Luang Prubang

We just arrrived in Luang Prubang around 5 p.m. today and already I'm in love. There is the most chill vibe in the air here. People are friendly, all the shops look lovely (with uniform wooden signs I might add), and they sell nutella-banane crèpes on the street. What more do you need? Actually, what more would you expect from a city that is a world heritage site? I see myself staying here for several days. I was lucky enough to meet a great group of people on the slow boat - two women from Argentina, one man from Brazil, and another man from Belgium. Two of them are a couple, so I shared a room in Pakbeng, Laos last night with Maria and Cristiano. We're also sharing a room here, which is great. Traveling alone is cool, but companionship is also cool, not to mention the added benefit of splitting the cost of a room.

The boat ride was lovely... and slow. The shores of the Mekong are lined with mountains and forests and tiny fishing villages along the way. There were mostly farang on the boat, but a few locals would hop on and off at various points. Almost every time we pulled into shore a crowd would gather. I had heard that Laos is even more beautiful than Thailand, both in terms of the country and the people, and so far this seems to be true. Tonight we walked the night market, where we also ate, and it seems that good food is just as plentiful here as it was in Thailand. The handicrafts, although repeated in some fashion from one stall to another, seem to be of higher quality as well. And the great thing is that the vendors are really quick to drop their prices. All you have to do is stand up and they're knocking 5-10,000 kip off. (One dollar is about 8,400 kip, so this visit will be a test of my math skills.) This is great because unlike some people, I don't really enjoy bargaining.

So, more to come. Right now it's off to shower and meet some lovely English ladies that I also met on the boat. This trip just keeps getting better. :)


Morning on the Mekong.


Women and children greet our boat.