Travel letters: Enhancing a visit to Luang Prabang, Laos

Enhancing visit to Luang Prabang

As much as the article depicted life in Luang Prabang, Laos, I would add a couple of things [“Mind and Spirit in Harmony” by Julie L. Kessler, Sept. 14]. I was surprised the article never mentioned that motorbikes/bicycles are a huge part of the experience.

The accommodations mentioned would be inconvenient for most travelers. We stayed at the Le Sen Boutique Hotel, which was perfect. It is on the main side of the river. It also offers airport transfers and has a beautiful pool that makes it great after a long, hot and humid day of sightseeing. The buffet breakfast is fantastic, and the restaurant is one of the top places to eat in Luang Prabang.

Mike Wagner

Los Angeles

On a mission

The mission articles couldn’t have been more timely [“On a Mission to Explore” by Christopher Reynolds, Sept. 7]. On Nov. 15, I laced up my walking shoes and embarked on a 750-mile walk to discover California’s 21 missions. I’m not soul-searching. I’m not an endurance athlete. I’m just an ordinary 53-year old woman.

I divided the journey into 12 months, taking four days each month to cover approximately 75 miles, with Amtrak as my chauffeur to and from. Google maps and Ron Briery’s book “California Mission Walk: A Hiker’s Guide to California’s 21 Spanish Missions Along El Camino Real” are my compass.

My peregrination seemed to be the perfect opportunity to spend quality time with loved ones. So, prior to launch, I sent an email inviting friends and family to join me on any segment of the excursion. An astonishing number replied, “Yes, I’d love to!”

My hometown mission, San Diego de Alcalá, was the starting point. Tracy, a longtime buddy, signed up for the first leg north to Mission San Juan Capistrano. During the exhausting 20-plus-mile days, life stories were regaled, jaw-dropping sunsets were witnessed and thousands of laughs were exchanged.

This has been the blueprint for each month’s walk. Cindy and I pounded L.A.’s concrete jungle and trampled roadside brush over the Santa Susana Mountain pass to the San Gabriel and San Fernando missions, all the while marveling at how two old broads exhibited such endurance. Parkinson’s disease didn’t impede my compadre from tackling the trail.

February’s arduous hike with Tami was stop and go, constantly reapplying moleskin to our painful feet. We finally acquiesced and traded our sneakers for slippers. Vanity disappears under the brutal enormity of walking numerous eight-hour days. During the summer months, an array of friends and I battled the heat of Central California’s agricultural fields as we trekked to Ft. Hunter Liggett’s San Antonio de Padua, Nuestra Señora de la Soledad and Santa Cruz.

Along the way, I expected sore bodies and pep talks when utter fatigue commandeered our fervor. What I didn’t expect was the kindness of strangers. The California Mission Walkers, a group of El Camino Real enthusiasts, have been following my escapades on Facebook. Having never met any members, I’m astonished when affiliates graciously open their homes to my friends and me. With nothing more than an email to acquaint us, we’re provided free guest rooms and meals.

The Buckleys hosted my posse and I as we passed through Ventura. The same with Jim and Sharon Lutz when myself and three cowalkers slogged 77 miles from Mission Santa Barbara to La Purísima Concepción Mission. Jim walked with us one day and shuttled us to the start and finish lines the remaining three. Bob and Theresa Brunson threw open the doors of their Monterey Bay home for my two nephews and me. So gracious.

As of Aug. 25, I’ve reached Mission San Jose and covered 675 miles in 10 months. What I’ve learned could fill a book. Humanity is good. There is a reserve deep inside everyone when called upon. Relationships are the heartbeat of life.

Roughly 75 miles remain between me and the final mission. I’d love to inspire your readers to do this.

Maggie Espinosa

San Diego

I enjoyed The Times’ article on California’s missions, with one exception. I have been visiting my favorite mission, La Purísima, for more than 50 years, bringing friends, hiking and taking pictures. There is an abundance of beautiful things to photograph that capture the character and charm of the mission. The picture, however, revealed none of that. In fact, I suspect the average person, on viewing the photo, would never guess it was a mission.

Carol Gilbert

Los Angeles