Sunday, January 9, 2011

Journey up the Mekong: Luang Prabang

It would be really easy to get stuck here. Really easy. I've already been here for six? eight? no...nine days. And I could stay a few more weeks. Or months. And in all honesty, I haven't really been doing much.  I did bike 40 miles out to a waterfall (for some reason I thought it was going to be flat...but no), so I think that makes up for my eight days of not doing anything.

Excellent coffee, magnificent views, baguettes, real cheese...but the real gem is the people. So far, people in Laos (I suppose I'm generalizing - people in Luang Prabang) have been the most welcoming, friendliest, and kindest I have ever met. 

Swimming here was awesome. Especially after the longest bike ride of my entire life. 

The wall between foreigner and local seems to be a little shorter here. I celebrated New Years with the family that runs the guesthouse (and they refused to let me compensate them for the copious amounts of beer I drank), spent the day yesterday exploring caves and temples across the river with a local student I met while volunteering at an English conversation center, and even bargaining at the night market is always done with a chuckle.  The tuk-tuk drivers are not as aggressive - maybe they're all stoned? (They sell much more than just tuk-tuk rides).  The other day I accidentally gave 1000 kip (about 12 cents) too much for a bottle of water to a woman who runs a small shop outside of her home - and she came running down the street after me to hand me my 12 cents. Again, I'm generalizing, but I don't think that happens much in Thailand (or China).

Only one more full day in Luang Prabang. I really wish I had more time to explore more of Laos - obviously my view is limited being in this touristy, ex-French colonial town (hence the baguettes) - but without a doubt I am returning.

Goodbye good food, friendly faces and people not trying to rip you off at every opportunity. Hello, China.

Forgot to mention the 10,000 kip ($1.20) vegetarian buffet at the night market. Best. Thing. Ever.
Posted by at

3 comments:

  1. LindathornquistJanuary 9, 2011 at 9:11 AM

    Sounds Heavenly!

    ReplyDelete
  2. BuzzJanuary 10, 2011 at 9:44 AM

    You're probably just heading out, but it sounds like you'll be sorry to leave Luang Prabang. I hope that's how you feel about many of the places you've been. Somehow, if you hate to leave time will metamorphize the place and stay into a memory worth re-telling as the years go by, and each re-telling will have something in it for the listener, but something small but very speical in it for you too.

    ReplyDelete
  3. alexisJanuary 11, 2011 at 8:52 PM

    AH! lets go back there ASAP and I will come too.

    ReplyDelete

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)