My mom calls it "LAY-OSE". Many travel specialists call it "the next Hot Spot." I call it a slow-paced sojurn of full of culture and calmness. It was definitely an active and intriguing week & I can now check off "spend a week in a communist country" from my things to do list. Laos is a beautiful country and most agree that it is what Southeast Asia is really all about. Some even say the cities we visited are what Chiang Mai used to be like 20-30 years ago. The city of Luang Prabang (we spent four days there) is actually a World Heritage Site - so there are no tall structures, streets are cobbled, and there are mad restrictions on new construction.Differences between Laos trip and Cambodia trip: 1)Laos was cleaner w/less begging 2)Cambodia (apart from Angkor Wat) actually felt more 'real' and less touristy 3)Transportation was more expensive in and around Laos (thanks communism) 4)Laos has a curfew of 11:00PM 5)Our guest Gail was fascinated with silk purses in Cambodia; our guest Liz was fascinated with silk-making in Laos.
Sleepy streets of Luang Prabang
Similarities between Laos trip and Cambodia trip: 1)They both boast their national beer AngkorBeer (Camb) and BeerLao (Laos) 2)Both trips could have been shortened by a day or two-there's only so much to see 3)We saw the capitals first (Phnom Penh in Camb/Vietieane in Laos) than knocked out the more touristy spots (Siem Reap in Camb/Luang Prabang in Laos) 4)Those darn French were everywhere 5)The Mekong is one big river!
Mekong Riverside
If you want to read an accurate description of the Laotian trip - please visit Amanda's blog. Some days it didn't feel like we did much, even though the Sisters Fairly insisted on waking up earlier than most humans should every morning! And for the first time since I used to rock Bugle Boys, I was in bed at 9PM. But I didn't go to sleep till after midnight thanks to some new Godfather novels I'm caught up in. But that's what Luang Prabang seems designed for - "chilling out, maxing, relaxing, all cool" <--- name the song that partial lyric is from!
Amanda about to make the quietest capital in the world, Vietiane, a little LOUDER
Water buffalo, NOT the Redskins' O-Line from the 1980s
You can't take pictures from inside, so I'm happy with this tele-zoomed shot!
Liquid paradise
Amanda and Liz
Falling water
Amanda and I (look how my English done got better!)
Please see Amanda's blog for all the adventures we had on the transportation front. Food and lodging were also unique. The strangest thing I ate was Dried River Moss. It was kind like a bland tortilla chip. The best thing I ate (actually drank) was a Mulberry Fruit Shake. My mom says she can't believe all the strange food I'm trying. It's out of necessity, ma! There are no Laos-mberti's nearby! I'm glad we splurged and got a comfortable room during our stay in Luang Prabang. We stayed in a very neat old French Mansion. Correction, we stayed in the former servants quarters of the mansion. Still, quite cool and a perfect setting for BeerLao and some cards. I can't believe the Fairley Girls have never played blackjack. Or maybe they were setting me up for a hustle...
Monks collecting alms at dawn
Outside the Sayo Guesthouse - servants' quarters
Statue at our guesthouse
2 Fruitcakes and 2 Fruit Shakes
I'd love to be able to write a more descriptive recap, but they are working me hard my last remaining days here. I also have to squeeze in packing, enjoying time with Amanda, and Thailand's most celebrated holiday - Songkran. This 3-day holiday is a water festival to celebrate the Thai New Year. It starts tomorrow and it should be absolutely NUTZ. The best city in the whole country to see/experience this is in good ol' Chiang Mai. It's a weeklong water fight & vanilla faces like myself are the biggest targets. Amanda already got drenched on her ride to work today; I too swift on my mountain bike. I've got my water guns and digital camera in a double-ziplock, so bring it on! Check out someone else's photos here & don't get wet!
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