Ah, Luang Prabang. The sigh of relief came naturally when we realized this quaint town was much like Hoi An (maybe even better). We opted to fly into Laos since apparently the only other option to the northern part of the country was by sawngthaew. While it appears fancy, the word means converted pickup truck. We may be “roughing” it, we did not consider jostling our bodies on metal benches with minimal protection for the supposed 10-hour journey from the Vietnamese-Laos border. Flying in we got a glimpse of the countryside—emerald green forests with rugged limestone mountains that live in harmony with tall palms and native tribes.
The night market off of the main street sells a variety of handicrafts from soft cotton souvenir t-shirts to handmade textiles and Lao silk scarves and wall hangings. All of the items laid out on red cloth and neatly folded displayed a wide array of bold and bright colors. Luckily, there is no buyer’s remorse here because any purchase you make is considered lucky to the seller. We realized this when Katie bought a pair of fisherman pants and the woman took her money and touched each remaining item with the bills before placing them in her pocket.
The main street was lined with outdoor seating at cafes to treat the sweet tooth and delicious restaurants specializing in Lao cuisine. The first night we sat on bean bags at a wine bar and sipped on a nice drop, which was something we hadn’t enjoyed since our time in Brisbane.
We spent a day in Luang Prabang exploring the town’s wats (Buddhist temples) by bicycle. We started off at the most impressive one, which sits at the end of the peninsula where the Mekong and Nam Khan rivers meet. Wat Xieng Thong was built in 1560 and is covered primarily in colorful mosaics and gold leaf painting. We kept with tradition and wore appropriate clothing, took off our shoes before entering, and only addressed the monks with a bow and prayer-like gesture. That afternoon we did our part for charity and enjoyed an hour-long massage at the Red Cross.
The following day we went to the All Lao Elephant Camp and enjoyed an hour long elephant ride through dense jungle. We walked through creeks, knee-deep mud, and even got several feet deep in the river. Both of us got to ride on the back of his neck and get plenty wet when he playfully splashed his trunk in the river. As a thank-you we bought two banana bushels and spoiled our elephant for her hard work. After lunch we boarded a bamboo raft and floated down the river to the Tad Sae waterfalls. However, it wasn’t that simple. The raft barely floated and somehow managed to fit six passengers who all sat on black inner tubes since the 28 bamboo sticks were submerged underwater. For the hour long ride down the river we were all killing or flicking a number of creepy crawlers that decided to come out of the woodwork. Brady found two snails suctioned to her body and spiders, beetles, crickets, lizards, and other many-legged creatures snuck up on us from all angles. While the water was a bit chilly, we enjoyed hopping from one waterfall tier to the other. On the way back to town, we drove through two rural villages and got a glimpse of their thatched hut lifestyle and lack of modern amenities that most Laos people live without.
Before catching our bus to Vang Vieng, we woke up at 6 am to partake in the daily routine of feeding the monks. We bought a bowl of sticky rice, bananas, and other food items and set up a mat to await their arrival. They walk down the main street in a single-file line with a canister that each person fills with a pinch of rice and whatever else they had to give. As women, it was respectful for us to kneel when giving them food. At the end of the procession, the monks put all of the offerings together and split it evenly.
Those who visit Laos say the tourist experience is similar to what a visit to Thailand or Vietnam would have been like 15 years ago. As one of the world’s most bombed countries, Laos is also Earth’s least developed country. We would realize the latter on the long and windy bus ride south. Despite that tragedy, the mixture of an untouched and serene geography with their warm and genuine people has made Laos one of our favorite countries...already.
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