After years of calling Luang Prabang home, I can confidently say that living through the wet season here is like experiencing the city’s most intimate, authentic self. While tourists flee at the first mention of monsoon, us residents settle in for what I consider the most characterful months of the year.
The Rhythm of Rainy Days
Living here during wet season means adapting to nature’s schedule, not fighting it. From the start of monsoon until late July / early August it typically rains for a few hours on most days, but you also have long periods of sunshine each day. This creates a natural rhythm to daily life that’s quite lovely once you embrace it.
I wake to the sound of temple drums at 4 AM – rain or shine, the monks maintain their schedule and wander past my house to be greeted by my two dogs each morning. Friends occasionally ask if I have seen the forecast, usually I don’t bother and take what comes. However, as an exception, I could not ignore the typhon warnings the last few days. The local Lao people are brilliant at reading the sky; after years here, I’m getting better at it too.
The Social Side of Storms
One thing you quickly learn about living through wet season in Luang Prabang is how weather creates community. When a proper downpour starts, everyone ducks into the nearest café or shop. I’ve had some of my best conversations with fellow expats and locals while waiting out storms under the covered terrace Sometimes it may call for one more beer, other times I embrace the wet!
The Green Transformation
Visiting Luang Prabang, tourists will have the opportunity to explore the monasteries, monuments, traditional costumes spotting the occasional ceremony, collections of old French houses since the colonial era, and beautiful scenery. But living here, you see how dramatically wet season transforms this UNESCO World Heritage town.
The French colonial buildings take on this romantic, slightly mysterious quality when rain streaks their shutters. The traditional Lao houses seem to come alive – the wooden structures expand and contract with the humidity, and you can almost hear the old buildings breathing.
The Mekong changes completely. During dry season, it’s this sleepy brown river with exposed sandbanks. Come wet season, it becomes this powerful, chocolate-colored torrent that commands respect. At the confluence where the Nam Khan joins the Mekong – the two rivers are clearly different colors and temperatures as they merge.
The Joy of Forced Slowness
Perhaps the best thing about wet season living in Luang Prabang is how it forces you to slow down – at times. Plans become fluid. I wish there was more time available to slow down and enjoy the season. Listening to the rain on roofs or falling on a nearby banana leaves can be meditative.
Through wet season Luang Prabang reveals sides of itself that tourists hardly never see. Come visit this time next year, it’s a special experience.
Green-Season, Laos, Luang Prabang, Travel
Comments RSS Feed