Luang Prabang - Day 2
We were up at 5:00am to go see the monks again, this time during their morning pilgrimage through town. Along the way they accept offerings of rice from the public. The procession lasts an eternity as hundreds of orange-clad monks walk along, single-file down the road from their dormitories to the temples.
Next we headed to the morning market, which is decidedly NON-touristy! I suppose markets are a staple of any trip like this (so to speak) but this one was fun. What was most striking about it was the variety of things Laos find apetizing. These people will eat anything! Bamboo worms, frogs, crickets, stinky fish heads, foxes, guinea pigs, cats, snakes and of course all manner of delicious looking parts in the mix! YUM! Great way to get the appetite going before breakfast.
After said breakfast we headed out on a full-day on the Mekong River. We stopped at a couple of villages, whereupon we learned that most villages in Laos are simply known by their individual cottage industry. Today we visited the Pottery, Decorative Paper and Rice Whiskey Villages! The latter was where we witnessed a full-on throw-down going on at 2:00pm. The town was rockin'! We were invited to try some of the more potent rice liquor imaginable - spiked with some unidentified root. I thought surely we would begin hallucinating but alas that was not our fate.
The highlight of the day was our stop at the Pak Ou caves, filled with ages worth of buddhist detritus. Much looting has occurred here, but it was worth the trip. The three-hour round trip cruise on the Mekong was a delight and a welcome respite from the stiffling heat! The river has so little development along its banks that it must appear as it has for millenia. Images of Conrad's Kurtz inevitably entered my thoughts.
Back in town we snuck in a quick nap and swim before meeting our colleague, Phoung, from Trails of Indochina - a preferred business partner. Phoung is a super nice guy who took us to a fantastic restaurant, known for it's Mekong Fish - called 3 Nagas. It is owned by the attractive hotel (guest house really) of the same name directly across the street.
Next we headed to the morning market, which is decidedly NON-touristy! I suppose markets are a staple of any trip like this (so to speak) but this one was fun. What was most striking about it was the variety of things Laos find apetizing. These people will eat anything! Bamboo worms, frogs, crickets, stinky fish heads, foxes, guinea pigs, cats, snakes and of course all manner of delicious looking parts in the mix! YUM! Great way to get the appetite going before breakfast.
After said breakfast we headed out on a full-day on the Mekong River. We stopped at a couple of villages, whereupon we learned that most villages in Laos are simply known by their individual cottage industry. Today we visited the Pottery, Decorative Paper and Rice Whiskey Villages! The latter was where we witnessed a full-on throw-down going on at 2:00pm. The town was rockin'! We were invited to try some of the more potent rice liquor imaginable - spiked with some unidentified root. I thought surely we would begin hallucinating but alas that was not our fate.
The highlight of the day was our stop at the Pak Ou caves, filled with ages worth of buddhist detritus. Much looting has occurred here, but it was worth the trip. The three-hour round trip cruise on the Mekong was a delight and a welcome respite from the stiffling heat! The river has so little development along its banks that it must appear as it has for millenia. Images of Conrad's Kurtz inevitably entered my thoughts.
Back in town we snuck in a quick nap and swim before meeting our colleague, Phoung, from Trails of Indochina - a preferred business partner. Phoung is a super nice guy who took us to a fantastic restaurant, known for it's Mekong Fish - called 3 Nagas. It is owned by the attractive hotel (guest house really) of the same name directly across the street.
posted by ultimatetraveler at 12:58 PM
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