A taste for slow

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This was published 15 years ago

A taste for slow

Winding down during the festive season is easy, as long as you're in Laos, writes Jane Reddy.

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UnspecifiedCredit: Nigel Baade

'SO WHERE'S the landing strip?" comes a Texan drawl from the seat in front just seconds before our twin-propeller jet touches down at Vientiane's international airport. It's a fair question.

Having left the shining new Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok with its kilometres of duty-free shops and asphalt runways, the only hint that we are about to arrive in the Laotian capital is a sharp bank to the right over the Mekong River and sudden drop over rice paddies, dirt roads and stilt houses.

There are no tunnels to ferry the masses from aircraft to terminal, no queues at customs - just an empty tarmac to walk across, the soft thud of passports being stamped in quick succession and then a lovely quiet.

A few tour guides leaning casually over a very-OK-corral outside constitute the welcoming party.

So this is the silly season, Laosstyle.

Our guide, Vitlay, tells us early in the piece he is preparing for marriage on New Year's day.

That's a blink away. Between now and then is the small matter of catering for 250 guests, including killing a fatted calf - something he confides he has never done before.

Showing two adults and a rabid two-year-old around this dusty city lined with wide boulevards and architecture from French colonial days might be a pleasant distraction.

But it's not without its challenges.

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At Wat Si Saket, built in 1818 and reputed to be the oldest temple still standing in Vientiane, Vitlay gently steers the child away from more than 300 fragile Buddhist relics sitting on the temple's shelves. And at Patuxai, a large monument reminiscent of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, Vitlay sprints up the steps to the top and waves wildly to the child below.

The ear-piercing Laotian pop song whining its way up to the heavens is almost enough to drown out the wailing of the child left behind.

FOR THE falang, or foreigner, who has bothered to check their calendar, it is Christmas Eve. Here, it's a refreshing change from our Western sprint to the December 25 finish line. There are no big department stores in which to whip yourself into a consumption frenzy; no last-minute panic buying for useless gifts; no turkey; no sweat.

Just a few foreigners wandering around the city's Morning Market (Talat Sao), which happens to be open all day, provide the slightest hint of a country with a long history of civil and international strife enjoying an invasion of the touristic kind.

The market's walls are lined with silk, silver jewellery, handicrafts and vendors who take but often leave the tourist wanting to haggle harder.

Clearly another falang will pass this way soon."

Fake watches?" inquires one. "No fakes in this country, madam. Only copies," comes the reply with the smile of a sage.

Sunset on the banks of the Mekong is the city's No.1 tourist attraction. Here, a lonely looking chap wearing a red Santa hat nurses a longneck of the local brew, Beerlao, for company. Probably missing his mum.

A hotel nearby promises a European Christmas lunch with whole cow on a spit and roast vegetables for only $US7.50. What that is in the local and unstable currency, kip, is anyone's guess, but Vitlay recommends adding a few zeros for a close enough conversion.

And if you're short of either currency, Thai baht is also accepted.

WHY Laos? And why now? Lonely Planet author Joe Cummings, who has travelled extensively in the country since it opened to tourists in 1989 and is the author of the Laos guidebook, understands the growing appeal of this land-locked country compared to its neighbours.

He says Laos has a general sense of peace and calm that neither Cambodia nor Vietnam offers."

In many ways Vietnam offers more variety than Laos in terms of the breadth and depth of attractions, whether natural or cultural," he says.

"On the other hand, I personally find the Lao national character more endearing, the people friendlier and the cuisine more to my taste."

Cambodia has Angkor, which surpasses anything in Vietnam or Laos, architecturally speaking, but it gives one the impression of being a 'one-hit wonder'."

We take a 40-minute flight to Luang Prabang, in the country's north, where the ancient royal capital is doing its best to turn on some Christmas spirit.

In an otherwise ink-black night, fairy lights guide us from our hotel to the main street where, outside one restaurant, young monks and foreign children gather to watch a mechanical, gyrating, slightly disturbing Father Christmas."

We'll celebrate any festival, even if it is not Buddhist," one local says happily.

A ringing bell in the distance, a ghost from a Christmas past, is in fact a local on his bike spruiking steaming dumplings.

The city at dawn is stunning, cool and quiet. The Mekong is out there, somewhere. It's just shrouded in mist.

Luang Prabang was granted world heritage status in 1995 by UNESCO for its unique blend of traditional Laotian and European architecture and cultural traditions. It offers natural beauty, well-preserved temples, living history and the promise of decent coffee made from local beans.

As Posh Spice once said of her husband David Beckham, it's the complete package.

And it's proving attractive to many: the well-heeled, the backpacker, the young and the not-so-young are all here.

From Phu Si Hill, the city's world heritage credentials are laid out before us: the royal palace museum, French colonial buildings and temples splashed with gold. Beyond is dense jungle broken only by the winding Mekong and Nam Khan rivers. Surrounding mountains complete the picture.

Joe Cummings has seen firsthand the changes brought with the help of the tourist dollar and world heritage protection."

I first flew here in 1989 and the historic temple district was virtually deserted save for a few monks and a few squatters in crumbling French and Lao buildings," he says. "But with tourism and UNESCO support it has become a vibrant cultural centre."

As the money pumps in and tourism grows, the basic character of the architecture is remaining true to the colonial era. Likewise the city has taken care not to allow construction on the riverbanks so as to preserve Mekong views. You won't find that anywhere else in South-East Asia that I know of - most towns crowd their rivers with buildings."

BACK on the flat in the late afternoon the locals are setting up for the handicraft market held most nights in the main street.

Small trucks overflowing with people and wares including silver, handmade paper lanterns and silk - dyed with teak, jackfruit, lemongrass and mahogany to create the deep pinks, greens and purples - take their places on the road between Phu Si Hill and the royal palace museum.

The royal family lived in Luang Prubang until 1975 when the Laotian monarchy was abolished.

Some members were imprisoned by the communist Pathet Lao.

Traffic is sedate by Asian standards, thanks to a road bypass system, and the city is best discovered on foot. Jumbos (motorised rickshaws) and motorcycles with the occasional sidecar attached are the most we contend with. Pushbikes are the vehicles of choice.

From the markets, a short walk through palm-lined alleyways takes us back to the Mekong.

Open-air restaurants are perched high on its bank and rows of working longboats transporting wood, whisky and people sit in neat rows. Lithe fishermen, standing and steady, throw nets from the narrowest of canoes."

Is this the restaurant I was at yesterday?" a tourist hopefully quizzes a waiter at one of the restaurants before ordering the local dish of laap, a spicy salad with mince meat.

From our hotel, a former residence for nobility, waiters appear with the local fare along with delights such as Australian veal cutlets with duck foie gras and lamb tenderloin with vegetable ratatouille. The manager is as deflated as his chocolate souffle when he realises our chatter has distracted us from the sweet task at hand.

While it is the sights of the city that might bring you here, the sounds will also linger - the cock crowing from 2am, the steady beat of a drum from a temple an hour later, the distant putt-putt of longboats along the Mekong and the chatter of locals playing petanque.

For our child, Luang Prabang and its surrounds provide adventures beyond any theme park. There are vast lawns at the front of the palace museum on which to run and run, tigers and black bears at close range at the open-air zoo near the Kuang Xi waterfalls, other kids to roll in the dirt with at a Hmong village while the adults thrash out the finer points of an arranged marriage, and an elephant ride through the jungle at a nearby sanctuary.

John and Denise from Yorkshire are also enjoying a break from their routine and have signed up for the sanctuary's mahout course. John quizzes the genuine mahout while Denise cowers in the shadow of the beast."

So we will learn how take care of an elephant? Wash him? Feed him?" asks John."

Yes, yes," says the keeper dozily from atop his charge, clearly more interested in lunch - a small bird, just trapped and about to meet its maker.

Ancient rituals still mix with modern-day life in the city. Each morning at dawn we head to the main street where monks wrapped in orange and saffron robes emerge from temples to receive alms.

Buddhist faithful drop fruit, sticky rice and pink sweets wrapped in cellophane into brass pots carried by monks. It is slim pickings for the younger novices, who are last in the long procession.

Our guide, Slard, spent time in a monastery before deciding to swap his robes for a university education."

Weren't you cold?" I ask Slard as the monks file by, flesh exposed to the brisk air."

Oh yes, always cold," he says, now ensconced in a fleece jacket.

Slard hopes one day to own a teak plantation. In the meantime, his days are spent enlightening tourists at the city's well-preserved temples."

Perhaps Australia should have some of these," he says of a Buddha statue, standing with hands at sides, in the "calling for rain" position.

Later, we cruise up the Mekong in a longboat to the Pak Ou Caves, which are set in soaring limestone cliffs and brimming with Buddha images.

On return, the gentle rocking and white noise of the engine puts our son, cocooned in his life jacket, into a deep sleep. The occasional speedboat filled with young things in crash helmets whizzes by. Slard asks if I would rather be on the fast boat.

No thanks. I've got a taste for slow.

Jane Reddy and family travelled in Laos as guests of World Expeditions. They stayed in Bangkok as guests of Banyan Tree.

Fast facts

World Expeditions' Vientiane to Luang Prabang trip departs daily and costs $1190 per person. World Expeditions recommends touring with children seven and older, but itineraries can be tailored to suit any age.

Website: worldexpeditions.com

Phone: 1300 720 000 or 8631 3300

World Expeditions' accommodation on tour, when possible: Sala Prabang in Luang Prabang.

Boutique-style hotel opposite the Mekong River. Helpful and friendly staff. Rooms (some of which have river views) are serviced daily and have air-conditioning, ceiling fans, good plumbing and fluffy towels.

Sala Inpeng (Prabang) in Vientiane.

The finishing touches were being applied to the sister hotel of Sala Prabang. Set in the capital's historic district, the hotel is a short walk to the Mekong, temples and excellent bakeries. Traditional teak rooms have balconies and offer the same facilities as at Sala Prabang.

Getting there: Thai Airways International flies 12 times a week from Melbourne to Bangkok, with daily connections to Vientiane.

Fares from $860 plus $246 taxes ex-Melbourne.

http://www.thaiairways.com.au

When to go: Between November and February when it is not too hot.

Currency: Laotian kip, US dollar, Thai baht

Travelling with children: Consult your GP or the Travel Doctor (tmvc.

com.au) about vaccinations and the potential risks of travelling overseas with young children.

Reading: Lonely Planet: Laos, Joe Cummings and Andrew Burke.

Luang Prabang Ancient Royal Capital, by Roland Neveu (text by Ben Davies).

Kid-Wrangling, Kaz Cooke. Section devoted to travel with children.

Thailand accommodation: Banyan Tree, Bangkok.

banyantree.com

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