In 1975 with the rise of the Communist state, the Lao royal family was exiled to somewhere in eastern Laos.  Our local guide claims no one knows where they were sent or whether any are still alive.  The French-built royal palace is now The National Museum.  Much of what was in the palace is still there – furniture, gifts, paintings, etc. – but unfortunately cameras are not allowed in.

The main reception room is very large with at least a twenty-foot-high ceiling and walls entirely covered with scenes created out of mosaics of Japanese glass.  The left-over glass was used to decorate one of the buildings in the Wat Xiang Thong compound that we visited on our first morning.  The photo shows a similar mosaic, but doesn’t come close to reflecting the grandeur of the king’s reception room.
Laos is a one-party Communist state but it doesn’t feel in the least oppressed.  The economy, at least in Luang Prabang, is definitely market-based and people seem to be free.  There is a bustling night market from 5 pm to 10 pm every day that closes the main street for several blocks.  Unlike Chiang Mai’s night market, a majority of the vendors are selling authentic Lao handicrafts.

Other than a civil policeman in the village we visited yesterday, the military presence usually employed to enforce a one-party state has been absent.  I would certainly recommend a few days here to anyone planning to visit South East Asia.

We had lunch today at the Traditional Arts & Ethnology Centre (www.taeclaos.org) which combines a museum, a cafe and a shop.  The Centre was co-founded by Khoun, a young woman, who is also the co-director.  It is interesting that this Centre and the Ock Pop Tok weaving company have both been started by women.  The museum collection is quite small but representative of most of Laos’s 30 distinct ethnic groups.  Our lunch consisted of dishes also representative of the various ethnic groups.  The presentation wasn’t especially decorative but the taste was out of this world; this was probably the tastiest meal I have had so far. At my table the mmm’s and what-is-this’s and have-you-had-that’s dominated our usual lively mealtime conversations.

We ended our time in Luang Prabang with a visit to the Royal Ballet.  The performance took place on a stage with a painted backdrop of a small river through a jungle.  In the jungle lurked elephants, tigers, monkeys, deer, owls and other creatures.  Live musicians played at the side of the stage, but stopped whenever recorded singing/music was played.  The main story of the ballet was one of a lovely maiden captured by an evil creature.  The king charged the head monkey and his army to find and return the maiden.  On the way an eagle tried to eat the monkeys but was beaten and subsequently befriended by the monkeys; eventually he helped rescue the maiden.  The dancers were beautifully costumed; with the exception of the maiden, they were all male and wore full masks.  It was great fun watching these talented dancers scratch and hop about like monkeys or gracefully mimic the flight of an eagle.

We have enjoyed the Grand Hotel during our stay.  The hotel used to be part of a royal compound – again the royals are nowhere to be seen.  The grounds are spacious and luxuriant with growth, and the architecture is elegant.  The Laos are new at tourism as foreigners have only been allowed in for the past twelve years so things aren’t perfect.  For example, I have only one piece of paper on the scratch pad in my room, the accompanying pencil’s lead is broken, and the mini-bar’s refrigerator doesn’t work.

I can’t open my inner screen door so I have not closed my proper glass patio door the whole time I have been here.  (If I can’t open the screen door from inside, I doubt that anyone can open it from the outside!)  Thuyen, our group leader, asks us to be understanding as Laos tries to catch up with the level of service in the other Southeast Asian countries.  We are more than happy to oblige.

Tomorrow morning we leave for Angkor Wat and Siem Reap in Cambodia.

A word about the weather.  We have had excellent weather so far.  It was hot in Bangkok and Chiang Mai but not too humid so the heat was not oppressive.  The cool nights and hot days of Luang Prabang have made touring a joy.  The forecast for Siem Reap will create the greatest challenge for us.  You will note that this afternoon at 5 pm it was 88 degrees Fahrenheit but felt like 102.  Yikes!  We have also not had a problem with mosquitoes or other insects.  This has been a great trip all round.