To get from Vang Vieng to Luang Prabang we drove for 7 hours through the mountainous winding roads it was very beautiful! The countryside we drove through was thick jungle with the occasional little villages made mainly from woven bamboo and reeds with he ocasional concrete structure painted in vibrant colours such as pink, orange, green or all three the villages are connected by dust roads forever being worked on and I use that term lightly because work seems to consist of someone hosing it down to stop the dust engulfing there roadside homes and businesses. As we climbed higher I started to notice the fabric hanging on clothes lines (supposedly drying but really just collecting dust) it changed throughout the day from a bright floral cotton with occasional silks to rich heavily embroidered silks that at home would be treasured but here seem to be the normal dress, it’s so beautiful!!
Luang Prabang is wonderful, it’s so calm and quiet, the litter of Vietnam has long gone here it’s clean and warm with friendly smiles and lots of monks.
We arrived in time to climb up to the temple which is on Phu Si Hill in the centre of the town, where we watched the sunset over the river before having dinner and exploring the superb night markets.
I was in heaven in the night markets the fabric alone was stunning not to mention the crepes, street food, young coconuts and fruit shakes! It’s vast stretching the entire length of the Main Street you can buy art, bags, clothes, scarves, fabric, food, coffee, cushions, lights and much more. I went a bit mad and now have another full bag to carry the rest of the journey.
On the second day we organised for tuk tuks to take us 45 minutes out to the Kuang Sii falls which are so stunning! The water is crystal blue and we got there early so they were free from selfie sticks! We all had a swim even though the water was icy cold and then we looked around a local bear rescue centre and I walked to the top of the waterfalls. It’s such a beautiful place I’m really glad we decided to visit, Laos has been so much better than expected!
Only 5 days left now till I fly from Bangkok to home, it’s started whizzing buy and although I’ll miss the adventures and weather I’m looking forward to seeing family and friends and getting back to the circus!