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Published: February 18th 2008
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5/2/2008
A night stop over in Oudomxay, I decised to came down to see what Luangprabang was like after 10 years. The 5 hours bus journey was all on good paved road, the road run mostly along the NamOu river and descented to 300 meter, the temperature became warmer. Like the old French man inside the bus said "so cold up there in Oudomxay, no good! Here...everyday warm" he said he preferred it here, and adviced me go more further south to Sipandon area. Thank I told him as no point to explain too much if one's interest was only warm weather when visiting hilltribe area.
We arrived by 2pm. Right...very hot, the north bus station is about 4km from town center, again...why the fxxk built it that far away from town? There was nothing but land in this country! You tried to do traffic control? Why not banned all these tuktuk running around?!! there was 4 of us farang. And it was 10000kip each, later I heard it would be 20000 if you came in alone! Those 2 English doesn't seem very friendly as I revealed that I had no idea about where to stay when they checked on
their guidebook ,but there was no responded, perhaps they had some very good place that wouldn't wanted to share, and the French...no! so I just took off once the tuktuk transferred us into the center.the area around the river still recognizeable, although more GH and more buildings. No...no cheap offered, 6 dollars for a plain blank room, and share shower, otherwise...10 or 13 dollars room, "sorry, we have no cheap room here" said one owner. I walk and walk, further out the river bank area, under the hot sun, no, I can afforded to spend more I talked to myself, so...when I got an 8 dollars offered I took it, bathroom hot water, of course...no tv! Soon I recovered from the heat strike, I ventured out the street and got more old images back from my 10 year memory. now all pedestrian road was paved, electricity all day, more shops and more tourists, monks and novices are more active in contact with foreigner. By 5 o'clock vendors began to setup for night market, which wasn't exist 10 years ago, and it created more a tourist town feel to Luangprabang.
Note:
Bus from Uodomxzy is 50000kip
6/2/2008
I'd been eating so many junk food since I was in Laos, pack of this, pack of that, chip, biscuit, chocolate, candy.... More than what I'd eaten 7 years in Yunnan. Why? There wasn't any choice, and snack to eat! So the good thing about in LuangPrabang was so many variety, I started with breakfast in the market, the lovely steaming rice roll that I saw, the same style as in Vietnam. A cotton cloth on a steaming pot, poured rice porridge and coverd with a lid, in a minute a white rice sheet formed, loaded with mushroomed and mincemeat then roll up, a delicious rice roll in front of me, sprinkler with dried garlic and shred peanut, then vinegar and all sort of spicy, great! And if you want it with egg, here you go...! Really lively in the morning market, it was rather clean compared with in China, I love these people here. Walked further, I grasp couple of baked coconut cakes, then I saw the deep fried horse-pea cake, very tasty, and it was about time to got a drink, a small family run coffee shop just right in the middle of the market. Finally got back
the cafe Laos taste, as those served up in Phonsali wasn't that good. Here you should see 2 pitcher stationed on top of a cylindrical hot water pot, which had 2 holes on the top side. That kept the water and the coffee hot all the time. Back in the market, people were thinning out, I saw the spring roll, soft and deep fried one, but I couldn't hold up more into my stomach, wait for later then. Of course...there were bread and sandwich, noodle and rice, and readymade food. Market wasn't big but it took much time to made the round for me!
And yes...LuangPrabang...I walk I walk and I walk! A nice town alright, I tourist town to be precise. You see foreigner more than the local, but compared with Kaosan road in Bangkok. Here is nothing. I think my time in LPB was enough, and hilltribe area is what I preferred, should back up somewhere else tomorrow. So I spend a slow walking day in town, brought a ticket to see the dancing show which they call it the Royal ballet dance. It was an ok performance but just a bit over rated, somehow I actually find
it boring, same movement in a same melody for too long time. What the hack...at least something to do.
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