Same Same but Different

Luang Prabang, Laos

Sabai Dee! Yes, I'm back in the land of same same.

We flew to Luang Prabang Saturday morning from Hanoi. With the inhabitants of this city being only 30,00 it was surprising that there was an airport at all. But alas, it is a tourist destination. Has been on the backpacker "banana pancake trail" for some time. And with the convenience of vegetarian food, tuktuks, and the jaw dropping night market, it looks as if it's been that way for a long time.

The UNESCO city of Luang Prabang boasts over 40 gilded wats, and although touristy, has an authentic community of monks. One of the highlights of any stay in the town is to wake at dawn to watch them making alms from a myriad of mindblowing religious sites. This is not something you have to look for, as the color of saffron flows through many streets, in a silence that is so beautiful. Yes, it's true, it is strange to be sitting silently on the sidewalk across the street from a gorgeous wat, at dawn, pre-caffeinated, and see busloads of tourists jump out at the last minute, and get super close to take videos. But even with them, it's an amazing experience.

Luang Prabang lies alongside the Mekong river, at the base of many mountains. No trip would be complete without a trip to one of the many waterfalls. I was skeptical at first, having been sold trips to falls that were just a trickle in the past. But Laos put on a spectacle for us this day. There were not only several different falls, but there were several different ways to get to the falls. One way took us past a bear sanctuary, where bears who have been held in captivity in tiny cages for their bile, used in some Eastern medicines, were rescued. They can no longer survive in the wild, but the people at the bear sanctuary make the rest of the bears' lives free of such treatment. We were there during feeding time, where bear handlers hide meals inside bamboo or under leaves, to keep their foraging skills up. The pool at the bottom of the falls is quite close to the sanctuary. The milky blue was so inviting after hiking in the heat. Inside, there were little fish that nibbled at the skin on your feet, which has now been marketed all over Southeast Asia as a "fish spa" where people Simon benches beside a fish tank, and leave their feet in the tank to be nibbled on.


Five days slowly slipped by between fabulous French inspired food, smoky mountains (we were there during crop burning), and wandering around the town and across rickety bamboo bridges over the river. This was in such sharp contrast to Vietnam, where motorbike horns were part of every minute of every day.

This was our only stop in Laos, and I know the country has more to offer. Time was a constraint, and I do hope to return.