The royal city of Luang Prabang in Laos is also known as the \"City of the Golden Buddha,\" which offers visitors an array of lovely temples and a serene pace.
", "is_us_only": "false", "title": "Destination: Laos, Luang Prabang", "url": "http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/places/countries-places/laos-tc/laos-luangprabang-dest/", "country_code_deny_list": [], "allowUserEmbed": "True", "related": { "link": [ { "url": "http://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/countries/laos-guide/", "name": "Learn More About Laos" }, { "url": "http://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/countries/laos-map/", "name": "Get Map of Laos" } ] }, "credit": "National Geographic", "smil": "http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/player/data/xml/laos-luangprabang-dest.smil", "country_code_allow_list": [], "HTML5src": "/video/player/media-mp4/laos-luangprabang-dest/mp4/variant-playlist.m3u8", "still": "http://video.nationalgeographic.com/exposure/transcode/0/480/360/?url=http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/player/media/laos-luangprabang-dest/laos-luangprabang-dest_480x360.jpg", "transcript": "Hi -- I\u2019m Patty Kim.
In this edition, we journey to Laos. What I would call a real hidden gem of a destination located in Southeast Asia.
We take you now to Luang Prabang. It\u2019s an ancient royal city that sits on the Mekong River. It\u2019s a place where you\u2019ll find that the spirit of Buddhism is alive and well.
The day begins as it has for hundreds of years.
Here is this 'City of the Golden Buddha' as it is called Buddhist monks gather in temples to pray and meditate.
Now if you can start your day early enough you\u2019ll catch a sight that\u2019s definitely worth losing a bit of sleep for. At dawn, a stream of young monks carrying begging bowls through the streets. They collect bits of food and rice from women waiting on the roadside. Every morning this silent ritual provides the monks a simple breakfast, something they eat with great thanks.
These are the kinds of timeless rituals that you see play out each day in Luang Prubang the ancient royal capital of Laos.
The best time to arrive in this beautiful city is probably during the dry and cool season which is between November and February. Once in Luang Prabang check out the main road that passes by some of the city\u2019s most ornate temples and colorful signs of worship.
Luang Prabang is a small place, and the city can best be explored on foot. You can walk literally every street and alley in town. And just about everywhere you go you will most likely stumble upon great photo opportunity.
The Lao are very conservative when it comes to dress, so if you do plan on visiting a monestary don\u2019t forget to cover up. Keeping a big scarf in your backpack will probably do the trick. Wearing sandals or shoes that can be slip on and off easily is highly recommended since it is customary to take off your shoes before entering a Lao home or temple.
For people looking for something a little off the beaten path, a glimpse of the sacred is what makes Luang Prabang and Laos one of the most rewarding places to begin your search.
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