The former capital of Laos, Luang Prabang had a small town feel but with upscale amenities. This is on a short list of the places I'd like most to return to, with some exceptions.
We spent time visiting the Kuang Si waterfall and hiking up behind it and ultimately taking a quick dip in the crystal clear, turqouise pools. We also kayaked on the Nam Ou and Meking Rivers, and we visited the Pac Ou caves. We had lunch at an elephant reserve. We also caught a simply lovely sunset cruise on the Mekong. We chose not to do the 12-14 hour river route to get to Luang Prabang as it got mixed reviews as to the ship conditions particularly on the second day.
We left Luang Prabang via the high speed new China funded and built train under the Road and Belt initiative.
I struggled with the kids forced to beg along the cave routes. They were adorable, filthy and reprimanded by their parents who were always lurking around the corner if they weren't begging aggressively enough. They were 'sales people', selling string bracelets, chicks in cages and fish in bags for honoring the Buddha at these caves turned temples. And yet, as I have commented on before, they still had cell phones, with the littlest one glued to a red cased phone!
The river was peaceful and beautiful. We wondered how it would appear in their monsoon season.
The weather was heaven. Best of our trip. We were able to be outside from dawn to dusk and never too hot nor too cold.
We took some bikes through town to visit a sister property to the hotel that housed the pool. Free massages were given poolside under the shaded cabanas. Best 10 minutes!
The hotel, 3 Nagas, had a quirky open air bar across the street. The colored tiles and floors and furniture were an excellent compliment.
The vibe of Luang Prabang was one of our favorite.
Note S trying a 'pizza' of beef carpaccio, and the faces of some 'over photographed' people who don't always appreciate the paparazzi aka Mom.
I did a second post with more Luang Prabang images explained here!
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