Loving Laos (Part 2 - Luang Prabang)

After our short stay in VV, we took a minivan to Luang Prabang, a UNESCO world heritage site. The ride was long (7+ hours), butt numbing and back breaking. We were glad we took the van as the journey involved long, winding and mountainous roads. Thank goodness we made it to LP safely, for we had an aggressive driver who was overtaking trucks and buses at high speed despite the narrow winding road and dark driving conditions.

We stayed at the Apsara hotel along the bank of the Nam Khan river. It's a lovely hotel, the best we stayed in during our entire Laos trip. And it wasn't expensive at all - only US$95 per night for 3 pax including breakfast!

Some pics of the hotel with us girls posing.

The hotel never failed to surprise us at breakfast with their delightful variety of homemade preserves. We got 2 different flavors every day for 3 consecutive days - pineapple, tomato, tamarind, mango, papaya and banana! My personal favourite was mango while SY & Gan loved the tamarind!

We spent 4 nights in LP and I felt that we could have stayed another day or 2, easily! In terms of sightseeing and activities, LP had a lot to offer. The town has retained its old colonial charm despite the hordes of tourists visiting. There is a night market every night from 6pm to 10pm selling traditional handmade ware and knick-knacks. We shopped there for 3 consecutive nights and bought stuff every time! And if you fancy a hike, climb atop Phou Si hill for a breathtaking view at sunset! Of course, one cannot leave LP without witnessing the procession of monks in the alms-giving ceremony taking place every morning at dawn.

LP at dusk

Monk-parazzi fever hits LP!

On one of the days, we hired a tuk-tuk to take us to Kuang Si waterfalls, about an 1 hour from town. Swimming in the icy cold waters of the waterfall provided a reprieve from the afternoon heat and we also enjoyed watching the ang moh boys taking swings and plunges into the pool. On our way back, we stopped by a traditional Laotian village. When they saw us, the young village lasses screamed and scuttled back to stand by their stalls as we walked through. Each pleaded with us to buy a little handmade something from them. Interestingly, we paid 5,000 kips (US$0.65) for a friendship band at the start, 2,000 kips (US$0.25) in the middle and a measly 1,500 kips (US$0.20) at the last stall!!

Kuang Si waterfall

Beautiful people at the Hmong village

On another occasion, we joined a half-day tour to Pak Ou caves and Lao whiskey village. The boat ride took almost 2 hours one-way! The Pak Ou caves are noted for their miniature Buddha sculptures. I recall reading in a guidebook that there are about 4,000 sculptures in total within the caves?! There wasn't much to do at the village but we did try the locally brewed lao-lao (whiskey), which tasted kinda grosse. If you're into exotic drinks, you can also buy a bottle of preserved wine made out of snakes, scorpions, bear paws, etc!

Please do not leave LP without tasting Laotian food! Somehow, the local food at LP seems to have been tweaked to suit foreigners' palates. We had traditional food at Kualao in Vientiane and the food was too herby for our liking. At LP, we enjoyed every dining experience. Go to the back alley near the night market for incredibly cheap buffets (only 10,000 kips (US$1.25) for all-you-can-heap-on-a-plate!), street snacks and grilled food. Tamarind and Tamnak Lao serve the best Laotian food, and Saffron cafe has the best coffee in LP.

Last but not least, a collage of my favourite photos. From top left, clockwise: Girls from a neighboring school engaged in a game of zero point, old shoes and peeled bananas sun-tanning on the pavement, scooter gal and her sister, old-fashioned bicycles with pretty baskets for rent, a comical looking dog and a little girl getting distracted while her mother was setting up stall at the night market.