In order not to repeat our bus fiasco with the Frenchies, we decided to go directly to the bus station in the morning. We boarded the first minibus and got seats right up in the front. Seven hours later, our bumpy butts arrived in one of the most magical places we had yet to see.
Throughout our trip, we had heard many amazing stories about Luang Prabang. People described it as a very special place and we were pleased to finally be there. One thing we did not expect was the extraordinarily high prices for guest houses. We walked the streets for a couple of hours making inquiries and were blown away when guest house owners quoted us prices of $30 or more. Finally, after covering almost the entire city, we found something in our price range.
The city of Luang Prabang provides many excellent opportunities for tourists to spend their money. Whether it's booking a tour, a guest house, restaurants, or shopping at the beautiful night market, there are endless ways to part with your kip. Unfortunately, the city only has one ATM machine, which was broken during our first several days there. As a result, we had to live off of our remaining $20 worth of kip. Having no other choice, we ate dinner at the night market. We found a lovely booth that served all vegetarian food for the equivalent of 60 cents. It was a plateful of delicious vegetables that had us coming back even after we managed to take money out of the ATM.
For the next several days, we wandered the streets viewing the endless number of Buddhist temples and shrines, as well as the Royal Palace and the National Museum. We even woke up before sunrise to watch the endless parade of saffron-clad monks walking the streets barefoot with metal bowls in hand. They came to collect generous food donations (i.e., sticky rice) from local citizens. This was quite a site to see:
One activity that most foreign visitors probably fail to discover is the Laotian affinity for steam rooms. During our urban journey, we stumbled upon the Happy Herbal Steam Spa. For the equivalent of $1 per person, we were able to wrap ourselves in piece of cloth and enter a small wooden room with a fire burning underneath. The room filled with steam as well as a variety of different Lao people. Upon exiting into the chilly air, we were greeted by our smiling hostess who provided us with hot cups of herbal tea. We continued in and out of the steam room for the next two hours, each time with a new cup of tea. In other words, it's an all-you-can-steam-and-tea for a buck.
Luang Prabang has two noteworthy waterfalls nearby. We had the privilege of visiting them both. The first one, Kouang Si, is about a one-hour drive from the city. When you arrive, there is a small sanctuary sheltering several endangered bears. From there, there are trails on either side of the river leading up to several waterfalls and swimming areas. Although the water was really cold, it was a great way to cool down in the hot afternoon sun.
When we returned from the waterfall, we discovered that the ATM was finally working and providing money to the hordes of tourists waiting for its bounty. Happy days were here again. We took our fists fulls of kip and walked over to the offices of All Lao Excursions. We signed up for a 2-day elephant extravaganza called a mahout. According to the brochure, we would spend the next two days riding elephants, learning the elephant commands, bathing the elephants, and anything else associated with these wonderous creatures. We were giddy with anticipation, but you'll have to read the next blog entry to hear all about it.
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