"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...

World Heritage Site Monument

Wat (Temple) Xieng Thong (constructed in 1559-1560)

Buddha at the top of Mt Phu Si

Steps up Mt Phu Si

Room of worship in a cave under the Buddha on Mt Phu Si

View of the Mekong River from top of Mt Phu Si

Nam Khan River from top of Mt Phu Si

The last few days in Chiang Mai

Due to a few sick days for me (Jill) and a less than stellar internet connection, we have a few days of activity to post about.  Now that I am feeling better and the internet is stable...there are a few updates.  

We hired a Tuk-tuk for an afternoon and visited some of the local factories.  We started at a lacquer factory, then a jewelry factory (my fav), a leather factory, silk factory and an umbrella factory.  Now, back to the jewelry factory...it was one of the largest of its kind, specializing in gemstones mined in Thailand (sapphires and rubies) jade from Burma, and 925 silver.  You would have had to spend an entire afternoon there to see all of the jewelry cases.


We also took a 1 day trek beginning with a visit to a butterfly/orchid farm (kinda lame, but we took a few great pics), then an elephant ride down the river, a visit to Hmong and Long Neck tribes, and finished with white water and bamboo rafting down the rest of the river.  It was a great day spent in the sun with a few other young tourists.  (Nice for both of us to have new conversations!) :-)

Rice fields, currently planted in the off season with Soy Beans

Elephant River Ride with Kristi and Nikki

Our Little Lady

Long Neck Tribe women weaving scarves by hand

Another Long Neck woman and her daughter with her first few rings (begin at age 5 and end at age 45)

Little Long Neck-ers, no neck rings yet, just wrist and knee rings