“Our life revolves around good karma as preached in Buddhism”, tells a Lao gentleman sitting next to me in the flight to Vientiane, capital of Laos.

Indeed “good karma” welcomes us to this culturally rich Indo-China nation.

My partner after buying a bottle of water from a store at the airport walks out without taking a substantially large change. The shop assistant noticing this rushes outside to handover the balance.

“Alliance with honesty comes from our profound faith in religion” explains Mana our tour guide while showing us That Luang, one of the most celebrated Buddhist monuments in Laos. Believed to enshrine a breast bone of the Buddha, this slim and golden pagoda is traditionally the first stop for all visitors in Vientiane which, though established in 16^th century, presents today a landscape setup by the French colonizers in the 19^th century.

Blending European style with Asian characteristics, they revamped the city’s typical South East Asian fabric with Beaux Arts style palaces, sprawling villas, grand administrative buildings, colonnaded shops, victory monument like Parisian Arc De Tromphe and paved squares ringed by tamarind tree-lined avenues.

This European cluster gracefully share space with glittering wats, bustling outdoor markets, trinket stores and wayside eateries giving the city its distinctive character.

Exploring the capital is rewarding, but the ultimate destination for most visitors to Laos is Luang Prabang, where history mingles with religion. It’s located almost 500 km north of Vientiane and instead of flying for an hour we opt to travel by road to get a taste of real Laos, which since foundation in the 14^th century has passed through phases of monarchy, foreign invasions, colonial rule and communism.

We pass through the fairytale countryside where the panorama of green rice fields, teak forests or an unknown river streaming down from rolling mountains, soothe our urbanized eyes. Many villages go past; we stop at some and feel like being in a quarter where time seem to have stopped.

A serene and spiritual ambiance welcomes us as we enter Luang Prabang, where its narrow and antique streets are lined with golden temples and dilapidated French colonial buildings, red bougainvillea and pink frangipani adding extra colour to the background.

Anchored on a peninsula formed by the Mekong and the Nam Khan River, this sleepy town is marked as an emblem of Buddhism in the region. Legend says that Lord Buddha rested here during his travels, prophesying this domain to be one day the site of a rich and powerful settlement.

In fact it happened that way. In the 14th century it became the capital of the powerful kingdom of Lane Xang (Kingdom of a Million Elephants) , emerged as the political, cultural and artistic epicenter of the province and continued its supremacy even during the French colonial rule in the 19th century, Buddhism dominating the religious scene all  throughout.

The town’s unique historical significance and its cultural and architectural preservation convinced UNESCO in 1995 to bestow World Heritage status to Luang Prabang.

This easy going quarter charms visitors by its engaging and friendly atmosphere, which represents the “good karma” sense of the people. The town itself offers several unique insights into the history of the region particularly through the excellently preserved National Museum which was earlier the abode of Lao Royals.

A street market outside this royal complex comes alive at sun down, becoming a vibrant venue  to rub shoulders  with locals while picking up a little Buddha statue as souvenir to take back home. 

The magic of the destination zooms in at crack of dawn when hundreds of saffron clad monks from over thirty odd mist-shrouded temples begin their daily walk in single files along the town’s narrow leafy streets with their alm-bowl in hand to receive offerings of sticky-rice and fruits from locals and interested visitors.

An integral part of Buddhist tradition, this quiet and meditative ritual depicts one of the most widely seen images of this pious township. In fact, many travel to Luang Prabang just for this intimacy with paucity which begins with participation in the early morning ceremony and continues during the day while visiting some of the Buddhist shrines and monasteries, most popular ones being the Wat-Xieng Thong, Wat-Visoun and Wat-Mai Suwannaphumaham.

While guiding us through some of these hallowed sites, our local guide Hum shares knowledge about many Buddhist rituals and the daily lives of the Buddhist monks, many of whom are very young and known as novices. They are mostly from the countryside and have been sent by their economically handicapped parents, knowing their children will receive at least some basic education and food at the monastery, if not more.

”Life of a monk is hard and much disciplined,” explains Hot. “They wake up at early hours and go through several cycles of mediation, chanting and learning during day with only one meal and that too before noon.”

Despite that hardship, nothing but bliss reflects from their faces.

“It’s all because of good karma”, tells Hum.

FACT BOX

Getting There: As there are no direct flights from Australia to Laos, one convenient option is to fly Vietnam Airlines (www.vietnamairlines.com) from Sydney and Melbourne to Hanoi from where there are regular flights to Vientiane and to Luang Prabang. 

Stay: Several hotels with modern facilities are available to suit budget; Lao Plaza Hotel (www.laoplazahotel.com) in Vientiane and 3 Nagas (www.3-nagas.com) in Luang Prabang are conveniently located and offer good services.

Cuisine: Lao food is similar to Thai cuisine, spicy and blended with herbs such as lemon grass and ginger. Try Kua Lao (www.kualaorestaurant.com) in Vientiane and Tamnak Lao (www.tamnaklao.net) in Luang Prabang to sample some of the delicacies.

Getting around: Both cities can be negotiated on foot to cover main places of interest, however 3-wheeled tuk-tuks are there as alternatives. Many tourists hire bikes and move around. Also there are many tour operators to offer organized trips in and around the cities.

Laos Visa – Visit www.laosembassy.net for details.

Colourful and mystic Luang Prabang

Newly married couple at a Buddhist temple