Spirited away

Haw Pha Bang on grounds of Royal Palace. Photo by Rebecca Lo / For China Daily

Heading back into the center of town, we noticed vendors were beginning to unfurl blankets and unpack wares on top of them for the daily night market. A mind-boggling array of garments, antiques, trinkets and snacks were available for sale. I chose a table lamp with a floral paper shade that would make a striking nightlight. The lamp's four sides collapse, making it relatively easy to take home.

Laotian coffee, with its French-roast richness and pure mountain-air breeding, is a good souvenir. There are plenty of vendors selling whole-bean or ground versions at the night market, along with Laotian teas.

The tea's fragrance was eclipsed by the aroma of river fish sizzling on charcoal wafting from a side alley. Along the way, we saw papaya salad being made to order along with coconut sweets deftly nestled into green leaves. But the call of the fish was too strong, and we soon had one to tuck into a serving place, armed with plastic gloves so that we could enjoy it with minimal messiness.

Smoky and sweet, its plump flesh was washed down with delicious cold local beer accompanied by wok-fried greens and crunchy chicken wings on the side. We shared a table with an Indian IT executive on holiday, who then proceeded to initiate a friendly chat. Glancing around, I noticed that similar bonding rituals were occurring, as strangers sharing tables became friends over the many local delicacies to sample.