Luang Prabang First Impressions

First Impressions: Descending from the clear blue of high altitude travel we slipped through a flat white cloud, into the soft aromatic smoke haze that is the dry season aura to this enchanted place.  Amazingly, for Asia, it is remote.  This little ancient town, graced with a stately, if modest palace and numerous gold encrusted Buddhist temples sits in a jumble of sudden hills.  When established as a Royal City in AD 698 it must have been the perfect 'hide away' for a reasonably powerful prince who wished to make his mark.  He founded the city on a strategic peninsular with the surging NamKhan River on one side and the huge Mekong River billowing its eddies of muddy flood for hundreds of kilometres - a great deterrent to an unexpected visit by a powerful Royal Dad seeking a demonstration of obedience and filial piety.  The new Royal Family prospered and Luang Prabang became the City of Gold in the Land of a Million Elephants.

Although long gone, the sense of Royalty somehow pervades this thriving city/town of Communist Laos.  The Royals invited the French in 1887 to protect them from thug militias from China.  Royalty, Prince Souphanouvong, the first President, led the Communist Revolution championed by the Moscow-backed Pathet (Nationalist) Lao.  (This royal role must have been a major dilemma for the soviet Politburo in Moscow which had a proven lethal attitude towards monarchy.)  Although there are strong memories of the Revolution's re-education camps which left so many of the 'educated and unconvinced' either dead or brain damaged, it's possible there was no other way the country could have shaken off its Royal feudalism and produced a near egalitarian society.

With the influence of China's leadership style - retaining Communism as the face of government and Capitalism as its engine - the Lao Communist party relaxed its hard line anti Western rhetoric and business is booming. The Lao flag hangs everywhere with the hammer and sickle beside it, especially prominent in every capitalist venture, like the building boom in guest houses.  Almost every private residence in the centre of LP has been or is being converted tolodging for tourists. In so many ways this is a dream time (for us and the Lao) as it will change dramatically when the Peoples Republic of China puts its fast railway through to Vientianne and beyond, probably to Singapore. The Lao will find themselves employees in their own businesses and Chinese entrepreneurs will think the dreamy, magical qualities of LP with its tree lined streets have little economic value and should be replaced with big hotels.

But right now the place is proud of itself.  On Friday (9/3/12 an astrologically auspicious day – 9 being a propitious number) this lovely town held a huge parade to celebrate winning for the 7^th time the award as the World’s most attractive and historically significant tourist destination. 

The parade formed up outside the Royal Palace with local dignitaries, visiting Senior (Communist) Party Members, every possible aspirational business owner, the Palace’s Orchestra, dressed in ancient costume and carrying its conche shell trumpets, antique drums, cymbals, rababs, wooden xylophones and semicircular braces of gongs.  Added to this were speeches in Lao and English (but not French! Which would have put the Gallic Nose out of joint considering the Frogs once saved the place from plundering hordes and continue to beautifully restore so much of it).  The parade was civil in purpose, but overwhelmingly devotional in intent.  It proceeded from the Palace to one of the many premier Buddhist Temples where the gifts from all participants were deposited. 

The gifts were as fascinating as anything else: carefully packaged saffron robes for the abbots carried in both hands by the most important dignitaries, tiered circular towers hung with paper money, and potted banana trees festooned with banknotes.  Also hundreds of school kids waving short sticks with banknotes attached like the little flag I waved at our very own brand new Queen Elizabeth when she came to visit in 1954... Oh! will these kids remember it with such poignancy?