Luang Prabang, Laos

We left Cambodia just as we arrived, in a tuk-tuk. The Siem Reap airport was beautiful and looked more like a home from Architectural Digest than an airport. Unfortunately our flight was delayed 50 minutes so Billy and I stopped at Dairy Queen so he could get an Oreo Blizzard. After four weeks on the road we have craved a little dairy and a bit of home. Cambodia requires you to pay an exit fee so it cost each of us $25 to leave the country. I sure hope the money goes to help the people but my guess is that it does not.

We boarded another prop plane for the short flight to Luang Prabang. When we arrived in Laos the airport is just a one plane airport and you exit by stairs and walk to the one room immigration, customs, baggage claim, and visa office in one. It was smaller than College Station and about the size of Stockton's airport. Thankfully this time we had our extra passport photos on hand so we were quick to get through Visa application and retrieve our luggage.

Luange Prabang only has about 30,000 residents and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is a city of wonderful Lao-French architecture, charm, and many ex-pats. It is similar to Hoi An in Vietnam for its charm and simple life. Walking the streets in the morning there aren't many sounds other than women sweeping, kids getting off to school, and homes being awoken for the day.

The only downside to our trip is that they were burning the rice fields so the sky was constantly hazy and your eyes burned from the smoke.

Day 1:

We left our hotel and headed to the night market about a 15 minute walk down the same street as our hotel. There were lots of local crafts and it was such a pleasant change with no constant nagging by vendors and people were genuinely happy to have your business. We purchased a few items and had dinner at the end of the night market at food alley. We had all could eat on one plate for $1.25. Most of the food choices are vegetarian and quite tasty. Lao doesn't have lots of traditional food since it takes long to prepare but what they do make is stellar. Billy also had pork on a stick for $.75. We followed dinner with shakes and walked back through the market to our hotel.


Day 2:


I woke up to the sound of the drum from the Wat across the street signaling the start of the "saffron circuit". The 500 + monks in town make their way through the streets at 6 am to collect food and offerings from locals. They call it the Saffron Circuit since all of the monks wear orange and yellow. It was a beautiful sight to see and unfortunately Billy missed most of it due to the effects of his Benadryl but with our room on the first floor he caught the backs of the monks passing by. Thankfully we have two more mornings to catch the monks. The city is so silent at this time of day they just pass by without words to the beat of drums and whispered prayers.

We had an okay breakfast along the river but enjoyed the view of the Mekong. We walked to the Wat Mai in order to kill time before the Palace Museum opened. Wat Mai took 70 years to build and used to be the staging ground for royal elephants during the New Year festival.

Next door was the Palace Museum. The palace was impressive with its colored and mirrored walls, artifacts both from Lao history and donations from other countries, and the fact it was used until the 1970's. There is no longer a royal family in Laos but their presence was still felt. Billy got a kick out of the car museum in the back that had a couple of Lincolns, a Citroen, and speed boat from the 1950's.

Across the palace was Mount Phousi. It was written to be a great place to watch the sunset and get views of Luang Prabang but with the smoke it didn't offer many scenic views but it did have Buddha's footprint and about 300 steps.

After the palace museum and strolling Billy was bored so he signed us up for a trip to the waterfalls. On the trip to the falls Billy lost his sunglasses as he was doused with water by a New Year reveler. Once at the waterfall we had two hours to swim in the pools, hike the levels of the falls, and enjoy the views. On our way back from the falls we saw some of the rice fields on fire and held our breath.

Half-way back we also saw two elephants which were used to work the land. The elephants were a treat as much as the kids having fun with them.

That night we had an early dinner since Billy still wasn't feeling well. He was a bit flustered at being sick for the third time on our trip.

Day 3:

On our last full day in Laos we went to Pak Ou Grottoes by an hour boat trip. We met a wonderful woman from Australia who we swapped advice with and chatted during our excursion. Pak Ou Grottos are cave temples where people bring Buddhas to donate and pray. The upper cave was easily explored by flashlight after walking 200 steps from the lower cave and thought to be home of guardian spirits. During Lao New Year hundreds of pilgrims visit the caves.

On the boat trip we stopped by Ban San Hae where they make moon shine whiskey. We had heard it wasn't good and neither of us enjoyed the taste but still gave it a try.

That afternoon when we returned we dropped off laundry, went to the Internet cafe, and had dinner at one of the cheap stalls at the night market. Billy had incredible fish on a stick and I had the all you can eat. We had trip to have dinner at a very good Lao restaurant we hard about that day but all their reservations that night were booked. They were only open for lunch on Monday-Friday and Friday night feasts.


Day 4/Leaving:

The morning we left for Thailand we visited the last two Wats on our list; Wat Xieng Thong and Wat Sene. Wat Sene was across the street from our hotel so it was a quick in and out. Wat Xieng Thong was where Lao kings were crowned and royal ceremonies were held. It has rich carvings and mosaics of colored mirrored glass similar to the Palace.