Greetings,
Last stop we were moving forward from our familiar territory in Thailand to some new adventures in Laos. I had realized that most of my trip so far was in areas I have seen in the past, so I was quite excited to adventure into Laos. My first stop would be the pristine SE Asian destination of Luang Prabang. I had heard outstanding reviews of this city, and it absolutely lived up to it’s hype.
The trip first however began with a flight from Chiang Mai. In my haste, I made it to my gate at the airport without any cash in hand. I had assumed that there would be an ATM after immigration. Alas, I was wrong. The problem here being that Laos charges a cash visa fee of $42 USD, and I had no idea which orifice I was planning on pulling this out of. Thankfully on the 1 hour flight, I befriended a wonderful American from Seattle who was traveling with his wife. He loaned me the cash until we could exit the airport, and honestly, I don’t know what the story was if I didn’t have it. So, live and learn :).
Richard and his wife Mary joined me in a taxi to the Cold River Guesthouse. I settled in, and sat out to explore the town. Wow, what a place. Nestled into the banks of the Mekong and Nam Khan rivers, Luang Prabang has a rich history. Previously settled by the French during their reign of rule in Indochina, the local architecture is classic French colonial. To contrast this, there are beautiful Buddhist temples scattered throughout the town, and in the middle is a large hill with a beautiful temple, and wide view of the area.
The first evening I found myself to a restaurant next to the night market, which was overflowing with tourists. However, it didn’t feel wrong, as it sometimes does when tourism overwhelms the local culture. I had a sandwich on a delicious french baguette, another sign of the previous conquerors of the land. The first evening, I watched the people pass, and turned it early, not before mildly losing my way back to the guesthouse for brief adventure.
The next couple days would pass in beautiful peace. Being farther north, it was hot but dry, and the setting was magnificent. I sat overlooking the majestic rivers for hours, in an relaxed state of mind. I explored the temples and just wandered the beautiful town. I was interested in getting into the local mountains, and signed up for a 2 day trek to the local hill tribes. This was not to be however, as it requires 2+ peeps to head out, and nobody else would sign up for a the next couple days. To counter this, I researched other options in the area. Further north in the town of Luang Namtha, the real trekking takes place. I managed to get myself registered for a group of 6 leaving in two days time.
So my time in Luang Prabang was limited. On my last day, after being quite lazy, I rented a scooter, and drove the 32Km out to the legendary Kuang Si falls. As usual, the ride was breathtaking. Nothing compares to the freedom of flying through the open roads, by cascading rice fields, and high mountain views. The waterfall also was equally stunning. I wandered around a bit, and took a leap into the frigid turquoise waters.
That evening I packed up my gear, and went to bed a bit early in prep for the 6 am tuk tuk that would pick me up to take me to the bus station. I was facing a dreaded long 8+ hour minivan ride in Laos, and I needed to be on my game for this one.
See you soon in the jungles of Luang Namtha.