Luang Prabang, Laos

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After a treacherous 13 hour public bus ride, we arrived in Luang Prabang in couple nights ago. It took us 13 hours to go just over 300 miles! I think it was the most brutal bus ride I've ever been on, but the scenery was absolutely spectacular - the country is incredibly lush green.

Luang Prabang has been fantastic. It's a beautiful town right on the Mekong River. We've been here for three days, and honestly, we just relaxed for the first two. We've eaten a lot... There is still a remaining French influence in Laos which you can definitely see in the architecture, and also in the food. We went from eating 1 or 2 meals a day to about 5. It's been great.

Today we visited a waterfall about 30km outside town. It was beautiful: several tiers cascading down into bright turquoise pools. About half way up the hike we were able to swim behind the fall. It was purely exhilarating to swim under the force of the waterfall and come up on the other side; I had never done such a thing before.

We're continuing south tomorrow to Vang Vieng. This time we opted for a minivan service for the ride, which will cut our travel time down from 9 to 5 hours, which will definitely be nice.

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Photos

Our Hostel
Our room here was great, and only cost about $6. The building gives a good indication of how the rest of the town looks.

Supposedly Buddha's Footprint...
and Brad's foot for comparison.

Bus Ride
This is how I felt before boarding the 12 hour bus ride.

The Waterfall
The signs say "beware" but ignoring them took us to a fantastic swimming area.

The Swimming Area
It was here that we were able to swim under the fall.

Bears
These bears were rescued from poachers. They are hunted for traditional Chinese medicine that requires fluid from the bears' gallbladder.