Sleepy city...

Goodbye Vientiane, hello Luang Prabang!

Before we completely say goodbye, though, I'd like to share some information about our hotel in Vientiane. A completely adorable boutique hotel right on the Mekong River, Hotel Beau Rivage Mekong, was a fabulous place to recharge our batteries for a few days. It felt like a complete fusion of east and west with it's winding staircases and exposed brick nooks in the room.



I got totally dizzy going up and down these (thinking I might have some kind of depth perception problem), but they were so cute! Really felt like we had climbed up to a treehouse every time we got to our third floor room.



Our adorable little entry nook. Felt a bit like a manhattan studio.



Sitting area overlooking so much plush greenery. A great light to wake up to in the morning.



The cubby we got to keep our shoes at the entranceway... I miss having a cubby...

Remember how much I commented about the slow pace of Laos's capital? That now looks like a hustling and bustling city. Luang Prabang is the charming old capital of Laos. It is really a special place, one that is protected by UNESCO as a world heritage site. It is a TINY town, here is a map of the place:


Sorry I can't figure out how to rotate it but it's the finger shaped city nestled between the Mekong river (the thicker one) and the Nam Khan. The length of the whole thing is about 800meters.

Alex and I arrived here yesterday afternoon, unsure what to expect other than "something special". Well something special indeed. I'm not sure if it's because of the eclectic yet fitting architecture that makes me wonder why Disney hasn't tried to replicate it yet (or maybe they have at epcot, but I don't really remember it), the many different smells filling the streets (usually pleasant), the quiet of the day, or the lulling sounds of crickets and other creatures at night.

After getting our fill of western food in Vientiane, last night we were ready to try some native Lao cuisine. We went to a popular and authentic restaurant we found mentioned by almost everyone - Tamarind. I can't say Lao food is my favorite, but I can say we got the real experience. We ate with our fingers! Alex tried a tasting sampler (like the Khmer one we enjoyed on our first night in Cambodia) and I tried a chicken stuffed lemon grass. These foods taste nothing like Thai food.


The restaurant was small and sweet, and, like every meal we've had in Laos, completely unhurried. What is notable about this is what a crowded and popular restaurant it is. When we walked in (pretty early - we haven't exactly been night owls on the trip) there were few tables that did not have a reserved sign (we have hardly even thought to make a reservation while here!) when we left, there was a long line outside. Still, we weren't in the SLIGHTEST rushed. We had a hard time getting the check! Such a different mentality.

This morning we went for massages (they are even more affordable here than they were in Thailand). One little complaint observation about each of our accommodations since Bangkok- the beds are HARD. Our necks and backs were sad, so what better a solution than a massage?! Unfortunately, our masseuses were HARDLY the seasoned veterans we were hoping for. Alex had a particularly ridiculous experience - her masseuse spent the hour texting/chatting on the phone! To make matters worse, she had no idea what she was doing and kept switching between rubbing Alex's face and feet, um... So not totally sure we solved our backaches, oh well.

We then went to the Laos Ethnography and Cultural Museum, which was fantastic. We leaned about the many different ethnic group inhabiting Laos, how they came here, how they celebrate, what they wear, etc. It's a very complicated range and very hard to sum up the whole Lao people in any one way.

We are really enjoying ourselves and are off to do some more exploring! Thanks to everyone for giving me gold stars (even the baby ones), I really appreciate the love.



Ah, the view...

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