Leaving Thailand behind, it was off to Laos and my first stop, Luang Prabang, in the north of the country in a valley where the Mekong and Nam Khan rivers meet. The view of the surrounding area coming in to land was breathtaking! Probably one of the most scenic landings I've ever had; rolling hills, jungles and mountains everywhere with the rivers winding in and out of them. Needless to say, I couldn't wait to get through customs etc, although for such a small airport, it was challenging! Most people on the plane who were non-residents, had to complete a separate form and apply for a visa there and then. The queue was long and they require a passport photo, only take American dollars or Thai Baht as payment for the fee, so it was lucky I had enough on me or I would have been screwed!
The journey to the hotel was picturesque and I could already see I would love this place. I decided to treat myself for one night and stay at the Luang Say Residence 5 star hotel which is rated as number 2 on Trip Advisor for the whole area, is an all suite hotel and only 24 rooms. It was absolutely stunning, an old French colonial style building, the grounds and pool area were stunning. The room was huge and had the old shutters on the windows, even bunny rabbits hopping around the place which was random!
After a day of chilling around the pool and afternoon tea which was delicious but endless (an all-you-can-eat!), it was time to pack up and head to my next hotel for 4 nights which was down the road and closer to the town, called Maison Dalabua. This place was equally as nice, very quaint and built around natural lillie ponds in a really picturesque setting. My room was over the lillie ponds like a water villa but much less expensive than those in the Maldives! That evening, I headed into town, about a 5 minute walk and to the main street which is pedestrianised each evening for the Night Market. Unlike most markets I've been to in Asia, this one was really well presented with most stalls having something completely different to offer, whether that be arts and crafts or food. Everything was really well presented and even the food was homemade. I have never seen bakery stalls like those at home with homemade cookies, cakes and muffins. Yum!
The next day I had a lazy lie in, spent some time in the pool and hired a bike that was free from the hotel to go out exploring. Luang Prabang is pretty small, so I managed to cycle all the way around and back down the Mekong river in a few hours. The town is dotted with temples so I parked up, stopped along the way and paid to go in to the National Museum and the temple in the pics below. The main street is equally pretty, lots of small stalls and bakeries and the whole place has a very chilled, laid back vibe about it which is nice. Much less commercialised than some of it's neighbours. I passed Mount Phousi where there is a temple at the top where I was told I must go for amazing sunset views. I dropped the bike off, got a tuk tuk back to the temple but by the time I legged it up (a lot of steep steps!) the sunset was nearly over! So, thankfully I got their early and did it the next day!
The steps up to the top of Mount Phousi are a lot but the view is spectacular! I got there around 4.00pm where there were a few people, but by 5.00pm when they sun goes down, there were lots! Luckily I had a prime viewing spot where you could see the whole town and the Mekong river in one which was amazing. I do love a sunset!!
The following day I was up to meet the same Tuk Tuk man who had taken me to the temple as he gave a me a good deal to take a private trip to the Kuang Si waterfalls out of town. It's about 20 miles or so into the jungle and I think I felt every bump that we went over, but it was fun just hanging out the back of this old Tuk Tuk! I just watched out the back as we went by lots of villages and over some rather own rickety looking wooden bridges with the sweeping mountains in the background. As we parked up, he got out and put some rocks by his wheels....the brakes weren't working properly. Now he tells me! ha!
The trip to the waterfalls was so worth it! Waterfall after waterfall running into each other and the colour was a real vibrant blue which was really nice. You can swim in some of the pools so after I worked up a sweat walking around, I climbed on to a big tree trunk and followed what others did, jumped in! It wasn't the warmest but pretty refreshing!! Similar to in Thailand, there are fish in the pools that nibble on your feet! I walked up to the main big waterfall and had read on a Trip Advisor review to walk up the side of it to find the 'secret' pool. Well, some of us had clearly read the same reviews as we walked up a lot of steps, up a long stairway that was covered in water from the falls and climbed to the top. I lost my flip flop on the way so had to come down barefooted! I'm glad we chose to do the trip here early in the morning as the crowds had started to arrive from lunchtime when I was leaving.
That evening, I parked myself up in a lovely restaurant (of which there are loads!) and had some local food. I chose the Lao Lao garden which is a typical style of restaurant here which goes back a long way, candles and lanterns everywhere, wooden buildings and in the open air. I made sure I dosed myself up on mosquito repellent again and they are everywhere here unfortunately (in Northern Laos, not the restaurant!).
The next day, I was up early at 5.00am to go and take part in the Alms Giving ceremony with the local Buddhist monks which you can read on my other blog entry. I came back to the hotel and had a local Laotian massage which is actually pretty similar to a Thai massage. Around 4.00pm I walked down the Mekong river to jump on one of the many boats for the sunset cruise which was recommend online. Lucky for me, we were the only two people on board so it was pretty much a private trip! We left at 4.30pm and got back just after 5.30pm so had a great view of the sunset from a different perspective this time as it disappeared over the mountains by the river.
Luang Prabang was a real surprise to me as I didn't know what to expect. It's a lovely, peaceful place with great food, friendly people and loads of temples with stunning scenery all around. Next stop is the capital, Vientiane, and the smallest in Asia. Fingers crossed this will be a good end to my fantastic time in Laos!
