Luang Prabang

A short one this, we did incredibly little in the four days in Luang Prabang.


For the first few days I continued the illness started in Vang Vieng. Each day I'd set off out convinced things were better before soon feeling weak and exhausted, hungry but with no appetite and needing shade and rest. The low point was when everything seemed ok so we went for a big Indian evening meal. I didn't even make it out of the restaurant before throwing it all up, returning to the table where Tom requested my 50,000 kip share of the bill.


Part of the reason we stayed was lack of a plan about what to do next, any trekking or biking ideas seemed ambitious considering my health. So we just stayed put, not knowing which direction to go next, only that we wanted to be in Vietnam by the beginning of April.


We took a tour on one afternoon to the picturesque Kuang Si waterfalls, complete with "Swimming area" and "Do not swimming area" signage.


In a town with a midnight curfew (not enforced for foreigners) there is only one choice late in the evenings. The bars all close at 23:30 to give the staff time to get home and the only place open is the bowling alley, which goes another four hours. Naturally we dropped in, with no shoes available I opted for barefoot bowling rather in flip-flops. Scores were in the 130s and 140s in the unfamiliar conditions, still the form seems to be there Steve.


The only downside of the bowling thing is the arriving back in town at four in the morning and having to wake the family at the guesthouse to be let in. And it wasn't pleasant to hear the nightly groups of westerners breaking the quiet as they drunkernly shouted their way down the street in the early hours, oblivious to the surroundings. More respect for the locals and their way of life is needed before everywhere becomes like Thailand.


Eventually we settled on a plan for what to do next, Phonsavan for the Plain of Jars.

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