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Other entries in Luang Prabang

Luang Prabang

4 nights in Luang Prabang.  First night was at Sayo River in an upstairs room.  http://sayoguesthouse.free.fr/ 

 Day 4

Well after booking in for our flight we thought we had won the lottery with seats 1A and 1B well actually  they were the worst seats I have even had to sit in.  We shock our way across the border and landed safety in Laos and waiting patiently while these other European idiots held up the officals over the cost of the visa "we got our visa organised 3 months ago so why do we have to pay the same as them"

Apart from that we got to our room, settled in had great view as the river across the road and went for a walk along the Mekong river which is quite high and flowing rather fast. Tthe riverside cafes are unable to use their lower area as it is under water.  The water level has actually dropped a  lot about 1 to 2 metres.  Anyway had some yummy chicken salad bagette and homemade apple cake with a Lao coffee that nearly blew my head off.  Some lovely smells and loads of handicrafts in the market area, will head there most night at this stage.

Day 5

Woke early again Graeme said the bed was like a brick`," Ok", was my reply, so off we set for some better accommadation and breakfast which we managed to find in no time.  We booked into the Lao Wooden House http://www.laowoodenhouse.com/index.htm (which we wanted to do originally but they were fully booked) It is lovely, smaller, but friendlier staff and it came cheaper and has internet and breakfast included  so we are here until the 18th.

Spent until lunchtime emailing family, We have had a friend pass away after a long illness.(Still hard especially being os).  Ventured into the centre of town which took maybe 3 minutes on foot and organised a big tuk tuk to take us to the waterfalls.  We arrived in this little village and walked down to the river, got in a long boat and chugged away to the falls, (photos to be attached soon, when Graeme wakes up, having a nap)   Then hauled our butts up to the falls,some of the paths were very slippery and some just scary, made of bamboo and twined/weaved together and the water rushing underneath maybe 1 or 2 feet below. But as you can see we survived.  Got back to our tuktuk and he had two other passengers, both Aussie girls from Sydney, one had hurt her arm when she fell in the waterfall and they could not ride their push bikes back to town.  Arrived back had a beautiful  fruit smoothie and chatted to the kids.  Had a relaxing drink on the balcony during a loud but rather short thunderstorm.

Headed back into the town centre for dinner.  Graeme tried a local Lao spicy fish dish and a beer while I had Fried rice chicken, the best fried rice I have ever had.  After parting with our 80000kip ($11) we moved thru the markets and picked up some sticky rice sweets and cake for tomorrow.  Had another smoothie and a banana pancake(like in Thailand) and am now writing this feeling as full as a gog and Graeme is SNORING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 Day 6

Todays adventure was the walking tour around town, checking out the Wats and other scenery.  It was hot.  First surprise was when we stopped for lunch at the same place we had breakfast at the day before and found that the river had dropped by a couple of metres since the previous day.  It looks like it was almost at its highest the day we arrived (and continued to drop, another 1-2 metres the next day).  Rumour is that it may cme back up again in the next couple of days from the rain in China, Vietnam & Burma.  And those places that were washing the mud out to open their "downstairs"restaurant areas did such a good job to. 

Anyway, back to the tour. And it was still hot. Saw a few interesting things but nothing too special.  I walked up the hill in the middle of town while Patti went back to the room.  She was the smart one - 400 odd steps, and the Lao are a smart people. No sign at the bottom that you have to pay - no, that would put people (like me) off.  No, they put the pay point half way up the hill after the point of no return.  Anyway, it was worth the pain - great views of Luang Prabang.  I decided to go down a different way and  was glad I did.  Half way down was a small Wat with lots of gold Buddha's that I didn't realise was there.  By now I'm looking forward to a shower & a nice cool Air Conditioned room but no, get back and the power was of so with no breeze, it was a sweat box.  It didn't stay off for long (or any of the other few times it went off) - welcome to Laos.

Day 7

The main activity for the day was a boat trip to Pac Ou caves where there are hundreds of Buddha's.  The cave itself wasn't much - ones of those things you have to do though.  The boat trip itself though was great.  Great scenery and lots of villages. Many small kids jumping out of tall trees into the river (to show off no doubt).  Had a bit of drama on the way back when the boat wouldn't start, but after a drift downstream to a village and a bit of tinkering with the battery, we were underway again.

Day 8

Patti wasn't well (B.T.D.T.G.T.R.) so I got up early to see the Monks receiving alms. An interesting sight to see a few hundred meters of the roadside with Monks lined up to receive their daily food offering from the people. Then down to the local market to check it out – we had been a bit late other days. This time it was a hive of activity and as with all local Asian markets, there were some unusual sights. Live carp lying on the ground, buckets of eels, a couple of cows feet, the open air “butchery” and lots of other local delicacies were interesting. The local markets are always worth going too as while they are similar, each one has that little something different.

Off to the airport at 9am for our flight to Siem Reap.

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