Enchanted

Luang Prabang has captivated me. I am not sure what I expected. The only photos I ever saw were of gilded temples, similar to the ones in Vientiane. While it’s true that there is a stunning temple on nearly every corner of the Historic Temple District (where I am staying), there are also well preserved French colonial mansions and shop houses, huge shade giving mango trees, and orchids in bloom in every yard. Even though there are heaps of tourists here (again, outnumbering the locals in the historic areas), the dusty streets are quiet, and one can just walk in peace. For anyone considering going to Southeast Asia, my top 2 picks would be Siem Reap (for the Angkor Temples) and Luang Prabang.

I have noticed that there are a lot of guesthouses. More than anywhere else I have been, and I read that these fill up in January, which is the peak tourist month. So keep that in mind; it could change the feel of the place to have 5x as many tourists around. March technically is still high season, but the very end of it, and there are no crowds anywhere.

I am so intrigued by this country, that I have changed my plans and will be spending the rest of my time seeing a bit of the north instead of going to Northern Thailand. Next up: a cooking class, mahout training, and a slow boat up the Mekong River.