Luang Prabang

A 6-hour (horrendous) bus ride north from the farm is Luang Prabang, the place every tourist and guide book recommends as a must-see.

Awakened from a long slumber brought on by decades of war and revolution, Luang Prabang has become Lao PDR’s foremost tourist showpiece. Encircled by mountains and set 700m above sea level at the confluence of the Khan and the Mekong Rivers, the city’s mix of gleaming temple roofs and crumbling French provincial and multi-ethnic inhabitants enthralls even the most jaded travelers. - Lonely Planet

Luang Prabang is listed as an UNESCO World Heritage Site, and certainly fits the bill. I’ve had a more than positive track record with Heritage sites thus far: Dubrovnik (Croatia), Cesky Krumlov (Prague), Antigua (Guatemala) and Hoi An (Vietnam) all encompass a similar magic and charm.

For those of you who aren’t familiar on World Heritage Sites, here's more info. Check out all of cool things out there in the world! About UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITES

I skipped most of the tourist attractions and wondered on my own...doodling at temples, tasting local dishes at cafes along the river, reading, writing and indulging in several Thai massages ($4/hour!).

Luang

Drum Tower
Belly deep vibrations from the drums. It's a comforting sound, somehow like the call to prayer from the Muslim mosques.

Prabang Guesthouse rule # 6:
“Do not allow domestic and international tourist bring prostitute or others into your accommodation to make sex movie in our room”

darn.

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