Recently our Prime Minister Modiji had a telephonic conversation with the Prime Minister of Lao PDR about health and economic challenges in the post Covid world. Lao PM thanked India for the support in Lao's development programs. India is also actively participating in the Vat Phou Hindu temple complex restoration project in Laos. Vat Phou is an ancient Shiv temple dating back to the 5th or 6th century.
Actually in April, I read a news article regarding completion of the beams of Laos - China railway across the Mekong river near Luang Prabang. Since then I was thinking about how Luang Prabang will change due to this rail route and due to increasing Chinese influence. So I should surely write about how it was some years ago.
What is Luang Prabang and where is it?
Luang Prabang is a picturesque town in Laos. Laos is a country which is surrounded by land and different countries on all sides. If you see the map, you will come to know that Lao PDR has Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, China and Burma as its neighbors!! It's the only country in southeast Asia which is landlocked and not enjoying the sea.
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| Landlocked Laos (Image from net) |
We went to Luang Prabang in Dec. 2012. The Luang Prabang airport at that time was a huge hall..that's it!! It had limited international flights from Bangkok, Chiang Mai and Siem Reap. Some expansion work of the airport was going on at that time. I was seeing, for the first time, any international airport of this small size. Surely it gave a warm feeling and the feeling continued throughout our stay in Luang Prabang.
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| Luang Prabang airport, 2012 (From wikipedia) |
Our hotel had sent a person with a car to receive us at the airport. He drove us through the beautiful city. Abruptly the car stopped near a small lane. Another hotel staff was waiting there. He picked up our luggage and guided us through the lane. It was really dark there without any street lights. Nowhere could I see the hotel building nearby. The person who was carrying our luggage started descending a bamboo bridge. A boat was waiting for us there! This was a real surprise for us which we enjoyed thoroughly. I still remember the sense of surprise, the moon lit night and the noise of the splashed water of the river through which we were boating.
Across the river we had to climb many steps...nearly as if we went on the second floor height. Now the road was on hotel premises and so it was lit by beautiful lamps.
A journey can't be more perfect than this.. of course when your luggage is carried by someone else!! Otherwise it was a very steep climb, impossible for prams and wheelchairs, as well as difficult for the aged. We learned a lesson here. While doing online bookings, not to see only the distance of the city centre from the hotel, but even to see whether there are any rivers or mountains in between!
The hotel was simply beautiful. Small two storied Lao style buildings scattered in the picturesque campus. Fortunately we got the upper floor room with thatched roof. It had a wonderful view of Plumeria trees - Champa as it is called in Lao, the river and the mountains. It was picture perfect with the moon spreading its magic over the surroundings.
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| Plumeria-Champa |
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| Lao Airlines |
Next day, with the sunlight we could see our surroundings better. What a marvellous campus it was! We preferred taking our breakfast in the riverside restaurant of the hotel. (Let me tell you, the river was having a muddy yellowish tinge at that time. I have read in the news that recently the colour of the Mekong river is changing to aquamarine blue.) I have heard that the name Mekong has derived from Mae+ Nam+ Khongk. Mae is mother, Nam is water/river and Khongk is Ganga!
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| Riverside Restaurant Of The Hotel |
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| View from our breakfast table |
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| Breakfast! |
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| View of Countryside from Hotel |
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| Wherever you see, you will notice some water body and mountain! |
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| View from Hotel |
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| No caption needed!! |
observation ,photograph ,map ,Dok Champa everything is ultimate 😍😍
ReplyDeleteYes!! You are too generous!! Thanks!
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