Lao Lao
Trip Start
Nov 08, 2008
1
16
20
Trip End
Jan 17, 2009
Luang Prabang,
Lao Peoples Dem Rep
Saturday, January 3, 2009
The day after New Years, Nancy and I flew from Chiang Mai to Luang Prabang, Lao People's Democratic Republic. Descending through the clouds into Luang Prabang offered jaw-dropping views of the ragged, green-carpeted mountains, whetting my appetite for exploration of places outside of the town.
The immigration official in the airport was the cheeriest of any immigration official I've ever encountered anywhere. Welcome to one of the friendliest countries on the face of the earth.
After checking into the same guest house I stayed at last year, we wandered down to the market and down the alley where Jim and I ate steaming bowls of noodles to take a seat at one of the tables and enjoy Khao Soy (another kind of noodle dish)
01. A terrace by the river, Luang Prabang
.The following day, we managed to track down a friend of a friend just before she left for a wedding in Vientiane.
On a trip to the local Phousy market, I happened to stumble on demonstration site for Ock Pop Tok, the organization that supports village weavers and fabric production. Sample of the beautiful textiles were available for sale (as they are at the organization's shops in the center of town), but the outlying site offered demonstrations of textile production, from the live silk worms and spinning to looms producing yards of fabric to hand-painting on hemp cloth. Nancy, a textiles lover in good standing, was enthralled.
Back in town, we ascended the 300-plus stairs to the top of Mount Phousy and its small, scenic wat (temple) for the panoramic views over Luang Prabang and the mountains beyond, under sparkling sunshine.
Throughout the day, I was trying to decide whether I would leave Nancy to enjoy her shopping in Luang Prabang and venture up the Nam Ou River to a village called Nong Kiaw (key-oh). Just before a fine dinner at Tamnak Lao Restaurant, I finally decided to do it and booked a minivan to the village, with the intention of taking a slow boat down the Nam Ou to return to Luang Prabang.
The die was cast.
Comments
Material Girl !
Nancy -- Wow! I'm stunned by the intricate fabrics!! They're absolutely works of art! Love ya... Kristi