Where the Last Dreamers Still Wander

Text by: Jason Rolan

Photos by: Phoonsab Thevongsa and Jochen Moravek

A French colonial doctor’s wife, Marthe Bassene, described Luang Prabang in 1909 as a “delightful paradise,” untouched by the pressures and ambitions of her era. In her journal, she wondered whether it might be “refuge of the last dreamers, the last lovers, the last troubadours.”

More than a century later, it’s unclear whether she ever traveled farther upriver to Nong Khiaw or the even more remote Meuang Ngoi. But had she made the journey, she would have found landscapes that fit her romantic vision even more completely. These villages sit along the emerald waters of the Ou River, framed by soaring limestone karsts that rise abruptly from the valley like ancient guardians.

Life here still moves at a gentler rhythm. Visitors drift into the easy cadence of the river with lazy afternoons in woven hammocks, quiet walks along bamboo-lined footpaths, or swims in the cool, green current. As evening settles, the silhouettes of the mountains fade into violet, and the river mirrors the last light of day.

Visitors today feel that lingering sense of timelessness of places where the world feels untouched enough that dreamers and troubadours might still find their refuge.

Getting there:

Lao Airlines has frequent flights to Luang Prabang from throughout the region. Nong Khiaw is a 4-hour drive north of the city, and Meuang Ngoi is a 1.5-hour boat cruise beyond that.