GOLDEN MEDITATIONS
Golden Meditations - Luxury Travel Magazine
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Golden Meditations | |||||
| By: Hilary Doling, Issue 26 - Autumn 2006 | |||||
| (Laos) | |||||
| LAOS IS A LAND OF GLITTERING TEMPLES, DEVOUT MONKS AND SHIMMERING SILKS. AT ITS HEART IS THE TOWN OF LUANG PRABANG AND A HOTEL THAT WAS ONCE A KING’S RESIDENCE. | |||||
| Early morning and the half-light still shrouds everything in a chiffon scarf of grey. Somewhere a gong sounds and a line of monks in bright saffron and orange appear, bending their heads like marigolds in the breeze to receive alms of sticky rice in banana leaves from waiting worshippers. The ribbon of orange seems to unfurl forever because in this tiny town there are 32 temples and over 200 monks. In Luang Prabang legends are told in gold relief on temple doors, bicycles are more common than cars and even the least devout are drawn to the cool interiors of temples where bronzed buddhas sit in quiet contemplation behind swirls of smoky incense. It also has a royal flush of ornate palaces. The town was the capital of the Lane Xang kingdom from 1354 AD and is now a UNESCO heritage site, justly celebrated as the seat of Lao culture. It is surrounded by green-cloaked mountains at the junction of the Mekong and its tributary, the Khan River. Laos, a slither of landlocked country between Thailand and Vietnam, is fairly newly come to tourism, only really opening the doors to the outside world as the 21st century dawned. Its lack of coastline has saved it from sun-worshippers in search of ritzy oceanfront resorts. The country will appeal to travelers in search of charm not glitz. Luang Prabang’s two most up-market hotels are found in ex-royal residences which have been elegantly refurbished to appeal to those who choose serenity over suites the size of soccer pitches. Arriving at Maison Souvannaphoum your over-riding impression is of a visiting at someone’s private home. You’d be right. Until the 1970s this grand colonial building with it wooden shutters, baskets of orchids and wide verandahs was the royal residence of a prince. The hotel marks the entry of the up-market Banyan Tree group into Laos, under the Colours of Angsana brand. Its beautiful rooms with French windows looking over lush gardens are furnished with lush silks and canopied drapes, candles glimmer in coloured alcoves. Angsana’s signature orange works beautifully here as if it were made to match the monk’s bright habits. In the gardens, spa treatments take place in private pavilions. No wonder the property features in Condé Nast Traveller's 2005 Hot List. The other hotel worth checking in to is La Résidence Phou Vao, formerly the Pansea. This boutique Orient-Express property sits in the middle of lush tropical gardens like a king on a throne. Maison Souvannaphoum will supply you with a green and cream painted bike to cycle around town. One perfect day I toured the back streets past traditional teak houses and the Asian equivalent of white picket fences heavy with bougainvillea. Along the main street were brightly painted cafés with wooden shutters and pots full of flowering plants. Both the fading grandeur of the shuttered buildings and the coffee are a legacy of Laos’ French colonial history. The night market is also a joy. Unlike other Asia bazaars there is no haggling and no hassling. You can meander through the market undisturbed and browse amongst the stalls laid out with well-designed embroidery (the regions specialty) jewel-bright silk, silver tribal jewellery, delicate notepaper with pressed flower patterns and beautiful gold paintings. Strung from the stalls coloured lanterns glow like fireflies. Along another road the smell of spices and outdoor cooking beckons and locals uninterested in handcrafts throng around open food stalls eating chicken wrapped in banana leaves. The food in Laos is good, flavoured with subtle spices. Not to be missed is the bene Lao outdoor riverside restaurant. The elegant owner, Sinlasone Soumpholphakdy, was for many years an architect in Sydney and his vision has helped transform the river bank into a boulevard of pretty restaurants as other cafés follow his lead. He also created the chic guesthouse, Sala Prabang Hotel opposite the restaurant. Later, we take a boat with peeling blue paint down river to the sacred Pak Ou caves, a gaping mouth in the cliff face where believers come to pray to hundreds of Buddha images, set onto the rocks, the highest ones disappearing into the bat-black gloom at the cave roof. Behind me a pilgrim prays, while from high up at the cave entrance I look down on the muddy river as ginger as a monk’s habit and watch a solitary wooden boat, a thin splinter of wood on the water, slowly make its way down river. | |||||
| Details: | |||||
| - Maison Souvannaphoum Hotel, Small Luxury Hotels, (02) 9411 5512, www.slh.com | |||||
| - La Résidence Phou Vao, Orient Express, (02) 8248 5200, www.orient-express.com or www.pansea.com | |||||
| - World Expeditions can organize bespoke tours to the region, Toll free 1300 720 000, www.worldexpeditions.com.au | |||||
| - Thai Airways flies to Vientiene via Bangkok and Royal Orchid Holidays can arrange stopovers at the chic Conrad Bangkok. Thai reservations 1300 651 960, www.thaiairways.com | |||||
| - In Vientiene stay at the Settha Palace Hotel, + 856 (21) 217581 2, www.setthapalace.com | |||||
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