Luang Prabang, Laos

Luang Prabang in Laos has been refreshing in that it's a small town, completely pedestrian friendly, even in the evening hours, it's safe to walk the streets. Plus the monks, throughout, we enjoyed observing the Giving Alms Ceremony. The icing for the kids were the waterfalls at Kuang Si!

Day One:

We flew in, checked in and enjoyed a fabulous dinner at a restaurant of Friends without Borders and the sunset.

Our flight in, really enjoying the mountain views.

Cloudy and not really a true sunset...enjoyed a beer by the Mekong River.

Our first Laos meal is a winner! Khaiphaen, yum! Our only mistake, we complete over ordered.

Day Two:

We had a long and fabulous day today, seeing so much of Luang Prabang, starting at 5am with the Monks ceremony of Giving Alms, to Waterfalls and a bit of restaurant hoping.

How do you like this angry face!?!? We woke the kids up at 4:50am, dragged them out of bed, then made them sit and wait for the Giving Alms Ceremony. The waiting was agonizing for them...oh boy...price to pay for this.

Giving Alms. Monks ceremony. Luang Prabang, Laos. Really a special ceremony to watch. We sat back and enjoyed from a distance, being determined to not be one of the horrible distruptive tourists that we saw.

VIDEO: Laos. Luang Prabang. Monks offering ceremony.

Tuk Tuk ride to Kuang Si falls. There's a lot of use of the term tuk tuk around here. This is clearly a pickup truck with suped up covered seating in the back. Comfy enough for us. Kids loved riding without a seat. I did NOT, but managed to sit back (enough) and enjoy the ride.

Kuang Si Waterfalls. It continues to get better and better.

Kuang Si Waterfalls. Bliss. Really just surreal in beauty and you can swim here!

Can you spot my little boys in that waterfall? It's so fabulous to swim here. A lot of the water pools are closed to preserve the falls and for safety, but a few are open for swimming and it's beautiful and refreshing to escape the the HEAT of Luang Prabang.

K, close up now. They had a great day, kids being kids.

A pano of the top of the falls. It's really so pretty.

VIDEO: Kuang Si Falls. Laos. Luang Prabang.

Our patient driver waited for us. We needed a cold one for the 45 minute ride back to our hotel.

Bamboo bridge across the Nam Khan River.

The bridge is only up six months of the year. During rainy season the river is too high to support the bridge, so it's broken down. Think about that? AND one family constructed this bridge. There's a small fee to get across of 5,000 Kipp (the exchange rate today is 8,200 Kipps to the US$).

VIDEO: Bamboo bridge. Luang Prabang, Laos.

A little reward of cool drinks across the bamboo bridge at Dyen Sabai. Nice restaurant with floor seating on pillows. Wish we could have been hungry when we visited... This seating was no shoes, that's pretty common in Asia. Temples and a lot of Hostels, local Hotels are shoe-free, there's a shoe rack upon entry. Gotta take those shoes off! It makes a difference, much cleaner floors.

What should we order? These are the types of experiences I was so looking forward to. Having to mime and point to figure things out. There's no way we can pretent to decipher this without some schooling. Plus the exchange rate is difficult to do in your head. All good lessons for the boys.

I told you we had a long day. Couldn't possible miss the night bizarre. So many colorful items to purchase, all calling my name....

We'll revisit this on Monday. Good perspective building. It's a sad fact that Laos is the most bombed country. We'll visit the UXO Museum to learn more soon. It will be sad, but I want the boys to learn history and really understand how fortunate they are, appreciate their lives and build compassion. More to come...

Dinner at Utopia!

Day Three:

We flew in, checked in and enjoyed a fabulous dinner at a restaurant of Friends without Borders and the sunset.

GOOD Coffee. Thank you Saffron. We've been on the hunt...and found a farmer, coffee roaster. Yup, kinda like us. Nice!

We're off. Boat ride down the Mekong River to the Pav Ou Caves.

The boat ride is breezy and scenic. It's a 2-hour ride to the caves with a stop at Whiskey Village... Whiskey Village is where they make the Lao Lao Whiskey distilled with Snakes or Scorpions or all sorts of other critters. We observed, no whiskey for us. More perspective?!

Pier into Whiskey Village...I love these kind of adventures.

The Lao Lao Whiskey!

Arrived. The boat ride is the best part. Through picturesque mountain ranges and jungles. Nice and breezy and peaceful. Almost too peaceful for the boys. Ha, ha!

VIDEO: Mekong River boat ride. Luang Prabang, Laos.

The inside of the Pak Ou Caves. Filled with Buddhas.

Dinner at Bamboo Tree, which also offers cooking class. Dinner was so good...we're considering another cooking class tomorrow.

Day Four:

Our last day in Laos is today. We'll visit the UOX Museum, wonder around town, perhaps do a little more shopping...then fly to Hanoi, where our friends awake us.