Global Moorings: Days 57 - 59 (May 01 - 03, 2013): Luang Prubang, Laos

The Quick Facts:

* Unwillingly got on a propeller plane for our flight from Vientiane to Luang Prubang
* Spent ~3 days in Luang Prubang, taking in the sites, the markets, and the wonderful mountain setting
* Stayed at the Maison Dalabua, a lovely hotel set off ~5 minutes from the downtown area on a nice quiet street; the hotel is extremely peaceful, and well run by a French woman who could not have been more helpful; I would recommend depending on your budget, we were no doubt the beneficiaries of a bargain-basement rate given we visited in the offseason

The Good:

* Luang Prubang is every bit as charming, peaceful, and beautiful as the guidebooks and previous visitors suggest – set on a peninsula where the Mekong and Nam Khan rivers converge and surrounded by beautiful lush green mountains, the town exhibits its French colonial heritage through both its architecture and the plethora of French cafes and restaurants, not to mention the ubiquitous crepe food stalls on the street (that I definitely hit up more than once!)
* The Kuangsi Waterfalls, about an hour outside of town, are absolutely beautiful and a must-see

The Bad:

* Nothing, if there is one city to visit in Laos, Luang Prubang beats Vientiane handily

Our time in Luang Prubang began with a short flight from Vientiane on this plane:

Now, those of you who know me no doubt recognize that this was not a welcome sight – despite extensive research on my part that assured me we avoided such a propeller plane, I found myself staring at our chariot to Luang Prubang with little choice but to get on. After a lot of deep breaths and some crying (OK, maybe on the crying), I got on and we made it! Phew!

Our first stop in town was That Chomsi, a Buddhist stupa set at the summit of Phousi Hill, which towers over Luang Prubang and can be seen for miles in every direction. Here are the stairs leading up to the top of the hill:

And the stupa at the top that can be seen for miles (this is as close as you can get, I didn't just suddenly get lazy after hiking myself all the way to the top of this hill!):

And here are some panoramas of Luang Prubang at the top – notice all of the colonial houses (roofs) that pepper the landscape below:

Also in the complex are other statues of Buddhas and, of course, the requisite Wats (temples) for the proper adoration of the Buddha:

We then took in Wat Xiang Thong, the most famous Wat in Luang Prubang – built in 1560, it is one of the few that were not destroyed by Chinese marauders over the years.

This is Carrie putting on her shoes...a common sight in this part of the world since you can never ever go inside a Wat with your shoes on!

After lunch on Day 1, we took in the National Museum, which is the former Royal Palace and now houses the relics of their monarchic past:

Looks like Donald Trump’s living room (totally classy)….

On the morning of our second day, we headed to the Kuangsi Waterfalls, set in a national park about an hour’s tuk-tuk ride from Luang Prubang. As you walk to the waterfalls, there is a bear sanctuary. Seems they have a rough life….

Once down to the waterfalls, the scenery is gorgeous, with beautiful brown bridges that traverse the water, numerous falls of varying height, and serene pools of emerald water that are quite inviting for the adventurous swimmer (who, on this trip, was Carrie since it was a little rainy when we went and I wasn’t hot enough to go in):