The Fairy Tale City of Luang Prabang

We heard recently from long time travel companions that they were planning a trip to Asia and that Laos would be part of their itinerary.

That got me thinking about our own introduction to Laos when we visited the capital city of Vientiane and the ancient royal capital of Luang Prabang several years ago.

Despite the fact that after the Vietnam War Laos had the dubious distinction of being the most bombed country in the history of warfare, there is some irony in the fact that in 1995 UNESCO designated Luang Prabang the best preserved city in Southeast Asia - and what a treasure it proved to be.

The old capital lies sleepily on the banks of the Mekong river and is home to 33 Wats (or temples) and over 500 monks.

Luang Prabang has a fairy tale quality about it.

One of my lasting memories of our stay in the old capital was the daily ritual just after dawn when the monks walk solemnly from their monasteries to collect alms. Built in 1560, the monks' procession begins from Wat Xieng Thong where Lao kings were crowned and cremated. Beautiful murals constructed from glass fragments adorn the city's most famous temple.

Statues of Buddha in the Calling for Rain attitude line the Chapel of the Funeral Chariot.

Hmong embroidery and glass inlaid mosaics depicting village life in the hill tribes are very striking and form a rich tapestry.

Catching sight of a flash of orange in the distance I realise this is the beginning of the monks' daily procession - a snake of saffron robed men walk in single file toward me - first elderly monks with wizened faces, then novices of all ages, some as young as 6 or 7 years old.

Local women kneel at the pavement's edge holding containers of sticky rice wrapped in banana leaves while men (and the few visitors present) stand barefoot. As the monks pass we drop portions of rice into their alms bowls. The monks have a dreamy, distant look on their faces.

Every night near the entrance to the Royal Palace local vendors and hill tribe villagers display their wares along the street. The affair has the feeling of a social gathering with high energy.

There were so many wonderful things to buy but sadly I had to be dragged away from this shopping extravaganza, Lao kip and Thai baht unspent, because apparently we were well over the airline's meagre weight allowance. Never mind, I had my three-headed elephant Airavata. This symbol is associated with the old Lao Kingdom and the country's former flag which expressed the ancient name of the country "land of a million elephants".

And of course I had already loaded up with textiles at the Vientiane morning market - a large area with a huge selection of silk, fine cotton, Hmong embroidery, silver and gold. The quality of the hand-woven silk scarves with their iridescent hues was particularly good value and it soon became a question of "how many scarves is enough". All those gifts for friends back home. I have to confess I kept them all .....

Another must do in Luang Prabang is to climb the 300 winding steps to the top of Mount Phou Si. Get there well before sunset to stake out your position - its a popular place. The views as the sun sets over the Mekong, the lush vegetation and the temples with their stupas and sloping roofs is not to be missed.

As the light fades, the fast-moving Mekong's colour changes from milk to dark chocolate beckoning one to spend a day on the river and enjoy perspectives gained through watching life along the river bank in what seems to be a bygone age.