Are you on a tourist visit to Luang Prabang? You have heard many interesting stories about this beautiful city that is full of diverse landmarks, what you are about to read is the blueprint that you need to have the entire city covered.
You are supposed to have a swell time during your visit; reading this interesting piece will show you all the interesting things that you need do before you say goodbye to this beautiful city. Here are 10 of the best places that you must see in Luang Prabang.
1. The Glorious Temples
There are many temples in the city. You can place your scale of presence on seeing some of these temples. There are 34 of such temples that are around town.
If you have been asking a favor from the spirit being and you have not gotten results; visiting here will give you the opportunity to communicate with the spirit realm and have your requests granted. The most popular among the temples is Wat Xieng Thong and was built more than five centuries ago.
2. The Night Market
You may have witnessed many night markets in the past; but in reality, you will have an entirely different experience in the atmosphere presented in the night market at Luang Prabang.
This market is located in the center of the town and you are going to experience a feeling of excellence in the streets with its colorful lights in the night. The more your bargaining power, the better the deals that you will get at the end of every purchase.
3. Buffet Street
The name suggests what you will meet at this street. There is no bragging about this place; you will eat the best meal ever in your lifetime.
When you pay for a bowl, you will pick up what you want and sit in a communal arrangement that will give you the chance to meet with fellow travelers and exchange notes over your meal.
4. Alms Giving Ceremony
You probably have not seen anything of such in your lifetime; the alms giving ceremony is carried out by saffron-robed barefoot monks who go around in the morning bowl in hand to collect the alms.
You will see them in their numbers before dawn lining the streets beautiful dressed in their colorful robs moving in a file. You will love the spectacle.
5. Sunset from Mount Phousi
This is a skyline of the city which offers a 360 degrees ariel view of the town. Be prepared to climb the over 300 steps to the top early enough before sunset because there is a daily hustle from tourists that want to get to the top of the mount before sunset. The pics that you will take here are a souvenir that you can keep for life.
6. The Kuang Si Waterfall
This is a landlocked country; the presence of this waterfall presents a beauty to behold. Words cannot describe the beauty of this place in full details; you just have to take time off and be here during your visit and you will experience the wonders of your lifetime.
What you will see at the entrance to the cave is a preamble that will prepare you for one of the best wonders of nature.
7. Yoga, cycle or wander through the city
You can explore the best of the city on your own. The traffic is light; therefore, you can hire a bicycle to take you around the city giving you the opportunity to explore the city.
On the other hand; you can do it on your foot. It makes you see more in a relaxed atmosphere. After the sightseeing, you can cap it all up with yoga before you return to your hotel at night.
8. Cook + Eat
The food here is a different thing entirely to what obtains in other parts of the world. The taste of the food is very nourishing in the mouth. Inhaling the aroma of the food is an experience in a lifetime.
A taste of the food will linger long in your palate. If you want to take it to the highest limit; then you have to get actively involved by taking lessons on how they prepare the cuisine.
9. Coconut milkshake
To spice the atmosphere, you can lay your hands-on books that make interesting read over your cup of the favorite- Coconut milkshake. Buy new books here or exchange your old books for a new one.
10. Utopia Bar
We are rounding off with a visit to the bar. This is the tourist hangout where you will meet with several tourists and enjoy the food, the drink, and the entire atmosphere. A night at this bar will leave you with fond memories of a lifetime after you have long returned to your base.
You will enjoy the excellent quality of the alcohol served here. This popular bar presents an atmosphere that every tourist will fall in love with. Your visit to this hangout will leave you with an air of satisfaction.
Sustainable Travel is an environmentally aware form of travelling the world. It’s all about considering the environment with choices we make and choosing to lessen our impact wherever possible. The whole idea of sustainable travel is to travel the world while lessening the impact of carbon footprint.
It doesn’t have to big changes but little changes here and there can add up to make a difference. Although sustainable travel might seem idealistic it is not. You will soon begin to feel good when you see the positive impact.
Sustainable Travel Tips
Choose a green destination
Doing some research into which countries are more sustainable to visit. By visiting these countries and investing into sustainable and ethical tourism practices you are encouraging other nations to do the same.
Fly Non-Stop
This isn’t the way I would recommend a budget backpacker. By booking a non-stop flight you are helping the world reduce its carbon footprint. Most airplanes use much of the fuel during take off and landing. A non-stop flight will have less take off and landing resulting in fuel savings.
Pack Light
Packing light and travelling light is one of the most sustainable things that we can do. More weight means more fuel and less sustainability.
Use E Tickets
It’s a quite well known fact that we should save paper whenever possible and recycle it after we use it. Using e-tickets through security means using less paper.
Use Public Transport
If you are going to doing a lot of moving around travel destination consider making use of public transport. Instead of using domestic flights use the bus.
Road Trip If you’d rather avoid public transport why not make a little road trip out of your adventure. When travelling with a group of friends this will be more sustainable.
Use bicycle to explore local areas. It’s sustainable and can keep you fit and active as well. This phenomenon can be seen in Europe.
Get a Refillable Water Bottle
Having access to safe drinking water is not only a backpacking essential but it is also a life essential. If you are backpacking in a country without safe drinking water you can spend less amount on plastic bottles.
Avoid Straws
Straws is again made up of plastic. Avoiding straws can help maintain ecological balance.
Eat Local
A well-known backpacker rule is to eat local or go where locals go. Not only you will find the best food in your area but it will also the cheapest food. However, do not drink locally made liquor.
Buy Local
Any form of expensive food you will find will either be imported at a great cost and environmental expense. Buying local will reduce the carbon footprint.
Recycle
Recycle wherever you are.
Pick Up Trash
If you are feeling you are going the extra mile why not pick up some trash.
Ask Questions
Ask restaurants, ask hotel or hostels. May be this would help to travel more sustain-ably.
Flip the Switch
Whenever you go in and out of your accommodation remember to flip the switch. This will save much of the electricity. Also, remember to turn off the switch every time you put off the switch.
Avoid Plastic Bags
If you are planning to buy something from super market bring plastic bags with you. In many countries the government has already banned plastic bags. Mass tourism has led to enormous use of plastic which is very bad for the environment.
Minimize Water Usage
In many part of the world water is a scanty resource. Minimize its usage will help to maintain a sufficient water supply for everyone. Therefore, try to use as little water as possible.
Once you start to live a sustainable travel lifestyle it will definitely impact the people around you.
Avoid buying products made from endangered plants/ animals
Do not buy anything from endangered plants/animals. In some countries buying such products is considered illegal. Even if it’s not illegal in other countries it’s ethically wrong to buy such products.
Learn the local language
Learning the local language is something you need to practice. You will be amazed how learning even a few phrases will change the way locals treat you.
Travel on marked hiking trails
Marked hiking trails are there for a reason. Once you stick to the path you avoid harming native flora and fauna.
Take showers not baths
Showers use 10-30 gallons of water while baths use more than 100 gallons. Hence, shower instead of a bath.
Do you intend to pay a visit to Kuala Lumpur? Are you interested in having the best of time in the city? If you truly desire an experience of your life; then you have to sit back and read through the tips that we have carefully put down to guide your stay in the city before you board your flight. What you are about to read represents the best of the city; 10 of the must-see places in this tourist haven. Enjoy.
1. The Petronas Towers
You will find it in the city center. It is popularly known as the twin jewels of Kuala Lumpur. Your visit to this city is not complete unless you pay a visit to this center of attraction.
It is an 88 chrome steel towers that are joined at the 41st and 42nd bases. This imposing structure stands at 175 meters above street level.
2. The Menara Tower
This is the world’s fifth tallest structure that has been dwarfed by the Petronas Towers. A visit here will give you an impression that you have never had in life.
There are several takeaways from this tower; it is best you visit and have a feel of the best of it because words may not be sufficient to express the beauty of this tower.
It is an imposing 421 meters high structure. If you are to stand any chance of getting a free ticket; then arrive early.
3. Chinatown
This market never sleeps and it has found a way to hold its own against rival markets around it. This is a market that you must visit because of the many positives that it gives to tourists.
You will get to buy any item that you delight in here because of the plurality of the items on sale. This is a market where those that have good bargaining power can buy items at incredibly cheap prices.
4. Batu Caves
We cannot skip this cave on our list of recommendations when you are in the city. You had visited many caves in the past but what you are going to witness here is far more exciting than what you have ever witnessed in your lifetime.
This cave houses a 100 years old temple. The atmosphere inside the cave is a must for any tourist that desires the creative best of the city.
5. Sultan Abdul Samad Building
If you are interested in the history of this city; their past that connects them with the present and the future to be; then you must visit this building that was once the base of operation of the British Colonial Masters.
This building now serves the ministries of communication, culture, and information. You are going to learn about what this city is all about here; a must visit for all students of history.
6. The Sunway Lagoon Theme Park
Take a look at the following and carefully imagine the scenario of it:
Water slides that whirl and twirl
Manmade ‘river’ ride
Surf beach
Wave pool
360° revolving pirate ship
Imagine the combinations of all of the above and several others loaded together in a single place? That is Sunway Lagoon Theme Park for you. A visit there will bring out the excitement in you.
7. The Jalan Alor
It is not a waste of time if you take time off to see the heart of the city’s cuisine. You will be amazed at the variety of food that you will find on display. Just any dish that you desired; with your order, delivery will follow. The arrangement of the row of hawker stalls is amazing.
8. The Aquaria KLCC
Some tourists may differ on the inclusion of this place on the list of tourist delights, but give it to this place; those that are lovers of marine life will have their hands full when they get here.
There are over 150 marine creatures that are housed here; this is indeed a large number in a single place which you will have the opportunity to see and take useful notes. This is an ideal practical learning place for students of political history.
9. The Central Market
This market has gone through some developmental phases. Ordinarily, it would not have made the list of honors; but what happened in the 1980s witnessed the transformation of this market into a modern-day market with all the attributes that you will see in a world-class market.
If you truly desired some take away after your visit, then you must visit this market and see the atmosphere here and the variety on display.
10. Perdana Botanical Gardens
If you ask why you should visit this garden; then you must take a look at what you will get to see when you get this garden:
Walking paths
Manmade fountains
Semi-circle pergola
A rock garden that house 800 species of orchids.
Hibiscus Garden
The above represents little of the highlights that you will get to see in this garden. When you look at the list above, you will quite agree that there are interesting points of attractions in this garden.
The location is perfect and the beauty of the surroundings is something that will delight any tourist that pays a visit to the garden that has something to offer every tourist.
Sikkim is a city that is endowed with several tourist points of interest. Your decision to choose it as a tourist place of visit is never a misplaced priority because there are several interesting points of interest in this city whose memories can last you a lifetime.
Do you know how you can make the best out of the little time that you to spend in the city? After reading through these travel tips; you will be able to make the best out of your visit. Enjoy.
1. Rumtek Monastery
This tourist haven of attraction is situated at 6000 ft. It is decorated with attractive relics gotten from the age’s past. The somber atmosphere in this Monastery will give any tourist another perspective to life.
If you desire an atmosphere where you can commune with the spirit world to ask for favors and several others that you needed to pull through in life.
2. Yak Ride
Oh, what an experience; riding on the back of a tamed beast! That is what you will get when you go for the yak ride. They are beautifully decorated and has the ability to take you through the rocky-rough terrain of a road.
If you want to enjoy the yak ride; then target the periods- March to May and September to December.
3. Trekking in Goecha La Trek
This is yet another attraction that you will get from this city. If you a lover of raw adventure, you must partake in this form of adventure that will take you about 90 km distance and through a height of 16,000 feet.
However, considering the distance involved; this is only meant for the strong; bold and highly adventurous tourist. The ideal months for this trek are April to June; October and November.
4. River Rafting
This is available in River Teesta and its tributary Rangit. A feeling of the chilly waters and the turbulence of the river provides an atmosphere that will interest any tourist that takes part in river rafting.
If you combine this with camping, you will surely get an experience of your life which you will live to relief for a long time even after the visit.
5. Bird Watching
If you are an enthusiast of nature, then it will be a great adventure that you will live to remember for your life if you partake in bird watching in Kewzing.
This dense forest is a paradise of birding and what you will see on the ground will leave you with your jaws dropped. This is home for about 200 species of bird. Arm yourself with your binoculars and you will get to see the beautiful scenery that you have never encountered before.
6. The Night Life
Activities around during the day might not excite the heavy socialite but when the cover of darkness falls, this city will take an entirely new outlook. You will love the nightlife because there is something for everybody most especially at Gangtok.
The casinos, pubs, bars, and nightclubs all combine together to make this city an exciting place to be under the cover of darkness.
7. Mountain Biking
Can we leave out mountain biking? No, this is one pastime that will add glamour to the quality of what you will get on your tourist visit. When you are biking along, you will savor the beauty of the entire city.
If you want to catch full fun, then plan your adventure for the months of April; May; mid-September to October. Depending on your fitness level, you will be having more than seven strenuous trails to embark on.
8. MG Road Shopping
Your visit would be incomplete if you did not visit this area of the city for shopping. There are several items of international standards on sale here. If you have the ability to haggle on price, you will get some of the items at ridiculously low rates.
The atmosphere provides something very lively; you will get to fill your bag to the brim with fond memories of Sikkim. Most of the items are the best handcrafts that you will ever get to see in the world.
Virtually everybody takes tea. The idea of a single location where one of the best teas in the world is produced should excite any visiting tourist. That is what you will see at Temi. The tea here is gotten solely through natural means.
No fertilizer is added in the process of producing the tea. When you visit this factory, you will interesting lessons to take home on tea processing direct from the source.
A stay in the British Bungalow which is open to the tourist is an experience that will definitely add color to your tourist visit. This factory produces 100 metric ton of organic tea annually.
10. Khecheopalri Lake
This is our last point on the list of 10 and it represents a sacred place for Hindus and Buddhists. This lake was believed to have been blessed by Guru Padmasambhava.
If you ask the locals about this place, they will tell you their belief that it has treasures hidden in its belly. If for nothing but for the sake of curiosity, then you must visit this lake before you leave Sikkim.
Vientiane is the capital of Laos, are you considering paying a tourist visit to this delight of tourists? There are several interesting points of reference that you can take from this city.
If you do not know where to go when you come to this city; then you can sit back and enjoy what we have on these pages because they are tips that we have put together to guide any tourist that wants a feel of the best of this city. They consist of 10 of the best things that you can do when you come to Vientiane. Enjoy.
1. Buddha Park, Vientiane
If you are a religious buff and you are on the lookout for a place where you can meditate and ask for special favors from the spirit world; then you must visit Buddha Park. There are over 200 statues here.
You will be awed at the sight of the Buddha image which is a 40m high reclining intimidation structure. The entrance to this temple is designed like the mouth of a demon. Coming here will make you fulfilled.
2. Half Day Vientiane City Tour
If you are to truly get to see the best of this city; then you need to go on a guided tour. The most exciting of the tours is the half-day bicycle tour of the city.
You will get to know the interesting points in the city and an opportunity to interact with the locals milling around you who are ever friendly and willing to explain to you whatsoever you want to know about the history and the culture of the people.
3. Bicycle Adventure
If you want a feel of raw adventure; then you can rent a bicycle and go on an adventure ride of the city. Get on the muddy road in the city and get to know the best of this city that is surrounded by mountains.
You will get willing hands who will show you the way and can speak perfect English. All you need is the right bike meant for the Vientiane roads and the benefits will be yours.
4. The Cooking Class
A tourist will always care about food during the course of his stay on a tourist visit. The city of Vientiane is known for its delicacies which always makes tourists salivate when they come here on a tourist visit.
It is not a bad idea if you go for a cooking class and get to know the secrets of the ingredients that make the delicacies. You will have something to take home after your visit.
5. Patuxai Victory Monument
A worthy tourist visit is not enough if you did not get to know the history of the people; their past that connects with the present. One of the best places to connect with the conscience of this city is through Patuxai Victory Monument.
A visit here will invoke feelings of heroism in you. The statutes of those that laid down their lives for the freedom of their land stand tall here.
6. Vientiane – Pha That Luang
This is a must visit the air-conditioned shopping mall. It is the only one of its kind in the city. This place is loaded with the best in electronics. If you are a lover of electronic gadgets; you will have your hands full here-you will shop until your pocket is dry.
There are other wares that will catch your fancy in this shopping mall. Tourist comes here to avoid the tropical heat that is relentless outside.
7. Wat Ho Phra Kaew
This is one temple that dwarfs the rest of them all. It was once the personal chapel of the Lao royal lineage. This is the home of the Emerald Buddha after it was snatched from Thailand.
This temple is open every day of the year and the opening hours is between 08:00 to 12:00 and 13:00 to 16:00.
8. Night Market
Your visit to this city will not be complete if you do not experience the scene of the night market. More of such markets are coming up and you are going to experience something that you will love to remember for a long time to come.
The heat of the day is gone with sunset; this city takes a different look under the illumination of the brightly shining lights. Security is not an issue. Shop to your delight; eat to your delight!
9. Lao Herbal Steam Sauna And Massage
Health is wealth. You can go for a physical shape up of your spine by paying a visit to the Lao Herbal Steam Sauna And Massage where you will get what we call massage for real.
The feeling that you are going to get here is very authentic. The building that houses this must-visit house of massage does not come with the glory expected from it; we can tell you that it is only the outside view; when you get inside; you will see the true worth of it.
10. COPE Visitor Center
We are closing up on the interesting places to be while in this city with a visit to COPE Visitor Center. If you truly desire to get some depth about this city; you will get that through what you will learn here; you are going to see more through films and documentaries.
