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Architecture
Typical Luang Prabang architecture, really pretty. I have heard many tails of nightmare journeys in Laos where people end up over the side of mountains or with armed gun men on their bus. Thankfully our journey to Luang Prabang was pretty uneventful in that sense. However it was one of my favourite journeys on the trip scenery-wise. We had a roller coaster like ride curving round and up the stunning green mountains.
Luang Prabang is a stunningly pretty town, it had a real French Colonial/New Orleans feel, with shutters on the windows and really pretty balconies. It is also UNESCO World Heritage Site...which means thankfully it has been lovingly preserved with strict building regulations, making it a really understated touristy place, rather than the garish places that I have seen before. There is a Watt on a hill in the centre of the town and everything sort of spans radially out from there. For such a small place, it is crammed with superb architecture, watts, waterfalls & gourmet restaurants. I have to say it kind of reminded me of Hoi An, Vietnam except without the Tailors.
We had a walk around and it was clear that we were not going to get accommodation as cheap
Clear Waters
So nice, but oh so teeth clatteringly cold! as we had in Don Dhet or Vang Vien. We managed to convince a hotel to let three of us squeeze into a twin room, which meant that we got to stay in a bit of luxury for not too bad a price. However, this meant one of us having to sleep on the floor...but I guess that is the price you pay for being a backpacker. It was the most gorgeous room, had a lovely balcony, a hot hot water shower, air conditioning, a television, a marble sink and really nice decor. I have to admit, it made a welcome change.
We went to the most stunning waterfall, which had light turquoise water pools like you see in the holiday brochures. Laos is a land of such splendid scenery, beauty just oozes out in every place I have been. After a strong hike up to the waterfall we were greeted with a wonderful view. While up there had a little walk through some forestation, saw some really interesting and unusual wildlife, had a David Attenborough monologue running through my head. Saw the weirdest looking spider that was shaped like a butterfly, loads of butterflies, dragon flies and even
Weird
Looks like a butterfly but is actually a spider. a snake which a local had to point out to me...I would have walked straight past. There was also a bear and tiger sanctuary there. Unlike ones in Thailand the animals were not drugged so you couldn't go in and get your photo taken, this pleased me. Some of the animals had really sad stories and were rescued on the brink of death. They were all happy and healthy and definately well taken care of. When we got back down we were all hot and sweaty from the hike, so we were rewarded with a swim in one of the water pools at the bottom of the waterfall. The water was absolutely freezing, but was a welcome respite from the heat.
While here I was lucky enough to meet up with some friends that I had made in Don Dhet and Vang Vien so we had at least one good night out. Like everywhere in Laos though, it has a curfew...had to be in bed by 12pm when everything shut shop. Luckily you could continue your nightly foray in the bowling alley. Yup you read correctly, I went bowling in Asia. It was the only place that you could
Water Wheel
Water coming from the waterfall get a cold Beer Laos after hours. Unfortunately, unlike the alleys at home they didn't have the bumpers at the side so I was pretty atrocious. Had lots of fun though and I guess its not all about winning ("that's loser talk"- I can hear you say, well ssh have to make myself feel better somehow).
There was a fantastic night market in the town where you could get really well priced locally produced goods. Of course you would have to bargain the socks off the stall owners...they're a shrewd bunch. Most of the fun of the markets though is the bargaining, it is always done in good taste with a laugh and a giggle, as I said before the Laos people have the best sense of humour. I actually didn't buy anything, but enjoyed the buzz, hustle and bustle so walked around with my friends while they did some shopping.
The food here was also amazing, we were treated to lovely dinners in European like restaurants, which after eating curry nearly everyday, was a relief. We even had a yummy pizza which was something I didn't expect to find. I'm not really a pizza lover, but really
Snake
Green camouflage is pretty good, but a Thai guy pointed this out to me. Would not have spotted it otherwise. like the proper thin based Italian pizza cooked in a wood burning stove. I certainly wasn't disappointed, even if I had nasty smelling garlic breath afterwards haha. Also got to have salad which is one of my staple foods back at home. Salads in the rest of Laos leave alot to be desired, except of course the fiery papaya salad which is delicious and I will be trying to replicate when I get settled. Nevertheless, our biggest culinary delight here was red wine, it had been months since I had tasted a sip of a good wine, it is the simple things in life that can please you so easily.
There were also alot of Watts to see in Luang Prabang, I saw tons of monks. There is something about those orange robes and their serenity that I just love. Apparently every morning at sunrise the monks gather in the main street to receive alms from people. As a monk you cannot beg, but what they do is they stand outside a shop or a house with a bowl and then people donate food to them. It is supposed to be an amazing site to see in the town
Up Above
The view from up above was worth the sweaty climb. The photo doesn't do it any justice really. as there is such a big population of monks here. Unfortunately I never got up early enough to see it, which I regret now.
I kind of realised that we were running low on time, so we decided to fly to Thailand on the infamous Laos Airlines. We had heard that it has one of the worst safety records of any airline in the world. I don't really think that the rumors are quantified because the aircraft was in tip top condition and all the staff seemed extremely professional. Perhaps because we were flying international we got a better plane... I was sad to leave Laos. It is one of my favourite countries that I have visited. I know I keep harping on about it, but the people here are just amazing, I just love the way they are so friendly, up beat and ready to have a laugh/joke all the time. I just wish I had more time to explore this wonderful country, I know I didn't spend nearly enough time there and didn't do the country any justice by only seeing a few places. I will certainly return here and would recommend anybody to go here too.
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