Andre and Jill's Adventures: "Sabai-di" (Hello) from Laos

A Bamboo Walking Bridge across the Nam Khan River

So far, our stay in Luang Prabang, Laos, has been quite relaxing. The countryside is mountainous and beautiful, and for now, it is a treat to be out of the noisy, polluted cities. 2 large rivers (Mekong and Nam Khan) meet at a point in the city, and as far as you can see along the river banks are fishing boats and slopes planet with gardens. There is one main bridge across the river for automobiles, and a number of very suspect bamboo bridges for crossing on foot (I don't recommend....)

Garden rows planted on river bank

Young "fishermen" along the river

We are staying in a quiet, somewhat secluded "resort" on the Nam Khan River. It is a very small resort with only 12 rooms, in 6 separate bungalows...but we have a restaurant and a pool (which we enjoyed yesterday afternoon).

View of the Nam Khan River from our resort

We visited the night market which has a much different feel than the ones in Thailand. Some stalls sell similar items, but with different designs. The street food sold in the markets is also quite different. There is a strong French influence here and you can buy anything from delicious cake to crepes to fresh baguette sandwiches for $1-2. The Laos food is similar to some Thai food, but far less spicy (far less enjoyable to Andre, but the baked goods more than make up for it).

We spent the day touring around town. We visited numerous temples, the World Heritage Site, and Mount Phu Si. We have now seen our share of Buddha statues, monks, and after climbing 400-odd steps up Mount Phu Si, a 4 ft Buddha's footprint.

Tomorrow we are touring to the waterfalls and booking the next leg of our trip...