Rock-Awn Loves Laos

Get ready for a bit of a flurry of posts … I have a few things to say/share and am already anticipating a trilogy 😝 From the moment we landed in Luang Prabang (lovingly referred to as LP for short), we both knew we would like it here. We agreed that we were initially won over by the tuk tuks which are common to most countries in Southeast Asia, but were lacking in Vietnam.

It’s also much more quiet and laid back here after coming from Vietnam. For both of us, it feels like a mix between Chiang Mai in Thailand and Siem Reap in Cambodia (which for both of us were other places we enjoyed on separate trips). As we’re here for a bit longer, we’ve come up with two lists – a list of things to see/do and a list of things to eat. We’ve been steadily crossing things off the list and adding to it as the week has chugged on. So … what have we been up to as our week steadily draws to a close?

• Spending time simply taking in river life. Two rivers meet in LP – the Mekong and Nam Khan, and where we are staying there is easy access to both.

• Taking in the multitude of markets. So many things to see! There have been a few interesting and new to me things, especially in the food markets.

• A short walk up to Mount Phousi to see the sunset. On the way we came across some really sad caged birds that they sell for you to release at the top of the mountain. We were only able to free two (who we named Sakura and Nelson), but were hoping that not only were many more freed that day, but that birds like Sakura and Nelson didn’t end up back in a cage. The view from the top was great, and though the sunset wasn’t spectacular (as it is quite hazy this time of year), it was nice to be at the top earlier before it got too crazy. As the sun came closer to the earth, more people crowded up at the top.

• Taking bikes and heading a bit further out of the city. After navigating through traffic in Vietnam, this ride felt like a cake walk.

• The number one thing that everyone told us to do was to go to Kuang Si Waterfall. It’s about a 45 minute van ride out of town (over winding roads), where lots of people congregated, but it was well worth it and we wished we could have stayed longer. We did the trek up to the top, and though there was a much better view of the falls further down, it was quiet and we discovered a hidden gem. We came across a guy with a janky looking boat taking people to the “source” of the falls. We hadn’t heard about this, didn’t know what to expect, but were given a wonderful surprise. Our boat ride included us and another Japanese tourist. It was so calm, peaceful and the boat driver was just so kind and cute. The falls were beautiful, but this boat ride was definitely a highlight.

• Did some temple touring and went to the National Museum. LP is home to many historical temples and Buddhism is prominent in this country. I strongly resonate with these sacred places, so always love to visit some.

• Walked across one of the bamboo bridges. These bridges have to be rebuilt every year as they are washed away when the river floods and are only standing during the dry season. A bit sketchier than I expected it to be, but it appeared to do the job (and we were rewarded with a nice sunset on the other side)

We crossed a few other things off our list which I didn’t capture too many (or any) pics of. Had a Laos massage and steam (picture going to a steam room to heat up when it’s already 37C out). It was a great experience and made better by the fact that we ended up in a place where Lao people go. We also got up extra early a few mornings to be witnesses to the monk’s alms ceremony. I was super excited about this, but left with a strong feeling of discomfort. Not about the ceremony itself, but about how we as outsiders sometimes treat things like this. I’m going to leave that as a bit of a cliffhanger for now, as I’m hoping to get some of my questions answered tomorrow and possibly some of my discomfort relieved. Stay tuned for that next post and don’t worry . . . . . I didn’t forget about the food! I’m anticipating that will round out this trilogy of Laos posts!