Upon arriving in Luong Prabang we were completely unsure of what we would find. On one hand it was a UNESCO World Heritage Site, but it was also nestled right in the center of an extremely underdeveloped, poor, and communist country. We hopped off the boat with our new German and Finnish friends in tow in search of a guesthouse for the 3 nights we were planning to stay in the city. We found some rooms at a lovely family run guesthouse for a mere $2.30 each per night. We freshened up quickly and were off to find some food! One turn onto the main road and we were all in love. The town is a slice of charming paradise in the midst of the beautiful jungle. Surrounded by 2 rivers, it is lush and bountiful, and being once French occupied, has all the charm and class of a 1950's French provincial town. We were in heaven. We found a cute outdoor cafe decorated with dangling lights and plants galore and settled in to enjoy a delicious Lao dinner of Mekong river tilapia cooked in a banana leaf with sticky rice- yum! We wandered the streets a bit after dinner, exploring the town and looking for a lively place to sit for a drink, unfortunately this is where we learned of the town's strict 11:30 pm curfew, so we retreated to our guesthouse for an early night.
The next day we set out to explore the town by day and look into possible excursions or day trips. We didn't get far before a tuk tuk driver offered to take us to the big waterfall just outside of town for just 50,000 Kip ($5) each-sold! We ran home to get our bathing suits and an hour later were hiking through the jungle in search of the Keung Si Waterfall. On our way we came across an Asiatic bear sanctuary with about 15 bears lounging in trees and playing in ponds. When we came across the waterfall we were blown away by it's beauty. Multiple tiers of cascading water, it looked like someone released a flood gate and the water was just spilling down the mountain. There were 3 different pools where Lao people and tourists were happily swimming together. One pool had a big rope swing and a ledge here people were jumping off the falls. The water was quite cold, and little fishes constantly bite your feet when you stand still to eat your dead skin off. It was pretty creepy feeling things bite your feet but not knowing what it is. After a couple hours of swimming we headed back to the hotel to shower and head out for dinner. We had a recommendation from people we met on the slow boat to try some traditional Lao Lao BBQ for dinner, so that we did! We found a cool little restaurant with a great vibe and ordered a BBQ plate to share. Next thing we know they were bringing us a giant bowl of fire and a grill to put over it. We put the meat on the grill and the veggies in the boiling water around it an had ourselves a delicious meal. We were supposed to meet our Finnish friends at a cool bar we had heard about, but just as we were leaving the restaurant the rain came, and damn did it come hard! So we ran into a restaurant to enjoy a cocktail and wait for the rain to pass. Eventually it did, but that was the most intense rain I have ever witnessed! Insta-flood type. We finally made our way to the Utopia bar, an awesome environment full of floor pillows and westerners, plus an outdoor area overlooking the Nam Kong river. Because of the 11:30 curfew, all bars are required to close by 11 pm, so we were kicked out back into the pouring rain! We ran for the main road, hiding under rooftops when we could, and hailed a tuk tuk to take us to the "after party"- a Laotian night club. What a weird place. The only one in town, full of Lao people standing still and watching the 20 white people present dance like crazy people. Not my kinda thing. We gave it a shot, but after 20 minutes were out the door headed for home.
We woke up with big plans for the day, renting bikes to tour the city and going swimming at a cool pool bar in town! We got our bikes and began our ride, quickly deciding we would just ride the bikes to the pool instead of taking a taxi there. After getting directions 10 times, making 300 wrong turns, riding 25km uphill and out of town, 3 hours later we found the pool, just as the sun was setting. As soon as we ordered our drinks and went to sit down, our German friends we had met in Chiang Mai arrived at the pool to join us! We enjoyed a few mango daiquiris and a little sun before half-drunkenly riding back into town. We freshened up and were off to the night market to enjoy a street food dinner that we had heard so much about. It was an all you can eat buffet for just $1, so we piled up our plates and took a seat, ready to indulge. The excitement ended there when I began to eat my first bite and noticed a giant wiggling maggot in my noodles just before they went in my mouth! A few gags and a lot of water and deep breaths and I had calmed myself, but there was no way in HELL I was touching that plate again. We continued on our way, strolling the streets and temples by night before ending our walk at Utopia again to enjoy a wonderful atmosphere and a tasty beerlao.
Our last day in Luang Prabang was just to see what we hadn't yet seen. We roamed around town, photographed many temples, rivers, people, etc. Stopped at a bookshop to read disheartening books on the sex trade in Asia. We capped our afternoon laying on the outdoor couches of the patio overlooking the river at Utopia where we enjoyed some bruschetta for lunch and coconut juice straight from the coconut. We read our books, watched the sunset, and had a little nap before going back into town for dinner. Seeing as it was Halloween, we felt obliged to return to utopia for our final night and for what they promised to be an "amazing Halloween party". Well, it wasn't, but it was still great fun hanging out there as usual, and it still allowed us to have an early night in!
The next morning we were up bright and early to fit in our daily "American breakfast" at the bakery nearby before loading up in the jankiest minivan ever for what turned out to be the scariest ride of my life! Next stop: Vang Vieng!
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| our cozy cute restaurant |
The next day we set out to explore the town by day and look into possible excursions or day trips. We didn't get far before a tuk tuk driver offered to take us to the big waterfall just outside of town for just 50,000 Kip ($5) each-sold! We ran home to get our bathing suits and an hour later were hiking through the jungle in search of the Keung Si Waterfall. On our way we came across an Asiatic bear sanctuary with about 15 bears lounging in trees and playing in ponds. When we came across the waterfall we were blown away by it's beauty. Multiple tiers of cascading water, it looked like someone released a flood gate and the water was just spilling down the mountain. There were 3 different pools where Lao people and tourists were happily swimming together. One pool had a big rope swing and a ledge here people were jumping off the falls. The water was quite cold, and little fishes constantly bite your feet when you stand still to eat your dead skin off. It was pretty creepy feeling things bite your feet but not knowing what it is. After a couple hours of swimming we headed back to the hotel to shower and head out for dinner. We had a recommendation from people we met on the slow boat to try some traditional Lao Lao BBQ for dinner, so that we did! We found a cool little restaurant with a great vibe and ordered a BBQ plate to share. Next thing we know they were bringing us a giant bowl of fire and a grill to put over it. We put the meat on the grill and the veggies in the boiling water around it an had ourselves a delicious meal. We were supposed to meet our Finnish friends at a cool bar we had heard about, but just as we were leaving the restaurant the rain came, and damn did it come hard! So we ran into a restaurant to enjoy a cocktail and wait for the rain to pass. Eventually it did, but that was the most intense rain I have ever witnessed! Insta-flood type. We finally made our way to the Utopia bar, an awesome environment full of floor pillows and westerners, plus an outdoor area overlooking the Nam Kong river. Because of the 11:30 curfew, all bars are required to close by 11 pm, so we were kicked out back into the pouring rain! We ran for the main road, hiding under rooftops when we could, and hailed a tuk tuk to take us to the "after party"- a Laotian night club. What a weird place. The only one in town, full of Lao people standing still and watching the 20 white people present dance like crazy people. Not my kinda thing. We gave it a shot, but after 20 minutes were out the door headed for home.
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| Asian Bear Sanctuary |
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| Waterfall |
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| go Jaim! |
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| Hmong Village |
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| 3 year old doing laundry!? horrible |
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| Lao BBQ |
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| bike riding home from the pool! Not sure what was so funny... |
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| with Nadja! |
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| with Hannes! |
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| with Viky! |
Our last day in Luang Prabang was just to see what we hadn't yet seen. We roamed around town, photographed many temples, rivers, people, etc. Stopped at a bookshop to read disheartening books on the sex trade in Asia. We capped our afternoon laying on the outdoor couches of the patio overlooking the river at Utopia where we enjoyed some bruschetta for lunch and coconut juice straight from the coconut. We read our books, watched the sunset, and had a little nap before going back into town for dinner. Seeing as it was Halloween, we felt obliged to return to utopia for our final night and for what they promised to be an "amazing Halloween party". Well, it wasn't, but it was still great fun hanging out there as usual, and it still allowed us to have an early night in!
The next morning we were up bright and early to fit in our daily "American breakfast" at the bakery nearby before loading up in the jankiest minivan ever for what turned out to be the scariest ride of my life! Next stop: Vang Vieng!
I think this is one of your best travel spots so far. The pictures are gorgeous! Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteHaha, why the need to put those adjectives with the fact that it's a communist country?
ReplyDelete