Luang Prabang

Luang Prabang was the next stop on our big adventure, and it was quite different to any of the other places we had been. We stayed in the old town, which has very western style architecture and is located on a "peninsula" between the Mekong and Nam Khan rivers. The town is full of temples, to a degree that is surprising really, and it is a very "walkable" with cafes, bars and restaurants dotted at very convenient intervals.

The most exciting thing about getting there was having a house with a washing machine, which was sorely needed by that stage. Travelling out of a single backpack between two people is definitely convenient for mobility, but has its drawbacks in terms of quantity of clothes... We also found ourselves in need of some quieter days, after having been on the move constantly for two months. Luang Prabang was really the perfect spot for this, as most things were close and we could pick and choose what we felt up for each day. 

The highlight spot in town is Phousi Hill, which houses a stupa and temple on the top and has a commanding view over the town and the rivers and beyond. It provides a spectacular point to watch the sunset, with the only downside being a large number of stairs to get up there. We duly marched up and were impressed by the various shrines and temples on the way up, as well as the fabled view. 

At the bottom of the hill were markets, which are an interesting way to spend the evening, although we skipped the street food in favour of a drink at one of the many bars in the main street and local ice cream for dinner. 

We visited the local museum, housed in an old palace, which was only moderately interesting. More intriguing was the strict adherence to the dress code (James had to rent some long pants to wear over his shorts), which was almost the first time we had been caught out - and it wasn't even a temple! They had a range of bossy personnel, one of whom insisted on checking Gillian's phone to make sure she hadn't taken any photos, and they kicked us out strictly at 11.30 to close the museum for their 2 hour lunch break. It was the least relaxed situation we had struck throughout our trip to that point!

Other highlights of the visit included going to the Traditional Arts and Ethnology Centre, which gave a rundown of many of the different local crafts from around the country. It also plays a strong role in trying to establish and defend ownership rights over cultural techniques and designs - a difficult process when faced with appropriation by major European fashion houses. We were reminded of similar battles being fought over the ownership of Aboriginal cultural heritage. This was also the place that Gillian cracked and bought a handmade shrug, the first proper souvenir of the trip (refer to previous comments about the single backpack...). We also found our way into many temples and lots of nice little places to stop and eat and drink, including the Kahiphaen restaurant, run by the previously mentioned Friends organisation (hospitality training for at-risk kids). James is considering returning at some point to run the Luang Prabang half-marathon, which raises money for a local (free) kids hospital - the only one of its kind in Lao.