Luang Prabang

Shannon is sick today having eaten something bad, possibly the tasty chicken curry at dinner.

We spent the last two days in Luang Prabang, the famous tourist destination in Laos. Even when we arrived with Kenman, it was obvious that this city was wealthier than even the capital Vientiane. From the airport we were dropped off at Sisavangvong Road and made our way down looking for a hotel. We found Lan Kham Guesthouse with a balcony view out to the Mekong River for $50 USD.

You'd think Laos would be cheap, bring the least developed country we've traveled in South East Asia, but LP definitely is not. Over the years, tourism has raised the standards of living here and turned it into a place with streets lined with guesthouses, cafes and travel agencies. It seems like one sign-maker has a monopoly and wifi is ubiquitously available as tourists are now unable to travel without constant internet. Unlike other Asian cities, LP has managed to retain its relaxed atmosphere that everyone raves about in Laos. The market merchants aren't aggressive, the traffic is minimal and the streets are quite clean. That being said, the merchants seem less inclined to haggle, tuk tuk drivers can be found too readily and excursions end up being pricer than anywhere else in the vicinity.

After dropping our bags off at the hotel and enjoying lunch by the Mekong (not as romantic as it sounds as flies swarmed as soon a the food came), we wandered on foot, once again in the heat of the midday sun. Why do we do that all the time? There were a few markets stalls out and we saw the National Museum, but it was closed being a Sunday. We had a nap back at the hotel to cool down, had dinner and checked out the seemingly endless night market.

Because of how everyone seems to love it here, it felt like we were missing something in terms of sights or things to do, but the truth is, this isn't really a big activities city. Guidebooks and travel forums don't offer much help with itineraries either.

We set out on the second day with a plan. Hiring a tuk tuk, we went first to Tad Sae falls.

Definitely more spectacular during the wet season, it was really beautiful nonetheless. We went for an elephant ride, Kenman's first, and then played around in the pools. The limestone terraces were surprisingly not slippery and you could walk around on them without getting entirely wet. We watched other tourists after us "bathe" the elephants where they would ride the elephant bareback into the pools and get soaked. One Asian girlfriend didn't like it at all, but it was halarious to watch at her expense. On the way out, we got some bananas and sugarcane and fed the animals. Shannon was like a little kid trying to peel off individual bananas from the stalk fast enough to satisfy the reaching trunks.

We made a stop at a tourist Hmong village where we caught a glimpse of rural life. A path through the village was lined with tables of souvenirs where little girls were put to work saying to us foreigners "5,000," holding up five fingers and pointing to a friendship bracelet. I think some of the villagers were really desperate for extra income asking for "500" right off the bat for the same thing.

A rather long bumpy tuk tuk ride took us to Kwang Si waterfalls. This was a beautiful falls with the area around it covered to a picnic and relaxation area. We got there later in the day and the weather had already cooled of so Shannon didn't go for a swim. The rope swing landing front of the waterfall was too awesome for me to resist, and despite the chilly waters, I jumped in a couple of times. Further up the path is the towering waterfall. Shannon thought this waterfall rated right up there with Milford Sound falls. It was delightfully beautiful, I think the tallest in the country if not the region.

On the way back to town our driver picked up his daughter from school and dropped us off right at the night market.

Shannon loves markets. Unable to help herself, she stops at nearly every stalk looking through dresses and bags. Tonight, she made a few purchases and Kenman got a couple  of gifts as well.

We had dinner at an unlikely sounding restaurant The Pizza Luang Prabang, where I had pizza and Shannon had her fateful curry. Kenman ordered two identical dishes, one was just in soup, the other dry.

We made a booking to Nong Khiaw by slow boat. We originally planned to take the two day Mekong River cruise down to Huay Xai, but our unexpectedly accentless travel agent suggested that unless we were planning on crossing the border to Thailand, that there wasn't any point. So we decided that a trip up to Nong Khiaw and then Muong Ngoi would be more interesting, and then fly out of LP to Thailand. Arrival into Thailand by air gives you a 30 day visa as opposed to 15 by land (I guess they prefer wealthy tourists who can afford to fly).

Before bed, we realized that there would be no food on the seven hour boat trip so we frantically went back to the market for some muffins and fruit, as well as an ATM stop.

That brings us to today (Jan 31) Shannon going to the unwell all night. We thought about going on the cruise, but at the last minute, asked to change our ticket to tomorrow and checked in for another night at the hotel.