Luang prabang, the land of sleazy tuk-tuk drivers

So remember how when I was in Vietiane, I was pleasantly surprised at the non-hassle I was getting from the tuk-tuk drivers? Yeah, well not so much in Luang Prabang. They weren't really in-your-face about getting your business though they were pretty persistant. But I did get a SUPER creepy vibe from them, especially when they offered opium or made crude statements after I turned them down. Yuck. And apparently the only japanese word they know is arigato and I heard it constantly. Thank me for what?

But the rest of Luang Prabang was lovely. Its actually a UNESCO World Heritage city - yeah, the whole town. It has this wonderful, picturesque colonial feel to it with grand old buildings as well as beautiful, impressive wats complete with monks in neon-orange robes. Its also cradled by 2 rivers so you're never very far from a great view across the water. I have to be honest that when I was in Laos, all I could think about was being on the beach so I didn't give it all the enthusiasm or attention it deserved. Laos is really beautiful with its small villages, towering green mountains and scenic river views but I just wasn't that into it. A waste, I know.

Since I was feeling a little burnt out traveling-wise, I decided to splurge on my accomodations and stay somewhere really nice. I visited a few guesthouses and finally settled on Sayo Guesthouse, where for $30/night I got to stay in the biggest room I've ever seen!! It had huge 16ft ceilings, a gigantic four poster bed and even 2 (yes, 2!!) sitting areas. Sitting areas??? And don't get me started on the bathroom. It was HUGE!! It even had a vanity table and a real bathtub. I was in absolute heaven. I could barely stop myself from dancing in my room. Heck, I could have done somersaults with all the room I had. The best part though was that it was in this beautiful converted colonial mansion so it has tons of atmosphere. Its probably the best place I have EVER stayed at, including all the places I stayed while traveling on business.

I've never been more excited about a room. It was GIGANTIC. I couldn't even get it all in! Notice the 2 sitting areas. I spent time sitting in every section, savoring the space. Sooooo worth it! It had a great colonial feel.

I know, I even took pictures of the bathroom. But look how cute it is with a REAL tub! I haven't even seen a real shower (usually the showerhead just points to the floor of the bathroom) since China. And this is just half of the bathroom! Most of the places I stay at are the size of the bathroom alone.

I will be honest, that room was probably the best part of staying in Luang Prabang though I did also wander the city and checked out some temples. Luang Prabang used to the royal capital of Laos in the 18th century so there are a lot of beautiful old temples and grand architecture so I knew I couldn't just stay in my room all-day :).

Real laidback town with cobbled walkways, slow traffic and interesting buildings.

The old grand palace, now a musem. I know, another grand palace?? But it was nice.

A mural on the wall of one of the temples. I would have gone inside except I saw this gigantic spider right by the door. I ran away instead.

A funeral carriage though I have no idea what that means. But it had these crazy scary dragons on it.

Two really friendly novice munks I talked for a bit so they could practice their English. There are over 30 operating temples here though most only have 30-50 monks each.

I know I've sort of stopped including pics on the main sights (you know, the postcard views) but if you've been following my blog, you've already seen them. What you haven't seen is this really fat, really funny looking buddha that was on the Puo Si hill in the middle of the town. I laugh every time I look at this picture.

I also took a day trip to see the Pak Ou caves and the Kuang Si waterfalls. Honestly though, I've seen so many caves and waterfalls in Asia that these didn't really seem that impressive. But it was nice to take a dip in the water on such a super-hot day.

The cave itself was not that interesting and very shallow but it held all these old buddha statues that were covered with dust and cobwebs. They're all broken or out of use so the Laotians just store them in this cave.

Wait, I thought you were going to a waterfall. I thought so too! So imagine my surprise when I saw these caged bears along the path. I didn't even know there were bears in Laos! The ironic part was that this spectacle was sponsored by the Free the Bears Fund.

I usually end up asking strangers to take photos of me and its like playing the lottery. You either win or lose but you never know what you're going to get!

A perfect swimming hole if I've ever seen one.

Next, I'm heading to a small town in the north, Nong Khiaw. Lots of people say that Laos is so great because it is much less touristy and a lot of its culture is untouched by tourism so I wanted to get a closer look at small town life in Laos. I unfortunately don't have much time so I can't visit the east like I wanted but I guess its going to have to wait!