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Published: December 20th 2007
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December 16th, 2007 to December 18th, 2007
Day 11 - Luang Prabang
We left Chiang Mai on a quick flight to Luang Prabang Laos. Steven was born in Luang Prabang and still has relatives who live there. We originally visited the town a couple of years ago and I couldn’t wait to once again feel the magic of this place. I remember it as such a quaint, remote, spiritual place with such a relaxing, slow pace. Temples every where, monks wondered the streets in their orange robes; the Mekong river slowly washed itself downstream… It had a peacefulness that was really hard to capture in words alone.
In the three years since our last visit however, the city seems to have become much more of a tourist haven. Wow - so many more restaurants, so many more internet cafes, so many more cars… It is amazing how quickly this place has grown! Although the tourism undoubtedly helps the local population - people who can really use the help, I just hope Luang Prabang doesn’t lose its magic along the way. It would be too bad if it became just another touristy Asian city with souvenir vendors every two feet.
Ok - time to get off my soapbox. After all, I’m just another one of those same tourists who are causing the changes. The city is still a charmer albeit a bit more crowded charmer. Anyway, we arrived at our hotel, checked in, and within minutes Steven’s cousin pulled into the hotel driveway to greet us. Steven’s cousin is such a fun, ambitious lady. She lives half-time in San Diego and half-time in Luang Prabang. I was so looking forward to catching up with her in Laos. She took us out to dinner and introduced us to a number of her friends. We had such a good time.
Day 12 - Luang Prabang
The next day, Steven and I rented bikes and road through various parts of town. Steven shared with me many places of childhood - his old house, his old school, etc. We then climbed the steps of Mount Phousi. From atop Mount Phousi, you can see just about the entire town of Luang Prabang and surrounding mountain ranges. Beautiful views from up there.
Day 13 - Luang Prabang
On our last full day in Luang Prabang, we started with a quick trip to the
morning market. Each Asian city seems to have its own morning market which is filled with vendor stalls selling just about anything you could possibly need. From shirts, to cosmetics, to electronics, to food - including some “fresh kill” items you would never see in a US grocery store. I wasn’t sure what half the animal meat I saw was, but a lot of it still looked ready to get up and run away given a chance.
Later on in the day we got the chance to play tennis with the local players and then attended a party thrown by Steven’s cousin for Steven and I as well as another relative who was visiting. It too was really a great experience. Laotian musicians played their music, dancers were brought in to dance traditional Lao dances, and we met so many interesting people. It was really the highlight of our Luang Prabang trip for me.
Day 14 - Luang Pabang/Vientiane
Well, this marks our final day in Luang Prabang and we are starting in early (5:30 am) to give alms to the monks. Each morning, the monks walk the streets collecting their food for the day from locals who
Maison Souvannaphoum Hotel 3
Having some drinks and ice cream by the pool side with my cousin and hotel manager from who gave us a very nice room at the hotel.. Thanks Richard! line the streets providing rice, fruit, etc. for the monks. It was really a unique experience and one I’m glad we had a chance to participate in. Next up is Vientiane Laos. Until then…
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minh
non-member comment
5:30am on vacation!!
Are you crazy... just pay someone to wait outside for the monks on your behalf... lol