Luang Prabang....a cool place (and I don't mean temperature)

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Let me just start by saying that Luang Prabang has absolutely stolen our hearts. We decided to stay in extra day because we were enjoying it so much, which is one of the benefits of not having our itinerary completely set in stone.

Our first day in Luang Prabang we slept in and caught up on some sleep. We had Breakfast at this delightful little cafe in Luang Prabang called Joma's, which we have been back to twice since. I had a muesli with yogurt and fruit (which they grow out back) and Adam had a bagel with egg, cheese, and ham (needless to say he was a happy bear). We spent the morning exploring the main Wat in the centre of town. In the afternoon we took a van with 6 other people to Kuangsi waterfall. The waterfalls are about 35 kilometers outside of town and there are several different levels with lagoons that you can swim in. The water was very refreshing and we have some pretty amazing pictures to show for it.

On our way back to the hostel, we walked by an exihibit called "Stay another Day". It is an exhibit set up by the Laos government to promote environmentally conscious tourism in Laos. They outline all kinds of great ideas about how to make the best of your trip in Laos which was really cool. It has helped us to plan out our trip a little bit better and they even recommend restaurants, tour agencies, and tourists sites that have been approved as being sustainable and beneficial to the people in Laos. Laos

That night we checked out the night market and the food market. All the cities and towns in South East Asia have a food market where people are selling cooked meals, vegetables, meats, etc. As delicious as all the food looks, we haven't eaten from street vendors just to be safe. Even though we don't eat there, its still interesting to see what they are selling and making. The weirdest thing we saw was the entire face of a big that was smoked....gross.

This morning we got up and had omelettes and coffees at a Scandinavian bakery for Breakfast. When Adam was in Bangkok for his 11 day solo tour, he decided, not previously being a coffee drinker, that he wanted to try a plain black coffee to see what all the hype was about (and because he was reading a book written by the ceo/owner/founder of Starbucks). He has officially been converted to a coffee lover, more specifically iced coffee. He somehow always manages to find the most delicious coffee drink at any cafe we go to. Not to worry though, only one a day... he'd be boucing off the walls otherwise.

I realised yesterday that I had forgotten my bathing suit at the waterfall that we went to. I tried to look around town for a new bathing suit because I need one for the next town where we are going tubing (the floaty kind not the pull behind a boat kind) down a lazy river. There were no bathingsuits to be found so this morning we made the trek back to the waterfalls (poor Adam). I was in luck, my bathing suit was still there, so the trip back was worth it afterall!

When we got back we rented some bikes (with helmets of course) to explore the rest of the town. I haven't ridden a bicycle in awhile and I forgot how much fun they are. We initially thought that we would bike out to an elephant protection park, but were informed by the locals that because it is the rainy season, most of the roads are flooded and it is almost impossible to get there. We biked up to the highest point in the town instead to see the awesome view. Tonight we had dinner along the Mekong river. We could hear boats going by in the water even though it was dark. The boat drivers must know the river really well to be driving without lights.

Tomorrow we are taking an early bus to Vang Vieng (5 to 6 hours), a small town between Luang Prabang and the capital city, Ventiane. Vang Vieng is well known for the tubing that I mentioned earlier. We're planning to stay there for two nights before we head down to Ventiane. More soon!

Lots of love,

Nicole/Poke
xo

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