Luang Prabang

There’s a thin line between really knowing a place and getting sick of it. In order to really know a place you have to spend some time – walking around a couple’o times, listening to the locals, experiencing the food, and taking the uncharted anti-“Lonely Planet” tracks. But you have to be very careful not to overdue it, ‘cause familiarity sneaks up on you and when you least expect it you might move from a “oooh, I love that street” sweet sensation to a “not that bloody street again” anger management program.

Everyday, little by little, you uncover the secrets of Luang Prabang.

A brilliant idea, something I’ve thought about a few times, never figuring out how to move from fantasy to reality, this is a place that I love. Le’ Cinema, is it’s name, located at a small alley just off the local handcraft night market. Finding it isn’t easy, since you need a 6/6 night eyesight to notice the tiny “Cinema 50m” signs. The concept is simple – small rooms with a home theater setting – big screen TV, huge speakers & a lounge – and a selection of hundreds of movies and Playstation games for you to choose on. A blockbuster combined with a movie cinema where you can sit down intimately with your friends or partner and just have a good time drinking beer, watching movies and playing games for ridiculous amounts of money. It’s illegal in western countries, ofcourse, unless you pay vast sums of money to the movie/games people, but here in 3rd world Laos all you need in a 500-600$ investment in each room and you’re up and running (owner interrogation info). Just thinking about people coming to my home to watch films they love and have a good time gives me a great feeling.

A brilliant idea, something I’ve thought about a few times, never figuring out how to move from fantasy to reality, this is a dish that I love. Lao BBQ is its name, and I’ve seen it around here in a couple’o places. You sit around a small table where there’s a hole in the middle. In that hole comes the hot coal and on top sits the special metallic plate. The middle section of the plate is where you put your chicken and meat and around the middle is where you pour down water and make your self a soup with vegetables, noodles, eggs, and a bunch’o spicy stuff. So you eat out, but make your own food. A great hangout with friends. It’s heaven.

A brilliant idea, something I’ve thought about a few times, never figuring out how to move from fantasy to reality, this is a concept that I love. Can’t remember the name, but it’s something French. Downstairs it’s a bookshop, where you can either exchange/buy/sell books or just take a book to sit outside with some beer or wine. Upstairs is a chill-out lounge with loads of magazines, playing great Café-del-mar/ambient style music, hosting a small gallery and serving great food to eat inside or on the balcony. Everyday at 6:00 the lounge turns into a small cinema place playing great Cinemateq-like quality movies. Attached on the right is HiveBar – the only place that’s open after 11:00pm, where the atmosphere changes into a somewhat of a wonderful dark pub. So, is it a bookshop, or a restaurant, maybe a movie house, a pub, or maybe a gallery, donno. It seems like they’re doing nothing new, but it’s the combination of everything together in a way that doesn’t cancel each part, rather blending everything into a place you could walk into, happily staying forever, never wanting to leave.

(a late addition I just got on email… me and German Melanie having Lao BBQ!
side note – I don’t always wear the same T-shirt, but somehow – most of the pictures I got till now have that bright blue one. A mystery…

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