Photo Traveling Southeast Asia: Luang Prabang, Laos

It turns out, Luang Prabang is everything it is billed as in our research. It is a quaint little town that is a great place to eat and spend a week relaxing. It is also one of the few places so far that seem to have any architectural design put into the buildings.

It is still a Buddhist culture so there are many Wats inside the city among the old buildings.

Our guesthouse, with free coffee but also free COLD drinking water

We have been washing our clothes ourselves but this place really didn't have a good drying setup and nearly all of Josh's clothes needed washing so we paid $2 for the hotel to wash it for us. We found it hanging to dry at the entrance to the hotel that afternoon!

Luang Prabang was under French protection until 1975 so it is heavily influenced and the numerous bakeries are a good example. Finally we are eating bread, we even bought a donut!

We met some friends and went out to dinner. After contemplating the Fondue option two in our group ordered it. Live charcoal at the table. . . . Actually under the table and you cook your own meal, a Laos traditional dinner.

Local fisherman

Drying chilies in the sun in the middle of the street in town

The morning Alms is a Buddhist daily function and we got up a 5:30am to witness it in LPB. It was interesting to witness. We stayed as far away as possible so as not to interfere but unfortunately some tourists were right up in the monks faces taking pictures. The food given by the community is the only food they eat all day.

A day trip boat ride to the Pak Ou caves involves a mandatory stop at the "Whiskey Village" where you are ushered through a small town to buy linens and homemade rice whiskey. It was a sad place and not really anything you wanted to buy since you didn't really know you were going there until the boat driver made the stop.

Yes, that is a bears foot

Snake whiskey

Pak Ou Cave Temple

The caves have been visited by the Royal family for hundreds of years annually. Each year Budda statues are brought and put in the caves. This tradition recently ended but it is still a pilgrimage site for practicing Buddhist followers.

We have been to a bunch of waterfalls and each is a little different but the Kuang Si waterfalls below we're really quite different with all the pools and mini falls. The water rushed right through the trees.

Kuang Si Waterfall

Hiking up to the top of the falls

View from the top of the falls

There was a bear rescue program at the falls too

Below we decided to go on a date to a fancy place! The restaurant had a free shuttle boat across the river.

Luang Prabang has many nearby hill tribes that make all sorts of handicrafts. I really liked the bowls and set out to find a salad set. After buying the large bowl a few nights earlier I went back to see if I could find four smaller ones. I couldn't so I asked the man if he could make some and how much they would be. He had me give him measurements for the size I wanted, and show him what shade I wanted too. I asked him when to come back and amazingly he said tomorrow at 8pm. Sure enough, four perfect bowls exactly as ordered. In total the whole set cost $37.