The Old capitol

I: Luang Prabang is the old capitol of Laos, and it really shows in the french architecture (Laos used to be a French colony). It was the first real town we saw in Laos... all the others so fas felt only like villages, even if the population of LP is only 35 000.

Kuang Si waterfalls

From Nong Khiaw we took a tuk-tuk to LP. Normally a tuk-tuk fits about twelve people semi-comfortably, but this day apparently everybody wanted to get to LP, so the tuk-tuk was completely sold out. In the end I think we were maybe 25 in the tuk-tuk, and a German guy ended up sitting in the back on a steel pipe for the three-hour ride, because he couldn't fit to sit on the floor anymore. I can tell you that he wasn't very happy when we arrived. Me and Palo took our opportunity and went to sit in the front cabin with the driver. But even there it was quite crammed, because behind the driver seat, where there was an about 50 cm wide place, a middle-aged woman sat for the whole three hours. And she even looked quite happy when she was chewing on her chicken feet and sucking on her chicken brain (and as a good travel companion she also offered us some, but we politely declined..)

Ipa and waterfall

Luang Prabang itself we didn't find too interesting, although it was nice to see a real town again. On the night market in town it's possible to buy any kind of souvenirs, and again I was cursing in my mind that I can't buy all that I want. Outside the town there are a few attractions that we checked out, and we really liked the Kuang Si waterfalls (check out the pictures whenever they arrive :). But if anyone's going to LP, just skip the Buddha cave! It sounded really nice - a cave where they collect old, abandoned Buddha statues - but it's actually nothing to see. Just too touristic.

We also went on an elephant ride outside the town, and it really felt like something extreme because the chair we were sitting in on the elephants back was completely crooked and I felt like I was about to fall all the time. And I guess it didn't help that the elephant was walking up and down some small mud-covered hills, and we could see the elephant in front of us slipping... But we survived, and as always, on afterthought it was nice and we're already planning on doing it again.

Climbing is easy

Kuang Si "swimming pool"

Pak Ou Buddha caves

Buddha

View from cave

Entry to cave