leokelly

Thursday 16 Jan 2020 Preparing for our trip - 6 days countdown - should we start packing? So tempting to get those backpacks out.... read more

Up early today for our local trek, estimate roundtrip length, 15kms. We are delayed due to the low cloud, so our early breakfast intention becomes a late slow one, as we sit with our newly acquired friends. This is actually a bonus as Paula books us an exclusive private river boat for the 4/6 of us for our return on Sunday at a time that suits us and only £30 between us. We leave after a very average breakfast, eggs, eggs, eggs, eggs, bread, or pancakes, although Leo, having a sweet tooth, did enjoy his banana and custardy pancake. We set off along the only road out of town, to walk through the Mountains Via ? Caves where the Villagers used to hide from the B 52 Bombers then on to the tribal village of Ban ... read more

Rising early at 6.30am, we need to pack smart today. We are spending three nights and days further North/East and only want to take a small backpack each, plus Leo's Tilley Hat and one walking pole. We will be returning to our Luang Prabang Guest House on Sunday for our final night in Laos, before we head homebound to Cyprus, and the Manager has happily agreed to store our main 14kgs larger luggage pack until our return - yes, we will have travelled Asia for 6 weeks, with only this amount/weight of stuff, very commendable, we think. So, having purchased our minivan tickets yesterday, we are breakfasted and sitting out in front of accommodation, awaiting pickup. As usual, things are running a little late, but we expect nothing less, that's experience for you. A Jumbo Tuk-Tuk ... read more

Bit of a restless night, quite humid and hot, in spite of fast-speed fan. No complaints though, remembering we are here partly to escape the brief but cold Cyprus Winter. A light breakfast later, and we make plans to spend the day in town. First stop, Mount Phousi, a top 'must-see' tourist recommendation. Meaning Sacred MountIn in Lao, it's the best-known landmark in Luang Prabang. Again, it's teeming with visitors, but we decide to start the ascent, fighting for space to climb the 378 steps to the top, where "That Chomsi " sits, a 24m high 4-sided Stupa. We guess its about 200 meters high so not really a mountain, and bearing in mind the Monkey King Hanuman carried it there from Ceylon, guess it's just as well. Cameras out to admire the views, not the ... read more

We leave our hotel a bit later than scheduled this morning, as our Canadian traveling companions, Frank and Joanne, are staying on the other side of the river, which entails a two way trip across the wooden suspension bridge, which having a one-way flow takes almost an hour. It's the only route out of town. Nevertheless, we are on the road before 10am and after thanking our hotel's very helpful Manager for his help in liaising with our transport and driver, we are on our way to Luang Prabang, the cultural capital of Laos! The official distance is about 185kms and by booking a private minivan between the four of us, and taking the 'new road', route 14, we hope to shave off 2-3 hours from the average journey time, arriving after around 4 hours. We ... read more