Luang Prabang, Laos

Feeling a little bit better, we got up early and checked out of our quant room with the cute crafting woman and traveling free-sprits and took a tuk-tuk to the bus station, where we bought our bus ticket for the 6 hour journey to Chiang Rai. We opted not to stay and explore this little city, and instead purchased a ticket for the local bus the remainder of the way to the border of Thailand and Laos. The local bus was hot and bumpy, complete with oscillating fans hanging from the ceiling for air circulation and a wood floor. Locals hopped on and off through the small villages we drove through, and since they call the stops, it’s very common for a local to get off on one corner, only to have another local halt the bus a few meters up the road for their desired stop. We roll our eyes every time this happens, as if in these tiny little villages and towns are big enough for multiple stops.

We paid 3 times as much for the 5-minute tuk-tuk ride from to the border immigration offices as the 6 hour bus ride. Extremely frustrated, I begrudgingly got into the back of the ridiculously priced tuk-tuk. Immigration closed only a few hours later and we were two of 5 people at the office, immediately received exit stamps, and took the shuttle bus over to Laos, where we just as quickly received a Visa on arrival and were ushered to a guesthouse by ‘the only driver here’ as another driver pulled up. How convenient. At least his quoted price was much more fair than our previous ride, and he recommended a place that was walking distance to the pier, where we would continue our travel the next morning.

The room was comfortable, but not nearly as close to the pier as the previous nights driver claimed it was. We stopped for boat snacks and take-away lunches (‘to-go’ doesn’t translate as well), split a nutella and peanut butter baguette, and boarded the long, wooden boat for day 1 of a 2-day journey to our destination.

Day 1 was 6 hours of fairly smooth sailing on a fairly questionable boat. The motor was huge and completely exposed, a giant piece of shaky metal spinning and twirling belts and whistles to propel us down the river. The exhaust was intense, and the heat was almost as bad. Luckily, the boat was totally open air, so the warm breeze caused by our slow pace kept the exhaust floating with the wind down stream. Minivan seats made up rows, 2 by 2, and people picked a better seat than they were assigned, causing a musical chairs conundrum to find a set. Between reading and writing, we watched the beautiful scenery pass by as we bounced from shore to shore, swinging in to boat stops like a racecar drifting into a parking spot, and met warm smiles and waves from the children playing and bathing in the dirty river. We were greeted by the normal sales staff pushing rooms, picked a nice woman, and rode to our little guesthouse on a sidecar of a motorbike driven by a timid teenager who spoke little English. There was no one at the house to take our information, so Will elected to write it in what looked like an official record book as I handed over the cash to our chauffer. I think we could have stayed and left without anyone knowing we were there.

The next morning, bitter coffee consumed and take-away lunches packed, we boarded the boat again, this time finding better seats further from the smokey motor, and settled in for our second 6 hour cruise. The ride was very similar, although slightly less enjoyable since we’d experienced 6 hours of it the day before. We were dropped off 10km outside of town, which is odd, considering all of town is on the river with plenty of launches and docks for boats. Forced to pay the additional and also ridiculously priced ticket (in comparison), we obliged to the well-planned transportation scheme and rode to the guesthouse our friends the Orlando’s recommended for our stay in Luang Prabang.

The driver swerved the tuk-tuk to the side of the road, tossing our packs down from the roof and pointed down a small side road, implying “that way to your guesthouse.” We thanked him as we started walking “that way.” We walked and walked, eventually making it to the end of the street, with no sign of our preferred spot. We tried the next road over, again with no luck, and popped our head into a few places to ask availability. Sweaty, tired, and slightly irritated, we agreed to a kind man’s offer for a room, and for $6 a night, stayed in one of only a handful of rooms he rented out, his family living in the remaining rooms of the large home. Clean towels were delivered daily, along with a freshly made bed, and cold bottled water was free for the taking.

While exploring Luang Prabang, we discovered we were nowhere near the Oralandos’ recommended spot. In fact, we were about as far from it as we could be, on the opposite end of the main street. Lucky for us, it’s a small town, an easy walk from end to end, so we didn’t miss out on anything. We liked the family and neighborhood, a convenient location to many riverfront restaurants and little corner stores, and only 1 street over from the ample morning market. Obviously, the driver had no clue where to take us. Or, he completely misunderstood us. Who knows.

Luang Prabang is a quaint and charming little town, lined with French influenced architecture and traditional Laos wooden homes. The entire town is a UNESCO World Heritage City, well maintained and clean compared to many other areas we’ve seen.

We walked through markets, rode bikes through riverfront roads, ate lost of Luang Prabang Salad and Lap, and simply experienced the little town. Per an amazing recommendation by The Orlando’s, we spent a day at the Bamboo Tree Cooking School, where Linda the chef took us on a culinary adventure from fresh picked produce to plated meals. We made an incredible spread of local specialties well beyond the basic fried noodles and rice. Our favorite was the chicken stuffed lemongrass and bamboo, lightly fried and served with a sweet and tangy sauce, but the table was overflowing with incredible flavors. We prepped and cooked with 10 others, sharing our meal together and cheersing to our handy work with Lao-Lao, a local rice whiskey sipped straight with a bite and a burn all the way down. We took the recipe book home with us, and plan to recreate some of our favorites when we return.

Like many cities we’ve visited, the Wats and Temples are quite impressive, delicately ornate and glitzy. We rose early one morning to watch the almsgiving; locals (and tourists who paid for the experience tour) line up along the streets, waiting for the monks to pass 1 by 1, accepting the food offerings as their only meal for the day, blessing those giving alms as they go. It’s a peaceful and beautiful scene. We were in Laos during burning season, when the fields and mountainsides are all set ablaze prior to the rainy season, when those same fields become lush and ideal for new planting and growth, but the massive amounts of fire and ash leave the air smoggy and dreary, a constant haze over the earth that the sun cannot penetrate. It makes for blazing pink and orange sunsets, and the orange fabric the monks drape over their bodies pop against the dreadful backdrop. It was a stunning scene.

We biked to a noodle shop close by for a delicious bowl of noddles, and continued our exploration of the city. We stopped at a cute little spot for happy hour, that quickly turned into happy hours, across an extremely structurally questionable bamboo bridge to the other shore of the Mekong river. The spot was tucked in the trees, fluffy pillows for seats and low tables opened up for hot-pot style ‘fondue.’ No cheesy Melting-Pot goodness, so we passed, but the set up was pretty neat.

Luang Prabang’s night market is starts with a row of food stalls, and we picked a cute woman who offered an all you can plate buffet style for about $1. We piled what we could onto our plates and grabbed a few drinks, and shared our overflowing bowl of fried noodles, friend potatoes, fried eggs, fried spring rolls, friend chicken, fried everything. It was delicious, and a friendly and stubborn cat clambered right onto our laps, meowing and almost succeeding more than once at helping himself to our bowl. He was cute and extremely persistent, so Will through him his leftover chicken skewers, the only un-fried piece of food on our plate.

We rented a motorbike to carry us outside of the city to a spot recommended by the sou chefs we cooked with at Bamboo Tree. We climbed the Kwang Si waterfall and splashed in the pools, enjoying the cold water I contrast to the sticky heat. Little fish were not afraid to nibble your feet, and daredevils hurled off rocks and tall tree-limbs into the deep, icy pools below. We opted to responsibly (and most boringly) enter the water from the edge. Not only do the little fishes weird me out, I am a huge baby when it comes to water temperature. Just watch me attempt to get into the lake on the 4th of July. You’ll be lucky if I make it in before the fireworks end.

Just before the waterfalls pools, there is a small bear sanctuary, housing Asiatic Moon bears, a cute, small variety in danger of extinction. The sanctuary saves bears who have been mistreated or hunted, giving them a playground and comfortable place to call home.

We woke up early for a bowl of noodle soup and hot coffee (with sweetened condensed milk, duh), before boarding our bus to Vang Vieng. Another long but uneventful ride later, we arrived at our second Laos destination.

From Luang Prabang, with Love,

Sara + Will