Luang Prabang is a Unesco World Heritage City that was re-oped to tourism in 1989. The town has a sleepy vibe with wooden houses and french architecture situated on the expansive Mekong River. We truly enjoyed experiencing the magic of this town.. even if it was in 110 degree heat!
It is not the easiest destination to get to, which is part of the reason it has retained its charm. We first flew to Bangkok and then transferred to a propeller plane on a boutique airline to the Luang Prabang airport. Direct flights from Hong Kong and Singapore start later this year so we were excited to get there before it becomes "mainstream".
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| Required a bit of liquid courage for this... |
This was also our friends, Jac and Sara's "Goodbye" Trip (insert sobbing here). Well, we made sure their last Asian adventure was one to remember. The entire trip was incredible - hiking to surreal waterfalls, biking around town, sunset boat cruises, exploring night markets, Lao-tian massages, incredible new foods, and, of course, Wats (Jim's favorite).
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| View from our hotel, and the first of many delicious Beer Laos |
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| Bamboo Bridge |
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| Big Buddha |
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| Biking Around Town |
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| Jim sampling the local "dunkin donuts" |
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| Morning Coffee on the Mekong |
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| Mount Phousi Sunsets |
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| Monks on Tuk-Tuks |
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| Group Shot at the top of the Kuang Si Waterfalls |
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| Pulling a Michael Jackson and wearing a Blue Latex Glove #swimmingwithstitches #doctorsorders |
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| Kuang Si Waterfalls |
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| Best Waterfalls Ever |
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| Jac taking a picture of Jim, taking a picture of Jac |
However, my favorite day was the spent on the Mekong. We rented a private slowboat to take us up the river, with stops at a floating gas station, a floating restaurant, caves full of Buddhas, and a local village that made/sold their own Rice Whiskey.
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| Wild Turkey Crossing |
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| Snakes and Scorpions, Oh My! Lao Whiskey Village. Yes, we tried these. And yes, they tasted like gasoline. |
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| Making an offering at the Cave of Buddhas |
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| End-cap to the Day |
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| Night Market Shopping |
We were also fortunate enough to participate in a traditional almsgiving. In this sacred tradition, townspeople kneel on the street awaiting a stream of monks to offer them their daily alms. Our hotel prepared rice and hard-boiled eggs for us, and we were careful to abide by the rules - kneeling on the ground (not standing), not touching/talking to the monks. It was incredibly spiritual and I feel blessed to have taken apart of it. Definitely worth the 5:30am wake-up call.
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| All lined up - it was a quite a sight to see |
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| Monks - oldest to youngest |
I know we say this everytime - but seriously, one of our favorite trips and feel so lucky to
have experienced it with our friends!
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| Ultimate Relaxation |
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| Laos Travel Crew #travelincurries #keepingupwiththekoeglers #johnjack |
Until next time,
Jenna and Jim
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