Word: laos
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Luang Prabang marches to the beat of an indifferent drummer. Nothing is rushed in this sleepy Lao hamlet where the somnolence is contagious and you can spot the new arrivals by the briskness of their gaits. On the streets, teenagers conduct confabulations on motorbikes?two or three abreast?scarcely going fast enough to remain vertical. Rheumy-eyed old timers lean on fences in the grip of some nameless torpor. Silent saffron parades of monks glide by, footsteps raising little puffs of dust, stooping now and then to solicit alms. Time creeps by. You imagine some indolent imp has fallen asleep...
...flyer proclaiming the birth of the Full Mekong Party into my hand. "I'm the Great Disco Dane," he explained, assuring me the party would be "wicked." Around 9 p.m., I ventured down to the sandy strip where the ferries land?to find about 20 people sipping Beer Lao around a fire, a decided lack of music and a disconsolate Disco Dane. "I can't believe it, man," he moaned. "We got shut down." His disappointment was Luang Prabang's gain...
Knowing that I was sleeping in the prince's old bedroom, where he spent his twilight years reliving old glories and plotting who knows what intrigues under the watchful eye of the government, added to the Souvannaphoum's mildewy colonial charm. As did the chilled bottles of Beer Lao served up by the smiling bellboy...
...CULTURAL ALCHEMY As a younger man, Thithpheng Maniphone was silversmith to Laos' royalty. These days, the 72-year-old master artisan is happy to let anybody buy his wares or watch him work. Banging hammers, hissing flames and puffing bellows greet visitors to his studio, as Thithpheng and his apprentices turn lumps of silver into intricately patterned bowls, goblets, knives, ceremonial swords and jewelry. "My work symbolizes life and Lao culture," says Thithpheng. You can find him in Luang Prabang's silversmith precinct, off Thanon Chao Fa Ngum...
...PAPER CHASE It's almost impossible to leave Baan Khily empty-handed. This small shop on Thanon Sakkalin, tel: (856-71) 212-611, has resurrected the ancient Lao art of making saa paper?thick, textured cardlike sheets made from mulberry bark. Light shades and lamps in breathtakingly beautiful colors are the best-selling items, but there are also greeting cards and wall hangings on offer. Or take a 15-minute tuk tuk ride to Ban Sangkong, on the town's outskirts, where you can watch the paper being made...