Arrival in Luang Prabang

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Nellie and Monk arrived in the Lao Peoples' Democratic Republic at 15:10 onboard the Bangkok Airways twin-engined turboprop. The descent into Luang Probang is a bit bumpy but it's worth it for the view of the town below and the Mekong River running beside it.

Immigration is a very Communist process. To get a visa on arrival, one has to queue at the first of 2 windows, each manned by a very serious-looking official. The first window takes one's passport and visa application and passes these to the 'back-office' staff. One then queues at the 2nd window until the visa-endorsed passport arrives from the back office. After handing over US$35, Monk found himself in possesion of a 30-day visa for the Lao PDR. The visa is quite the most ornate Monk has ever seen - well worth the money. Monk used the spare US dollars he had in his possesion after enquiring the cost of the visa in Thai baht. A quick calculation of the exchange rate convinced Monk to part with his US dollars and use the extra baht he'd effectively gained for a beer or two when he gets to Thailand. The price of the visa seems to be a very partisan affair and varies according to the politics/sympathies of the country one resides in - needless to say, US$35 is the most expensive visa price. No visa was needed for Nellie; being an elephant, they obviously assumed she was a Lao national. An early name for Laos in the 14th century was Lan Xang - 'The Land of a Million Elephants'. Today, estimates put the number of elephants at just around 2000. With Nellie's arrival, the population has increased by one small elephant.

After a short drive into town, Nellie and Monk arrived at the hotel they'd booked. The Apsara bills itself as a 'boutique' hotel and 'The Most Chic Place in Town'. It's a pleasant-enough place to stay for a few days, in a convenient location, close to the town centre. The hotel has a terrace beside the River Khan (the Nam Khan).

Eating and Drinking

Monk and Nellie did a quick scout around town and decided to try the local Lao beer - called - Beerlao. The Lao are rightly proud of the quality of their state-produced beer. At heart, Monk is a bitter drinker bit he does appreciate a good lager when he finds one. There is apparently a dark version of Beerlao which he hopes to report on in a subsequent blog.

Later, after making themselves presentable, Nellie and Monk went off to dine. It was all a bit of a rush finding a restaurant that was still open that looked as though it might serve authentic Lao cusine but they came up trumps. Eating later than 20:30 to 21:00 seems to be a problem in Luang Prabang.

Monk ordered tam maak-hung to start. This is shredded, unripe papaya with a very hot chilli dressing. Sausages are a speciality of Luang Prabang so Monk ordered these together with the almost-obligatory sticky rice, khao niaw. He also ordered khai paen - fried river moss from the Mekong served with the local jaew bawng dip of chillis mixed with dried buffalo skin. The sausages never arrived but Monk was glad because the other dishes were more than he could eat. The river moss was very good and Monk shared it with the inquisitive people on the next table. See the picture of the river moss in the local market. It's coated in sesame seeds and looks a bit like a sheet of sandpaper in its uncooked state.

To round things off, Monk thought he'd try the local rice whisky called lao-lao (the brand consultants obviously put a lot of thought into that name). Monk likes to try the local hooch wherever he goes and the lao-lao is - er - interesting! It's a bit sweet and is like a very strong version of rice wine.

Monk's Meanders

Irene and Monk had a rule wherever they travelled - always eat the local dishes and, where possible, drink the local booze.

Irene would like to tease Monk and would sometimes say "Why don't we have a lovely pizza tonight, Monk?", knowing exactly what his reaction would be. She didn't really mean it - it was all a bit of fun for Monk's entertainment. Several times he called her bluff, but she never chose to have that pizza.

When they were in Italy in 2007 for Irene's niece Joanna's wedding, they spent a week driving around Puglia before crossing over to the Amalfi coast for the wedding in Ravello. Monk said on so many occasions during that trip that, at last, Irene could have as many pizzas as she wished - particularly when they were close to Naples. They never had a single pizza during their entire 2 week stay!

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