Laos, where time stands still Laos is the preserved heart of Southeast Asia. Photos by Bruno Morandi/LightMediation
2458-18: Laos, Luang Prabang, Wat Mai
Contact - Thierry Tinacci - LightMediation Photo Agency - +33 (0)6 61 80 57 21 thierry@lightmediation.com
Laos, where time stands still / 2458-01: Laos. Vientaine. Temple Pha That Luang // Pha That Luang temple - Vientiane - Lao People's Democratic Republic / Lao People's Democratic Republic /
Laos, where time stands still / 2458-02: Laos. Vientaine. Temple Pha That Luang // Pha That Luang temple - Vientiane - Lao People's Democratic Republic / /
Laos, where time stands still / 2458-03: Laos. Vientaine. Temple Pha That Luang // Pha That Luang temple - Vientiane - Lao People's Democratic Republic / /
Laos, where time stands still / 2458-04: Laos, Vientiane, Moine novice. // Laos, Vientiane, Young Monk. / Laos // Laos / Vientiane
Laos, where time stands still / 2458-05: Laos, Vientiane, Moine novice. // Laos, Vientiane, Young Monk. / /
Laos, where time stands still / 2458-06: Laos, Vientiane, Wat Si Saket. // Laos, Vientiane, Wat Si Saket. / /
Laos, where time stands still / 2458-07: Laos, Vientiane, Haw Pha Kaew // Laos, Ventiane, Haw Pha Kaew / /
Laos, where time stands still / 2458-08: Laos, Vientiane, Haw Pha Kaew // Laos, Ventiane, Haw Pha Kaew / /
2458-26: Laos, Luang Prabang, MĂŠkong river.
Laos, where time stands still / 2458-09: Laos, Vientiane, Bouddha Park / /
Laos, where time stands still / 2458-10: Laos, Vientiane, Envirions de Vientiane, Rizière, Repicage du riz. // Laos, rice field around Ventiane / /
Laos, where time stands still / 2458-11: Laos, Vang Vieng, Bain dans la riviere Nam Song. // Laos, Viangchan Province, Vang Vieng, Nam Song river / Laos // Laos / Vientiane
Laos, where time stands still / 2458-12: Laos, Vang Vieng, Bain dans la riviere Nam Song. // Laos, Viangchan Province, Vang Vieng, Nam Song river / Lao People's Democratic Republic /
Laos, where time stands still / 2458-13: Laos - Luang Prabang - Wat Xieng tong - Moines // Laos. Luang Prabang. Wat Xieng tong. Moines. / /
Laos, where time stands still / 2458-14: Laos - Luang Prabang - Wat Xieng tong - Moines // Laos. Luang Prabang. Wat Xieng tong. Moines. / /
Laos, where time stands still / 2458-15: Laos - Luang Prabang - Wat Xieng tong - Moines // Laos. Luang Prabang. Wat Xieng tong. Moines. / /
Laos, where time stands still / 2458-16: Laos - Luang Prabang - Wat Xieng tong - Moines // Laos. Luang Prabang. Wat Xieng tong. Moines. / /
2458-30: Laos. RĂŠgion de Luang Prabagng. Nouvel an de l'ethnie Hmong // New year festival of Hmong minority, Luang Prabang area, Lao People's Democratic Republic
Laos, where time stands still / 2458-17: Laos - Luang Prabang - Wat Xieng tong - Moines // Laos. Luang Prabang. Wat Xieng tong. Moines. / /
Laos, where time stands still / 2458-18: Laos, Luang Prabang, Wat Mai / /
Laos, where time stands still / 2458-19: Laos - Luang Prabang - Wat Mai / /
Laos, where time stands still / 2458-20: Laos, Luang Prabang, Wat That Luang / /
Laos, where time stands still / 2458-21: Laos, Luang Prabang, Binthabaat, offrandes matinales // Laos. Luang Prabang. Binthabaat. morning offering. / /
Laos, where time stands still / 2458-22: Laos, Luang Prabang, Wat Pha Phai / /
Laos, where time stands still / 2458-23: Buddhist monk - Luang Prabang - Lao People's Democratic Republic / Lao People's Democratic Republic /
Laos, where time stands still / 2458-24: Laos, Luang Prabang, Moines // Laos. Luang Prabang. Monks. / /
2458-49: Laos, Champasak, Wat Phu, Moine, Prière. // Laos, Champasak, Wat Phu, Monk, Praying.
Laos, where time stands still / 2458-25: Laos, Luang Prabang, MĂŠkong river. / /
Laos, where time stands still / 2458-26: Laos, Luang Prabang, MĂŠkong river. / /
Laos, where time stands still / 2458-27: Pak Ou cave, Luang Prabang, Lao People's Democratic Republic / /
Laos, where time stands still / 2458-28: Pak Ou cave, Luang Prabang, Lao People's Democratic Republic / Lao People's Democratic Republic /
Laos, where time stands still / 2458-29: Laos, Luang Prabang, Kuang Si Cascade / /
Laos, where time stands still / 2458-30: Laos. Région de Luang Prabagng. Nouvel an de l'ethnie Hmong // New year festival of Hmong minority, Luang Prabang area, Lao People's Democratic Republic / Lao
Laos, where time stands still / 2458-31: Laos. Région de Luang Prabagng. Nouvel an de l'ethnie Hmong // New year festival of Hmong minority, Luang Prabang area, Lao People's Democratic Republic / /
Laos, where time stands still / 2458-32: Laos. Région de Luang Prabagng. Nouvel an de l'ethnie Hmong // New year festival of Hmong minority, Luang Prabang area, Lao People's Democratic Republic / /
2458-09: Laos, Vientiane, Bouddha Park
Laos, where time stands still / 2458-33: Laos. Région de Luang Prabagng. Nouvel an de l'ethnie Hmong // New year festival of Hmong minority, Luang Prabang area, Lao People's Democratic Republic / /
Laos, where time stands still / 2458-34: Laos. Région de Luang Prabagng. Nouvel an de l'ethnie Hmong // New year festival of Hmong minority, Luang Prabang area, Lao People's Democratic Republic / /
Laos, where time stands still / 2458-35: Laos. Région de Luang Prabagng. Nouvel an de l'ethnie Hmong // New year festival of Hmong minority, Luang Prabang area, Lao People's Democratic Republic / /
Laos, where time stands still / 2458-36: Laos, Luang Prabang, Rivière Nam Khan // Laos, Luang Prabang, Nam khan river. / /
Laos, where time stands still / 2458-37: Laos, Muang Sing, Iko etnic group, Iko woman. / /
Laos, where time stands still / 2458-38: Laos, Muang Sing, Iko etnic group. / /
Laos, where time stands still / 2458-39: Laos, Muang Sing, Iko etnic group, Iko woman. / /
Laos, where time stands still / 2458-40: Young Monks, Muang Sing, Luang Nam Tha province, Lao People's Democratic Republic / Lao People's Democratic Republic /
2458-42: Laos, Luang Namtha, Ricefield.
Laos, where time stands still / 2458-41: Laos, Muang Sing / /
Laos, where time stands still / 2458-42: Laos, Luang Namtha, Ricefield. / /
Laos, where time stands still / 2458-43: Laos, Xieng Khuang, jarre plain. / /
Laos, where time stands still / 2458-44: Laos, Xieng Khuang, jarre plain. / /
Laos, where time stands still / 2458-45: Laos, market of Pakse in the south of the country. / /
Laos, where time stands still / 2458-46: Laos, market of Pakse in the south of the country. / /
Laos, where time stands still / 2458-47: Laos, Si Phan Don, Mekong, Chutes de Khon Phapheng. // Laos, Si Phan Don, Khon Phapheng waterfall on the Mekong river. / /
Laos, where time stands still / 2458-48: Laos, Si Phan Don, Muang Khong, Monk / /
2458-10: Laos, Vientiane, Envirions de Vientiane, Rizière, Repicage du riz. // Laos, rice field around Ventiane
Laos, where time stands still / 2458-49: Laos, Champasak, Wat Phu, Moine, Prière. // Laos, Champasak, Wat Phu, Monk, Praying. / /
Laos, where time stands still / 2458-50: Laos, Champasak, Wat Phu. // Laos, Champasak, Wat Phu. / /
Laos, where time stands still / 2458-51: Laos, Champasak, Wat Phu. // Laos, Champasak, Wat Phu. / Lao People's Democratic Republic /
Laos, where time stands still / 2458-52: Laos. Vientaine. Temple Pha That Luang // Pha That Luang temple - Vientiane - Lao People's Democratic Republic / /
Laos, where time stands still / 2458-53: Laos. Vientaine. Temple Pha That Luang // Pha That Luang temple - Vientiane - Lao People's Democratic Republic / /
Laos, where time stands still / 2458-55: Laos, Vientiane, Envirions de Vientiane, Rizière, Repicage du riz. // Laos, rice field around Ventiane / /
Laos, where time stands still / 2458-54: Laos. Vientaine. Temple Pha That Luang // Pha That Luang temple - Vientiane - Lao People's Democratic Republic / Lao People's Democratic Republic /
2458-36: Laos, Luang Prabang, Rivière Nam Khan // Laos, Luang Prabang, Nam khan river.
Laos, where time stands still - Text by Christine Rodès Laos is that long country without a maritime façade snaking its way like a vertical Mekong between China, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam: the preserved heart of Southeast Asia. Yes, Laos is for the curious, the patient, the meditative: living temples, laughing children, a multitude of ethnic groups and wet forests.
VIENTIANE, the "pearl of Asia" is metamorphosing The big tropical town keeps a tranquil rhythm, to which are tuned the mopeds and marauding bicycles. The greatest pleasure, like everywhere in Asia, is to sit down in front of a bowl of aromatic chopped vegetables. The women cook and sell the dishes at their doors, on the street corners and, of course, in the Market... The morning market, the Talat Sao, is a big, covered labyrinth. You can find just about everything there, from traditional silk scarves to Chinese T-shirts, from jewelry to DIY materials, from telephones to computers. The afternoon glides by softly in the gold of the pagodas and temples whose sober wood and shining statues soothe the heart. The Pha That Luang, a big quadrangular stupa 35 meters high, sits in
the city centre, a paradoxical emblem of a popular, communist democracy where Buddhism is nonetheless thriving. In Buddha Park, the body of the giant god merges with the hill. In the evening, we take our tropical laziness to the Fa Ngum quay where all layers of society mix: here we share spicy dishes from the local cuisine, grilled fresh fish and Korean barbecues...
LUANG PRA BANG, Buddhas and water Take on the rhythm of Laos, unhurried and constant. Learn. Enter one of the 70 temples of the old city. Contemplate its marvelous architecture, feel life pulsating, very gently, in the springy steps of the monks, in the repetitive chanting of the novices, in the fragrances of the garden, in the shade of the sims where the Buddha statues' gold only just shines. Visit Vat Visoun, and Vat Xieng Thong, their trees of life with sculpted dancing bodies, their roofs curved like the fingers of apsaras. One morning, bustle and commotion in the neighbouring temple: no doubt about it, a fiesta in the works (Boun Khao)! Flowers, fragrances, the young monks, really happy, have a go on a swing, the women arrange the bouquets, cakes dry on the bamboo racks, the children shout louder than the frogs. It's easy to succumb to the beauty of Luang Prabang, to its alluvial softness, the many shades of green in the trees up where our thoughts fly, ephemeral... Once again, you have to tear yourself away from the powerful charm of this sweet life lived to the rhythm of trips to the markets: those in the morning for their marvelous collection of beans, dried meats, chilies and little snacks wrapped
up in leaves, and those in the evening for their sublime fabrics of wild silk or the thick cottons - scarves with abstract or animal motifs, old-fashioned skirts offered by young Hmong beauties with their shy smile, but bitterly bargained over by their grandmothers, wrinkled like old wood and as cunning as foxes. But now, we have to leave the laughing novices always busy at work (a wheelbarrow, a broom or a bucket), and the slender pirogues on the shimmering, or misty depending on the hour, river - to head North. The Mekong on its own is a magnet. Aboard a long-tail boat, thin as a bean, waist high in the water, glide along the immense river that holds back the forest, making space for the eyes. Gray sun and light rain, clouds in movement, everything changes, unceasingly, opening our hearts to the beauties of impermanence. The experienced pilot rolls between the big rocks poking up just above the surface to the cave of Pak Ou, where hundreds of buddhas await us, ex-votos left since time immemorial by the people of the river. I converse with the smallest one, hidden in a dark corner.
JUST BELOW CHINA Another slow river voyage, the backside bruised by the boat's seats just above the water's surface, the heart celebrating... the sweet celebration of abandon. We arrive in Pakbeng, the night's stopover, with fifty or so wood cabins, some lit by candles. Then, another half-day in a group taxi to reach Luang Nam Tha, a farming region where generous Laotians live close together, sprucing up their bungalows with bamboo for the tourist season. Tours and meandering in the
neighbouring villages, on a bicycle, visiting Muang Si, further to the North, where, in the morning market, Akha, Miao and Hmong women come together. In the afternoon, a walk around the village: the mountains silhouetted against the horizon, the clear sky, the flourishing rice paddies, the market gardens and the smiles, everywhere the smiles.... In the back of the tuk-tuk, a small van open on all sides, a leg over the edge, giving yourself over to the landscape and a growing bliss, something finally gives way completely to the rightness of the moment, crumbing like fine sand, but already we have to retrace our steps... In Laos, to where you will always want go back, you learn to live in the present.
Guide Pratique Laos Renseignements et visas : Ambassade de la République démocratique et populaire du Laos, 74 av.Poincaré 75016 Paris - 01 45 53 02 98 - ambalaoparis@wanadoo.fr www.laoparis.com Y ALLER : Passer par Bangkok ou profiter d'un intéressant package Indochine (Hanoi, Angkor, Luang Prabang) - Air France : 36 54 - airfrance.fr - Vietnam Airlines :01 44 55 39 90www.vietnamairlines.fr. - Thaï Airways International : 01 44 20 70 80 - thaiairways.fr Meilleure période : novembre à mars, mais la saison des pluies a son charme... Décalage horaire : + 6 h Y SEJOURNER : - A Luang Prabang, dans le centre historique de la ville : - Say Nam Khane Guesthouse : saynamkhane_lp@hotmail.com Près de la rivière Nam Khane, une des plus belles vues de LPB. De 30 à 55 $. Sayo Guesthouse : sayoguesthouse.free.fr sayo@laotel.com Une grande maison coloniale, charme et confort garantis. 16 $ et 25 $ . - Senesouk Guesthouse : sensouk@laotel.com. Entre pagode et jardin. 30 $. - Les 3 Nagas : www.alliahotels.com. Belle maison coloniale entièrement rénovée, chambres avec terrasses à la décoration raffinée (de 100 à 150 $)
La Résidence Phou Vao : www.residencephouvao.com Une adresse de luxe, dans un jardin tropical face au Mont Phousi. Son Spa et ses dîners aux 500 bougies sont réputés dans tout le pays (doubles à partir de 280 $) Se restaurer : Si l'incontournable Café Ban Vat Sene est célèbre pour ses petits déjeuners. l'Eléphant propose une excellente cuisine française, épicée lao : www.elephant-restau.com. Sans oublier les restaurants du Phou Vao et des 3 Nagas. - A Ventiane - Sala Inpeng : www.salalao.com Proches du Mékong, en plein centre-ville, de traditionnelles et confortables maisonnettes en bois sur pilotis. Chambres à partir de 20 $. - Chambres luxueuses et piscine en forme de lagon au Settha Palace Hotel : www.setthapalace.com. A partir de 155 $ la double. Se restaurer : aux gargotes des marchés; au Kop Chaï Deu, à l'angle de la place Nam Phou, ambiance garantie; au Silapa, savoureux mélange d'Orient et d'Occident.
- A Luang Nam Tha : - Bungalows en bois et bambou au Darasavath Guesthouse, Ban Norng Bua Vieng - Luang Nam Tha - Tél. 31-23-84 - Manychan Guesthouse, atmosphère et cuisine familiale délicieuse, dans la rue principale, près de l'office de tourisme Tél. 31-22-09 Pour un tourisme intelligent : L'Association Elefantasia : www.elefantasia.org oeuvre à la sauvegarde des éléphants et organise des circuits.
- A Bokeo, cabanes dans la canopée (seulement pour la saison sèche). http://www.gibbonx.org/ http://voyageforum.com/voyage/reserve_b okeo_au_laos_D911276/ Guides de voyage : - Lonely Planet 2007, Guide du Routard Hachette 2008/2009, Bibliothèque du Voyageur/Gallimard 2007