Luang Prabang

A common site in Luang Prabang

To change gears a bit, Kaelin and I spent a few days in the relaxed city of Luang Prabang in Laos, where monks and tourists were present in almost equal measure. The interesting thing was that we saw more monks texting than tourists. Talk about shattering pre-conceived notions!

Luang Prabang is a UNESCO world heritage site thanks to its combination of traditional Indochinese and French colonial architecture. The remarkably preserved architecture is also accompanied by some stunning Buddhist temples.

Trees that are said to house the guardian spirits of Luang Prabang

Beautiful detail on a temple

A temple kitty

Kaelin, admiring the architecture

Sunset over a temple

Situated on the banks of the Mekong and Kahn rivers, Luang Prabang has an interesting vibe that is a distinct mix of Asian and French cultures. There are French cafes and restaurants that line the riverside, while two blocks away there is a vibrant night market where you can haggle for local goods and eat traditional Lao cuisine for a dollar a plate.

Fresh fruits for sale at the day market

Lanterns for sale at the night market

Silks at almost every stall

Paper umbrellas are also a traditional Lao craft

Paintings and lanterns for sale

More lanterns. What can I say? They make for pretty pictures.

Massive quantities of food at an unreasonably low price.

Laos is known for its textiles and silver, both of which were in ample evidence at the market. I restrained myself and only bought a silver bangle, but was awfully tempted by the magnificent silk scarves on display.

Gorgeous bangles, of which Kaelin and I both now own one!

We were fortunate enough to stay at a guest house that overlooked the Nam Khan, providing us with picturesque views to accompany our breakfast.

Our breakfast table

River view

We made friends at our guest house

A lao-Lao drink with coconut milk and blue Curaçao

On our last night there we decided to head out to the local hot spot: the bowling alley. For some reason, and no one seems to know why, the bowling alley is a popular after hours club that is the only place in town allowed to stay open past the curfew of 11:30pm. The bowling alley is located outside of the main part of town, and being the budget travelers that we are, we opted to walk to it, as opposed to paying $6 for a tuk-tuk. This was, unfortunately, an unwise decision. We found ourselves walking down an unlit highway, with no shoulder, in the dark, with a large ditch on the other side of us, without a map. Needless to say, our expedition did not end well. Not only were we covered in highway dirt, but we also failed to find the bowling alley. Thankfully it was early enough that the other clubs and pubs had not closed down yet, so we made our way to a place with the slogan "Drink like a fish for the price of water". Drinks made with the local rice whiskey, lao-Lao, were $2.50 a piece, but were also two for one. At that price we opted for two drinks each without realising that lao-Lao is 50% alcohol and that each drink was made with a very generous shot. Our guest house was nearby to the bar, which was fortunate since we were stumbling just a bit as we walked back.

The second lao-Lao drink that was likely one too many

If nothing else it was certainly a memorable way to end our time in Laos! After Laos we made our way to Cambodia to see Angkor Wat, which will be the subject of our next post.