Luang Prabang, Laos

We flew from Hanoi to Luang Prabang on Christmas Day. We did some minor shopping for paintings and a tripod for the camera as we waited for the plane in Hanoi, and arrived in Luang Prabang just after the sun went down. As we taxied up to the "airport" (there was one other plane on the tarmac) we knew this place was gonna be AWESOME!

Here's the rundown.

Likes:

• Very laid back
• Extremely nice people
• Real culture
• COPE hospital (Vientiane)

Dislikes:

• Fees for EVERYTHING
• Bus ride to Vientiane
• Vientiane itself

Favorites:

• Food - Everything Sandwich
• Activity - Riding a motorcycle to Pak Ou Caves
• Sight - Kuang Si Waterfalls
• Phrase - Sabadoo

Biggest Disappointment: Pak Ou Caves

Village along the Mekong

Luang Prabang is a sleepy little town located where the Nam Khan and Mekong Rivers meet in northern Laos. This little town is a tasty blend of local and international cultures. The people here are friendly and treat you with a respect that is not often found in Asia. It was nice to be able to walk down the street and not hear merchants and vendors asking you to buy stuff all the time. In fact, the pushiest guy we ran across was trying to sell me some weed, and even he was cautious about coming out of the shadows. We really enjoyed roaming around town, meeting and talking to the locals, and learning about where the culture and architecture come from.

A main roads in Luang Prabang

Vientiane, on the other hand, was quite a different story. Perhaps some of our distaste for the Laotian capital was a side effect of the 12 bus ride we took to get there, but more on that later. The only redeeming experience we had in Vientiane was the COPE hospital. This hospital specializes in finding practical solutions to the physical problems created by land mines in the Lower Mekong. This hospital runs on donations and tourism and provides hope for those who have been injured by the residual effect of the Vietnam War. Cluster bombs and land mines are still being discovered and/or triggered forty years after the fact. Viewing the war from a new perspective had a significant impact on us. Perhaps the USA would have done better to let things work out on there own in Vietnam. But COPE hospital is active in helping innocent people recover from the damage caused by leftover munitions and giving people hope of a "normal" life. The only thing that could improve this project would be a Christian testimony. Unfortunately, communist Laos is not friendly toward the gospel and people are being persecuted in this country for their faith.

Wow, how can I continue this post after the weight of that paragraph. The next topics seem so banal and petty...but I will try.

Everywhere we went to in Laos, there was another person with a packet of tickets collecting more money from us. As an example, from Luang Prabang to Pak Ou, we paid for a motorcycle to ride to the parking area where we had to pay for parking. Then it was a short walk down to the river where we paid for a ferry across to the cave. Upon arriving at the cave we had to pay again to enter the cave. What started out as a cheap $2.50 visit turned into a $10-$15 tour. In most countries we would just walk past someone asking for money to do this or that, but the fact that they had tickets made it seem more believable. We couldn't complain too much because the fees were still quite inexpensive, but it was tiring trying to guess what extra fees we would run into and wondering if we were getting ripped off.

After a few days we tore ourselves away from Luang Prabang and took a bus down the road to Vientiane. This eight hour trip took us nearly twelve hours. We were moving more slowly than we expected to, and our drive shaft slipped out of the gear box about 2/3 of the way down the road. Our bus driver and his helper jumped out right away with their tools and started banging around underneath the bus and within an hour we were back on the road. This ride was the longest, windiest, most sickening ride I've ever been on. We were very thankful that we had opted for the flight from Hanoi to Luang Prabang instead of the 30 hour bus ride. This twelve hour ride was plenty long enough.

Putting the drive shaft back into the gear box.

Arriving in Vientiane we were met with full hostels and noisy streets. We couldn't find a place to stay and the party culture was in full swing. Our taste of Vientiane was instantly tainted and we couldn't wait to get out of there. We woke up the next morning, bought train tickets to Bangkok and went to the COPE hospital while we waited for our departure time.

Some of my favorite things in Luang Prabang were the "Everything Sandwich," the Kuang Si waterfalls, and Jen's pronunciation of the word "hello." The Everything Sandwich is a sandwich with...well, everything on it.

My sandwich chef and I

The bread is a small French baguette left over from the colonial days. The filling was whatever you wanted - vegetables, chicken or pork, sauces, you name it. It was amazing! The Kuang Si waterfalls are a chain of travertine falls outside of Luang Prabang. After hiking up to the top of the falls, we headed back down to the lowest pool for a refreshing dip.

Yeah, it was cold!

Jen just soaked her feet, but I went all in.

Pak Ou Caves are filled with hundreds, if not thousands, of statues of Buddha. Nobody is certain where they came from or how long they've been there.

This little guy was just too awesome to not catch on film.

I'll let Jen tell you how to say "hello" in Lao. (:

Overall we loved Laos and would definitely go back if given the opportunity. Personally, I rank it up with New Zealand in terms of natural beauty and the quality of people.

Yet another sunset picture. I'll give you one more, too!