More time in Laos

view Nam Khan River from a lunch spot

Laos has been such a pleasant surprise.  Much of our time was just spent wandering the streets of Luang Prabang looking at the architecture and studying the people.  We ate by the river several times- the cool breezes felt great after boiling in the hot, humid air all day.  One night we went to Tamarind, a restaurant that promises traditional Laotian food.  We split an appetizer of five different dishes- pork sausage, water buffalo jerky, a chicken with coriander (cilantro), and two things wrapped in banana leaves.  I loved everything but the cilantro-laced one (bleh).  Then I had "young pumpkin" which I'd call squash, but it was drenched in coconut milk and ginger.  Delicious!  My favorite thing, though, were the frozen coffees, a Coolata-like beverage that cut the heat day or night.

Upper Cave

After the waterfall day, it rained.  A lot.  We'd planned to go to the caves with discarded Buddhas up the river, and once the raid let up a bit, we started out to find a boat.  It was harder than expected, but we finally found a guy with a pretty dilapidated longboat, and off we went.  The ride was delightful- cool
breeze, not sweating, and the lull of the engine.  I admit to falling asleep.  The caves were pretty disappointing.  It was wet, and I thought that the Buddha statues would be bigger.  Most of them were pretty small.  We stopped at a Whiskey village the way back, where the community tried to sell handicrafts and  liquor.  It wasn't my favorite, but our captain really enjoyed the whiskey and sticky rice.  He put headphones in and sang to himself all the way back home.

That afternoon we crossed the river on the local ferry.  Seeing the little kids heading home from school was adorable.  I wasn't into anything else on the other side of the river.  It was peoples' homes, their private lives.  I felt like an intruder.  So I know all the guidebooks say you should go there, but really, I'd recommend staying away.  Let people leave the tourists behind when they go home from work at the end of the day.

Mama and Baby Maxi

We spent a day at the elephant village, which was one of those once-in-a-lifetime experiences.  We heard a lot of talk about how terrible these elephant preserves could be, but I was very pleasantly surprised.  The animals were well cared for, with no prods anywhere in sight, and there were strict limits on the amount of time they spent with visitors.  We did the one-day mahout training, which meant more time with the elephants.  We learned how to ride them, then did a ride in a seat, then after lunch rode the elephants into the water.  My elephant was pretty playful, and you could see the bond she had with the mahout who rode along with me.  It was pretty awesome. 

Streetside fruit stand

Our last day was dedicated to souvenir shopping and taking photos of the local scene.   I was sad to be leaving such a tranquil place, especially since the forecast for Hanoi wasn't any cooler. 

Waterfall relief

 The famous Koung Si falls beckoned us as a way to escape the heat.  We asked at the desk and they recommended hiring  a driver in a van rather than taking a tuktuk.  It was a little more expensive but still very reasonable, and I'm glad we did.  The road was curvy and bumpy, and it rained on the way home.  The driver was so nice- he pointed out his house and daughter as we went by, and told us a lot about the fields and animals we were passing.  It took about 45 minutes to get there.

 

At the falls you pay an entry fee and then walk through a small reserve for Asiatic bears before arriving at the bottom of the falls.  The bears are hairy.  

You start at the bottom pool of the falls and the work your way up the path to the left of there river.  A few spots had areas for swimming. Several people were setting up to sell food for the day.  We decided to go all the way to the biggest fall first, before the rest of the tourists arrived.  Julie wanted to climb all the way up. I did not- my stomach was a little off and the van ride hadn't helped.  I hung out at the bottom while she climbed the stairs up.  It took about an hour until she got back.  We then decided to swim. The water was so cool and refreshing.  I loved it.  We sat on the edge of one of the falls for while just enjoying the feeling of not sweating.  

We shared a snack - granola for me, Julie tried sweet basil lays (they were pretty gross) and then talked to some girls from England who were also there.  It was great people watching overall.  Lots of Laotian families had come up for the day since it was a weekend.  They had elaborate picnics spread out on tables.  Once we got really hungry we went back down to the street outside the falls, where we had skewers of delicious chicken and ice cream bars for lunch.  Julie bought a sticky rice basket from one of the shops and then we headed back.  It started to pour on the way home, so we hung out at the hotel until it stopped and then headed up for dinner and more marketing.

We meant to go to the View Khmer Kong restaurant for dinner, but accidentally went to the one next door, called LPB food.  It was good and the view was beautiful.  The sun set across the river behind the mountains.  I tried Beerlao, which was not terrible.  It's a light lager.  

Overall the drive through the countryside great fun. We saw more of how the locals live, some of the farming including growing sticky rice and bananas, and several large waterbuffalo. There were also little kids playing soccer in the rain- including a naked boy who was very shocked to see a car come around the corner! It's such a beautiful country.

Luang Prabang first impressions

We arrived late last night and didn't get to see much of the town, so this morning we wanted to explore.  Our hotel has another great breakfast buffet- I'm thinking of opening a restaurant in Boston called "Asian hotel breakfast"- pancakes and bacon, friend rice and noodles, all alongside fresh fruit and made-to-order noodle soup and omelettes.  It's a genius concenpt.  

We went first up the Phousi hill to the temple at the top.  It was a long, hot climb up the stairs.  I am so sick of being soaking wet with sweat! My clothes are just never dry.  The view from the top was beautiful. You could see the two rivers as well as the mountains beyond.  Laos is nothing what I expected.  The city feels spacious and clean, and the standard of living in what we've seen is quite high.  I imagine it changes a littler further away, but from a first glance it's a lovely place.  On the way down we took the back stairs, though a set of Buddha statues for each day of the week.  There was a monk there taking photos like us.  When we told him we were American, he said "oh, Independence Day!" So cute.  The final stairs down had white naga railings which were a whimsical touch. We ended up by the other river and walked back up to the center.  

 

We went to the national museum, which consisted of the royal palace and a pretty wat.  This was the first time I've ever taken my shoes off to go into a museum! The throne room was decorated in mosaic scenes from daily life in Laos, and the wat was done in green and gold.  Toward the end of the tour I realized that my capris had completely worn through, shredding really, so that was back to the hotel to change before lunch. I was annoyed; it was only the second time I've worn them. 

We had lunch on the river, a cute place with some breeze.  Then we walked to the end of the peninsula to see the famous Wat Xhieng Thom.  It was so hot.  I was dying.  They were doing construction at the wat so it was rather underwhelming.  We took some pictures, but I couldn't really enjoy it. On the way back to the hotel we stopped at the 3 Nagas, a highly recommended restaurant that had lemongrass mojitos on special.  They were amazingly refreshing! The heat was really just oppressive.

We hid in the AC of the hotel for a bit before heading out for dinner. People apparently eat late here, but we eventually ended up back at 3 nagas. 

Our final activity was the night market.  The night market here in Luang Prabang takes up a whole street for blocks.  Many of the sellers had the same goods, but we found some gems mixed in.  I made a list for gifts for people but didn't buy anything today.  Julie got a picture of a bodhi tree drawn by a young art student.  

Overall Laos has been a pleasant surprise, and I hope it cools off enough to appreciate it more in the coming days.