Tonic for the Soul
LAOS | Sunday, 4 January 2009 | Views [134]
An Australian woman I met in Vang Vieng told me she was coming
to Luang Prabang because she had heard it described as ‘tonic for the soul’. I’ve
been here for less that 24hrs now and I have to say she is right. Luang Prabang
is magical.
Encircled by mountains and set on a jutting peninsular with the
Mekong River
running to the west and the Nam
Khan to the east, Luang Prabang is rich in natural beauties, historical sites and
cultural wonders. There are the Kuang
Si Falls
and Pak Ou Caves; elephant rides through the jungle, night markets selling traditional
goods, The Luang Prabang National Museum, countless temples and much more.
I arrived yesterday evening after a rather arduous 8hr bus
journey through the mountains. Lyb and Graeme had picked a lovely little family
run guest house not far from the center of town so when I arrived I booked a
room there as well.
I didn’t do too much after I arrived last night, but I did check out the
famous Luang Prabang night markets and bought a few pieces of traditional jewelry
and a delicious fruit shake (with three types of milk!)
Today I had a much needed sleep in (got up at 9am!) and after breakfast I went for a walk into town. It was a full day - I bought a
new camera, booked in for a yoga class on Tuesday and a half day elephant
park experience on Wednesday (I get to hang out with ELEPHANTS! I’m SO
excited!!), got a traditional Lao massage (HEAVEN!), visited the national museum and
three beautiful temples and ate a delicious vegetarian pizza at one of the
lovely little French style cafes on the main street.
I'm lovnig Luang Prabang so far and although I did have a great time there, I’m very grateful to
have a rest after a week in the party town - Vang Vieng (which is kind of like the Ibizia of Sth Est Asia - gin and tonic for the soul)!
More photos have been uploaded now that I have a brand spanking new camera, which is still a Cannon but is the next model up from my old one (10 mega pixels!)
The Nam Khan river to the east of Luang Prabang.
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