Laos: Luang Prabang

Erin and I were quick to discover why our guesthouse is one of the cheapest in town...it is extremely sketchy with Laos men standing in the halls in their underwear staring at us while we are forced to traipse through the building everytime we must use the outside restroom. At any rate, small things like this and the blaring music from the house next door are easily ignored when one is only paying $1.50 a night!


French Architecture.

Yesterday morning, Erin and I kicked off our day swith breakfast at a bakery/ teahouse/bookstore near our place before splitting apart. I spent most of the morning lazying around our ever-so-classy guesthouse before forcing myself to plop in front of a computer to finally catch up on some blogs and e-mails. Afterwards, I set out on foot to explore the lovely streets that make up Luang Prabang.

Luang Prabang is one of the most beautiful cities I have ever seen. With a population at just around 30,000 people, it has managed to retain its small-town charm, even though tourism is definitely taking hold here. The city itself was controlled by the French before World War I, so the city is an enchanting marriage of gorgeous French-Colonial architecture and traditional Laos images of family and Buddhism. In the middle of the city lies the main wat, and rarely are the streets not bustling with monks in their orange cloaks and umbrellas waltzing through town.


Monks in Luang Prabang.

In the evenings, one of the main streets is closed off to motorbikes and tuk-tuks and in turn comes alive with a spectacular night market. Hundreds of vendors line the street selling everything from beautiful silk scarves to jewelry to knives and bags.


Bustling Night Market gets ready.

I soon found that my mindless wandering found me in front of a massage house, so I decided to treat myself to a one-hour, full-body Laos massage. After the massage, I met Erin for an Indian Curry dinner, and eventually we made our way to a funky bar for drinks with some of the "Longboat Gang," many who were leaving today.

This afternoon Erin and I went to a nearby waterfall. It took us forever to hike up to the top, as we kept getting onto the wrong path, but we finally found a beautful pool in which to swim. We had only been in the freezing water for about ten minutes before a whole swarm of people arrived. We played around for a bit, jumping off rocks and swimming under the waterfall's torrential downpour before catching the taxi back into town.


The beautiful waterfall.

We arrived back in Luang Prabang just in time to catch the sunset from atop Phousi Hill. It was an amazing view, but not very private as it seemed that every tourist in town made the trek up the hill. We finally headed to dinner, finding a locale very busy with the Laos residents, which we took as a good sign.


Sunset from the top of Phousi Hill.

Tonight's dinner was very yummy, and unlike anything I have experienced so far in Southeast Asia, but very reminiscient of a Koran BBQ meal. I have no idea what it was called, but it involved a table with a pit for hot coals that cooked a pan filled with meat and fresh vegetables. It was scrumptious!

Well, I have really enjoyed my time in Luang Prabang, but we are moving on to Vang Vieng tomorrow. I am looking forward to doing some adventurous activities while down there, as well!