Luang Prabang

Our first evening in Luang Prabang we went to a cool wee bookshop/cafe, L'etranger. Watched a film - not quite my sense of humour, but nice and relaxing anyway. Had a nice dinner down at the riverfront - a beautiful setting but we'll remember not to order the bambooshoot lap again (yuk).




Went exploring the city in morning - climbed Mt. Phousi to see That Chomsi at the top which has great views over the city. Saw some cheeky wee monkeys on the way up.

The Royal Palace grounds were really impressive, and so was Wat xiang thong - the detailed gold engravings especially.


I rented another quality bicycle for the afternoon, and had a really pleasant cycle along by the river. First stop was Santi Chedi (a golden peace stupa) - the largest religious monument in Luang Prabang. Next I went to Henri Mouhot's tomb - a Frenchman accredited with "discovering" Angkor Wat...he really had a great burial site down by the river. It was a beautiful spot. On the way back I stopped at Ban Phanom weaving village to watch some of the local people making some scarves and bags but I didn't want to be begged to buy anything so I didn't stay long.





We had a great meal out at Lao-Lao garden - the veggie tofu curry takes top spot for meals in Laos so far, and the seafood barbeque was also excellent. Happy days :)