Luang Prabang is a great place for weekend getaways from Singapore with many cafes, restaurants, bars and shops.
Royal Palace
Luang Prabang means “city of the Golden Buddha Phra Bang”, which is an 83cm statue of the Lord Buddha which is believed to be the source of the city’s protection since the 14th century. The Royal Palace was built by French colonialists between 1904 and 1909 and is a blend of Lao and French architecture, hallmarked by the royal symbol of Laos – a three-headed elephant under a parasol. The living quarters are spartan but the throne room is glittering with mosaic emerald palms, lapis lazuli elephants, silver rivers and golden robes.
Sisavangvong Peninsula Road
Stop by the early 18th-century Wat Sene, with its sweeping four-tiered roof, before heading to the 16th-century Wat Xieng Thong.
L’Elephant Vert and Cafe Toui
Have lunch here with its living cuisine set menus, which are affordable and serve tomato carpaccio and coriander and mustard mousse, or at small Cafe Toui where friendly Toui serves souisi pa (fresh fish poached in coconut, basil and a red-chilli broth) and a twist on the Cuban mojito, a “cojito”, made with Lao basil, lemongrass and Malibu rum.
Morning Almsgiving
Rise early in the morning to take part in a sacred ritual: the giving of alms. There are some 35 wats in town and every morning the saffron-robed monks walk through the centre of the city, collecting rice for their day’s food. Afterwards, head to the morning market for breakfast: rice lollipops, wasp cocoons (the pupae are considered a delicacy), buffalo lung, betel-nut bark and leaves, live toads and catfish.
Kuang Si Falls
On-site is the Free the Bears Foundation, where more than 20 Asian black moon bears, rescued from the illegal wildlife trade, are kept in enclosures.
