Loving Luang Prabang

A short one hour flight from Chiang Mai on a small prop plane lies Luang Prabang, located in the mountains of northern Laos. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, Luang Prabang is considered the best preserved town in SE Asia and was loved by all of us, including the twins who found a lane of playmates every afternoon in front of our guesthouse. We were able to walk to all parts of the city and spent hours exploring the temples, lanes, historic properties and waterfalls in the area. Six days flew by quickly although we were pretty tired of Lao food when we left. Massages were $4/hr. and food was delivered by a lady with a cart down the lanes every evening. French baguettes were crisp and delicious and could be made into sandwiches at several stands near the evening market. The evening market was a feast for shoppers but could be a nuisance if you were trying to get from one end of town to the other quickly. Venders set up every day at 5pm with beautiful crafts and tourists clogged the street shopping. The morning market was quite special with the locals buying their produce, fish and meat for the day, including guinea pigs, snakes and a weed gathered from the river that is made into a thin, crisp cracker. You haven't tasted rice cakes quite like the ones drying by the side of the street. The exhaust from the tuk-tuks seems to give them a special flavor.

Every morning at 6am the monks do their procession for alms, lots of color and solemnity. Trips outside the city include a temple in a cave on the Mekong and a very impressive waterfall with swimming possibilities. Transport is in the back of a red truck on bench seats or in a tuk-tuk, a small cart pulled by a motorcycle, or even a bike for the fit. Now with a fresh visa for Thailand we are good to go for another month.