Sunsets are a photographic cliché. But if you are sat next to the Mekong drinking a lemon shake as the sun goes down, well you might as well capture it (the sunset, not the lemon shake).
Pretty enough, and that was enough sunsets for one trip and I didn’t need to see any more. But the travel guides were insistent, you had to see the sunset from on top of Phu Si hill, which is in the middle of town and is accessed by three hundred and something steps. The steepest steps are at the start of the climb, after which you have to hand over some kip if you want to continue to the top.
By the time we had made it to the ticket booth I had had enough. This was the day of our cycling adventure and my leg muscles were already in ruins, so I really was not that interested in inflicting further pain just to see another sodding sunset. Still, after a little rest and a grumble, we headed on up to the top where there were fine views out over the surrounding town and countryside. There was still about half an hour till sunset, but already the very small area at the top of the hill was very busy. The prime spot was a little concrete bench right on the edge of the hill, looking out to the setting sun. When it suddenly became free, she who must be obeyed sprang into action and bagged it for me. I set up my tripod and waited.
By the time the sun was heading for the horizon, I was penned in by hordes of people wielding cameras, phones and tablets. There was a degree of shoving going on, with people positioning themselves to occupy my prime spot once I had taken a couple of shots and left; not that that was going to happen. It was nothing like the pleasant, relaxing sit by the river we had enjoyed the previous evening, and the resulting photos were not worth the effort in my estimation.
Our final evening found us at the main jetty, watching boatloads of backpackers being disgorged. The sunset was somewhat muted by clouds, which must have upset the waiting throng on top of the hill. Looked OK from down on the river though.
So if you want to do a sunset in Luang Prabang, save your wallet and your legs and have a much more pleasant experience just hanging out on the banks of the Mekong.
Comments 🔗
2012-12-28| Pete saysWhat beautiful sunsets; the pictures were obviously taken with skill and a discerning eye for the photogenic angle. I wish my children hadn’t seen them however, as they are so traumatised now.
2012-12-28| Grant says“And an Asian orange sunset through the scrub…” Very hard to do, well done old chap. Pete’s superlatives say it all! I tried a sunset photo once, went half blind for a week. Sincere sympathies Pete for the plight of your stricken children, I trust they will heal as the months go by. Have they got the rigid muscles, the shaking and the staring? Probably “sunsetitis nervosa”, not uncommon in the tropics…
2012-12-30| BlogDaz saysBeautiful, now then, how do you stop them from being splodgy ?.
2012-12-30| Grant saysThe sunsets, or the children…?
2012-12-30| Spike saysNot sure how to define splodgy in this context (children or sunsets). I await your most urgent clarification.
2012-12-30| BlogDaz saysMust admit i have problems with both, the children leave splodgy marks on the walls, but my immediate concern is splodgy sunsets, they appear to be splodgy, like one of the kids have drawn a circle on the wall with watercolour and then tried to spread it out with his hand. Jeez, don’t know how you guys brought kids into this, hope that’s not too slodgy an explanation for you.
2012-12-31| Spike saysThe trick with sunsets is to use a graduated neutral density filter, which is a sheet of glass or similar which is dark at the top and transparent at the bottom. This darkens out the sun but allows reasonable exposure on the landscape below. I don’t have one, so I end up with a sun that is far too bright (and splodgy), in order that you can still see some detail on the land. In summary, my sunsets are pretty shit, but it’s the best I can manage without a filter.