Tag Archives: Ock Pop Tok

Special Six: Eating out in Luang Prabang

Luang Prabang is filled with restaurants and cafes to fit all budgets. These however were the six that I liked from the ones I tried out.

(1) Ock Pop Tok Café:

The café at the Living Crafts Center of Ock Pop Tok has a lovely ambience and I specially enjoyed watching the sunset over the Mekong, while enjoying my dinner of Khao Soi. The café screens movies once a week, and seems to be popular among expat communities in the area.

(2) Secret Pizza:

One of the two Airbnb accommodations I stayed at in during my visit to Luang Prabang was at Secret Pizza. Not only was the place lovely, they served pizzas on Tuesdays and Thursdays and the garden transformed into a lively and bustling meeting place for families with children. Since my room overlooked the garden, I enjoyed my ‘secret’ pizza on the little patio of my room away from the busy center.

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(3) Khai Phaen: A vocational training restaurant, that provides training for youth from marginalized communities, was one place that I had marked that I needed to visit during my travel to Luang Prabang. The place was lovely and the food, Sai Oua with Jeok Mak Keua, was delicious. I was especially happy to see these leaflets on the table on ways travelers could better protect children in local communities.

(4) Dao Coffee House:

Described as a traditional coffee house, I stopped by to try Dao’s coffee and ended up having lunch. I tried out Naam Khao, which is a kind of fried rice ball salad mixed with sausages, nuts, herbs wrapped in green leaves and eaten with a dipping sauce.

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(5) Phon Heuang:

A tiny café near the Garavek theatre, the place served tasty and filling portions of meals for a fraction of the cost of more upscale restaurants like Khai Phaen and Ock Pop Tok. I had rice with basil chicken stir fry. While similar to the Thai dish, there was a difference in the seasoning.

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(6) Night market

A fan of coconut pancakes, I used to buy a portion of coconut pancakes each evening at the night market, during my stay at the heritage house in the old city.

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 If you have been to Luang Prabang, what were some of your favourite places to eat?

Special Six: Spotlight on Luang Prabang

Earlier this year, in February, I had taken a short holiday to Luang Prabang over another long weekend.

The following six are some of the key highlights of the city, for the first time visitor.

(1) Temples of Luang Prabang:

Right in the center of the UNESCO heritage city is this famous landmark of Luang Prabang, the royal palace temple. It’s construction was completed in 2006. Every evening, the area around this temple transforms into a lively night market.

With over 30 temples concentrated within the tiny heritage city, you are bound to come across a temple with every few steps that you take.

(2) Garavek:

Storytelling of local folklore, accompanied by music, is what Garavek is about. The tiny theatre opens for an hour each evening for a rendition of selected folk stories by two performance artists. The story that still stays in mind is the one where the story teller linked the famous Mount Phou Si in the middle of Luang Prabang to Sri Lanka and Hanuman.

 (3) Traditional Arts and Ethnology Center (TAEC):

To have an introduction to the ethnic groups in Laos, a visit to the TAEC is a must. Not only is information on the four main ethnic groups in Laos presented there, aspects of culture – clothing, music, handcrafts are also shared. The handicraft store at the center is also a good place to get gifts for home, as it directly links up with artisans across Laos.

(4) Ock Pop Tok: 

Founded in 2000 as a social enterprise, Ock Pop Tok is a lovely textile and artisanal institution. While there is an outlet in the center of the city, it is worthwhile to visit the Living Craft Center, where there is a museum and shop, that one can visit.

Ock Pop Tok Living Craft Center also has café and offers bed and breakfast as well.

(5) Sunset Cruise:

A sunset cruise on the Mekong is another must. There are so many boats and packages that you can walk along the river bank and choose the one that interests you.

(6) Kuang Si Waterfalls:

This is a half-day or day trip from Luang Prabang, depending on how much time you wish to spend at the waterfalls. I hired a car from outside of Joma Bakery and left around 8am. When I arrived at the entrance, there were not many visitors yet so I was able to enjoy the environment in peace.

Kuang Si waterfalls is a three levelled waterfalls. People generally stop when they reach the second level.

To reach the top level, one needs to climb a steep path to the side of the second level waterfall. While I generally have issues climbing steep paths, I was feeling quite healthy that morning and very much keen to go to the top of the falls. I started my climb and I hardly met anyone going up the path, though I did meet a few while coming down. It was a tough climb for me and there were moments when I scolded myself for taking the risk of climbing alone and the fact that if I were injured midway, it would be very difficult to get back down. For those without leg issues, the climb should be quite an easy one though there are some sections without any steps or rails. However, I made it to the top and saw the beautiful tranquil pool that seemed to be the start of the top waterfall level.

For my stay in Luang Prabang, I had booked two Airbnb places. I especially liked the place that I stayed in for the second half of my trip. The accommodation was an old traditional house, which was part of the heritage of the city, right in the center of the old city and my room window opened out to the alley, where there was an early morning market every day.

The best part of my travel to Luang Prabang though was meeting this little fellow, Tak, a resident at the Airbnb and who followed me everywhere like a puppy, the minute I stepped into their courtyard.

IMG_0867If you have not been to Luang Prabang, I highly recommend a visit to this lovely city.