserve its special atmosphere, and we hope the new roads and increased flights don’t change it too much in the coming years.

The pace of life here is wonderfully slow and the people are genuinely friendly. Just before writing this, we went to a tiny hole-in-the-wall restaurant we had eaten at before. The grandmother came out and brought us some freshly steamed corn still in its husks — simple, sweet and absolutely delicious.

We arrived on Saturday evening and had dinner at the lovely Tamarind Restaurant. They serve creative and well-cooked Lao food with excellent service. It’s one of those special places that has become a bit of a Luang Prabang institution.

Unfortunately, during dinner my theory that “some people should not be allowed to travel” was once again confirmed. The whole restaurant had to listen to a loud Australian woman who thought the best way to communicate with the Lao waiters was to speak extremely loudly and in some strange version of pidgin English. It was quite painful to witness.

On Sunday we were lucky enough to be in town for the annual boat races. It felt like half the population of northern Laos had come to the river. The long, colourful dragon boats raced while we sat under an umbrella at our riverside hotel, sipping cold Beer Lao and enjoying the festive atmosphere and street food all around us.

The next day we climbed the 328 hot and sweaty steps to the top of Mount Phousi. The views across the town and surrounding mountains are spectacular. We also visited the former Royal Palace Museum to see the sacred Prabang Buddha, which dates back to the 1st century.

Tamarind Cooking School

We also attended a cooking class at Tamarind’s beautiful school a few kilometres outside town. Set among lily ponds and herb gardens, it’s a wonderful setting. We first visited the bustling local market (where I wisely avoided the meat section) before learning to cook traditional dishes like jeow (Lao dips), lemongrass stuffed chicken, fish in banana leaves, buffalo laap, and purple sticky rice with coconut for dessert.