Luang Prabang

Trip Start Dec 01, 2004

Trip End Apr 08, 2005

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Flag of Lao Peoples Dem Rep Luang Prabang, Lao Peoples Dem Rep
Monday, February 21, 2005

We didn't feel lucky when we found our closet sized room for $8.00, but apparently we were. It was very cozy, with just enough room for a double bed and a ceiling fan. The window opened out into a hallway and overlooked a staircase. We had to share a bathroom. It was their last room. I wasn't impressed with Gino when he went ahead and said "We'll take it." without even looking at me, let alone asking me what I thought. We both went off without a word and took care of our immediate needs. He wanted to have a shower and I wanted to at least see what other rooms were available. There were guest houses everywhere lining the riverfront street. I walked next door and found a sign that said they were full for the night. A couple more feet in that direction I learned that rooms were going for $12.00 and up. Same story at the next guest house. Hmmm. I wondered if everything in Luang Prabang was going to be expensive.

Gino felt better after his shower, and I felt better after my price comparison walk so we decided to look around town and find a place to eat

01 - Food Market

. Within 15 min of our walk we bumped into Pearse and Amie and made plans to meet for drinks that night. Luang Prabang has a fantastic pedestrian night market full of beautiful souvenirs and art. The street is jam packed full of vendor stalls selling jewelery, handmade quilts, embroidery, t-shirts, lanterns, wall hangings and carvings, and tourists bartering over ridiculousy low prices. At one end of this pedestrian market is a wonderful food market selling traditional Lao dishes. It was our favorite place to eat during our stay in Luang Prabang. It's about the size of an ally - enough space for one car to drive down - and it has food vendors set up on both sides selling grilled meat, seafood, curries, noodles, soups, sticky rice, and a decent selection of vegetarian food. There are tables and chairs set up so you don't have to take your food away or eat it standing up. It was cheap and delicious and fun and we loved it because we kept running into people we had met throughout Lao. It was definitely the place to be.

Our time in Luang Prabang could have been spent more productively as there was plenty to see and do, but we just couldn't break the lazy spell Lao had on us. While we were there we managed to find more comfortable accommodation, browse a secondhand bookstore, stop by the Red Cross for massages and visit a waterfall. We loved not being on the tourist circuit, or trying to squeeze in as much as possible. With only a month left in our trip, we wanted to enjoy every minute, even if it meant not seeing as much.

We had some decisions to make about where we wanted to spend our last month away and thought the best place to do that would be a travel hub like Bangkok. For $18.00 each, we could travel in style on a V.I.P. bus from Vientiane to Bangkok, so we booked it. V.I.P. buses are double decker tourist buses with a/c, movies and a toilet on board. Sounded good to us.