Buddas, Caves & An Elephant On A Boat

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In the morning halflight the scenery looked stunning. If its feasable I think it would be great to do the whole journey back by bike... if only it wasnt the wet season. How about by kayak? Well apparantly it takes a week and costs a bomb... if only I could just rent a boat! Probably best that I dont.

I spent the morning wandering around town, before the second most important event of the day - lunch! I had a local Luang Prabang specialty - river weed fried with sesame seeds and garlic - a bit like Japanese Nori (but oilier).

After lunch I chartered a longtail and driver to take me up stream to see a few sights. To be honest most of the sights were unremarkable (apart from the fact that they all sold opium pipes, and a bonus of something to put in them when you bought one...). However the trip itself was lovely. Contrasting the Mekong at its delta in Southern Vietnam here it is surrounded by mountains. Bare rock cliffs stand high over stilted villages, and it is exactly how I imagined a river of such repute to be. One sight that will stick in my mind from today was that of a large cargo ship chugging down the river. Its decks were laden with logs - save for the very bow where stood a large elephant, no doubt a natural alternative to a crane!

And the town itself. Luang Prabang is potentially a very nice town. It has a quiet setting on the confluence of two rivers, is very green and there is limited traffic on the streets. But there are so many bloody backpackers here. Seeing the slow boat from thailand arrive with almost all white faces reminds you that this town is well and truly in the Lonely Planet, as is well on the self destructive cycle of popularity.

For Dinner I had a dish called Oklam - a tasty stew which featured blocks of wood as part of the seasoning! That was a first for me!...

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