Love in Luang Prabang

We left Vang Vieng to embark on a long, windy, but insanely beautiful drive to Luang Prabang, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Unfortunately, I had to keep my eyes closed for a majority of the drive to avoid getting sick, but trust me when I say my glimpses into Laos living in the mountains is simple, but absolutely gorgeous.

Upon arrival Mick had spotted a sign for coffee oreo milkshakes so we headed (AKA ran) there and delighted ourselves with shakes and the first of many Laos sandwiches ( French bread... Oh. Em. Gee.). Refueled and ready to go, we were ready to take on Luang Prabang. Having 5 days to spend there, we covered a lot of ground, so to break it down, our trip consisted of meandering, monks, markets and.... Being fatties (shocker!)


Meandering: We strolled up and down the cobblestone streets, admired the French architecture, oohed and ahhhed at the breathtaking views from both the Mekong and Mae Kok Rivers, and popped in and out of shops and galleries. The town was so darling and so charming that we happily spent our days wandering around. Our little photographer, Mick, enabled us to meet a lot of locals and have some chats and we even scored a free concert from Mr. On, who was playing a Laos instrument in his home. He brought out some plastic stools and entertained us with his tunes for the next 30 minutes. One morning we jumped (and wobbled) on a shabby little boat across the Mekong and explored the village of Chomphet, where we were led by cute little children to a secluded Wat about 1000 steps up (I kid...I think). I loved the fresh, old, cozy feeling that the town had, so meandering the streets was the perfect way to experience it.

Monks: The monks in Laos are much more friendly and a whole lot more eager to practice their English, so we spent a lot of time this week chatting with monks from various Wats. Luang Prabang is lined with gorgeous, and quaint, Wats, and we spent a good chunk of time wandering through them. By chance, and by pure luck, we happened to get to Luang Prabang during Boun Lai Heua Fai, or the Festival of Lights. All of the temples were filled with hundreds of lanterns, candles and boats made of bamboo, that were later paraded down the main road and into the Mekong River. It was such a stunning sight and we were so happy to be able to witness the monks lighting their candles and going absolutely wild with fireworks, firecrackers and sparklers. For 3 days straight, the town was filled with lights and lanterns and the crackling and popping of fireworks. Rocket launchers filled the sky, giving the appearance of dozens of shooting stars at any given  time. It was definitely a happy time to be there. And of course, as the main toursist attraction, we woke up one morning at 5:30 am to see the procession of monks during the alms-giving in the morning. We may have slept a little too late and witnessed only 5 minutes of it, but it was still enjoyable.

Markets: Who knew that Luang Prabang would have a pretty epic handicraft market? A little too epic... Let's just say that maybe too much time was spent here and my suitcase is going to be a little harder to pack. On the other hand, the morning market was a different sight to see. Frogs, pigeons, chickens, snakes, bats, cockroaches, turtles and worms lined the street, twitching in their last minutes. It was a little too much for me, but Michaela had a field day with the photo opps.

Being fat: Naturally, we ate our way through the town. Both the Laos options and the Western options were irresistable, and so I chowed down on local cuisines like laab, som tam and loads of sticky rice, while also indulging in sandwiches and pizza. Yum! Being the charmers that we are, we made friends with the waiters at various places, and maybe took it a step too far by creating a heart made from the melting wax of a candle and gave it to one of them. One restaurant even held an Ethnic Fashion Show, displaying the various styles of dress from all of the Laos people. It was pretty awesome!

Luang Prabang made me smile. I fell in love with its people, its food and its gorgeous views. It was sad to leave and say goodbye to not only the city, but also to Michaela and Sarah, as we all went our separate ways. I dreaded the long journey ahead of me to Siem Reap, but I still had a day of Vientiane to look forward to and maybe one more chocolate croissant.

Mr. On!

Morning Alms

Fashion Show

Pretty Lanterns

Pastry Binge and Machetes

Border crossings are usually stressful, but luckily, the Friendship Bridge into Vientiane was easy peasy and after a short time, I was on my way into a land of baked goods...I mean, Laos. Before coming to Thailand, I knew little about Laos and didn't have much of an interest in it. But, after hearing travel stories from backpackers and learning more of its history (and the destruction the US caused upon it during the Vietnam War), I was really ancy to get there. It definitely lived up to, and for sure surpassed, anything I had envisioned.

After wandering the streets to find a hostel, we dumped our bags off and basically ran to one of many bakeries.Within an hour of being in Laos, I was happily eating a sandwich and lemonade. As much as we wanted to go cafe-hopping, we knew we should explore the area, so we strolled through the streets, popping in and out of shops, galleries, and Wats (and many monk chats!) before succumbing to cafe #2. What can I say? I've been deprived in Thailand. We then set off on an epic walk around the town and made our way to Patuxai, a beautiful gate that resembles the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. The three of us thought it was gorgeous, but apparently the city disagrees. The description on the structure calls it 'a concrete monster.' Sad! We continued meandering through the streets, observed a pretty large carnival, drank the best chocolate milkshakes in the world and then called it a night. It was a quick visit because we were leaving the next morning for Vang Vieng.

Unfortunately, Vang Vieng is known among the backpacker crowd for its ridiculous drunken tubing scene. There is a beautiful river in the midst of lush green mountains and small town Laos, and it is now filled with drunk backpackers raging throughout the day and night. Luckily, the scene was pretty easy to avoid and we opted for a more local and scenic tour. We took a 9 mile trek to the Blue Lagoon. The long walk was absolutely breathtaking and gave a huge glimpse into Laos living. As we made our way through the mud and dirt paths, we came across kittens, puppies, cows, water buffalo, pigs, and cute little chldren playing with machetes. It was really cool to see and interact with the Hmong people living with basically nothing. We took the time to "chat" with some people and to take lots of photos of the ridiculously pretty surroundings. By the time we made it to the Lagoon we were more than happy to take a dip in the serene waters.

After roughing it for the day, we found one of 20 or so restaurants that aired episodes of Friends all day and night, and enjoyed some food with Ross, Rachel, Phoebe and co. Vang Vieng had done us good. It's definitely sad to see a town, so rich in culture and beauty, taken over by backpackers, but Vang Vieng is still able to retain its true identity and we definitely took advantage of it. So far Laos had really stunned me and I was totally crushing on it. And when we arrived in Luang Prabang, I was done for. It was love at first sight.