 Door of Wat Xieng Thong / Monks collecting alms, Luang Prabang |
Slumbering beside the Mekong amidst the mountains of northern Laos, Luang Prabang must be the only Asian city in which one hardly need look before crossing the street.
 With its 32 Buddhist temples the former royal capital of Laos is the best-preserved historic city in South-East Asia, according to UNESCO. Every block or so, another brightly tiled, many-tiered roof sweeps low to the ground. Whitewashed French colonial villas, even the former townhouse of a princess, convert readily to chic yet eminently affordable boutique accommodations.
Until a few short years ago, Luang Prabang was linked to an unsuspecting world only by rutted tracks - and by the Mekong. But as the flow of tourists swells to a torrent, change is gathering pace in one of Asia’s most delightful backwaters.
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