Luang Prabang
The flight to Laos directed us back to Hanoi and then onward to Luang Prabang. The connecting flight seemed to be on a somewhat small plane, but the bit of turbulence we had coming in for landing just made the stomach jump a little.
Landing at Luang Prabang's International Airport is a bit misleading from the title bestowed upon it. The terminal is one small building and with the only the 23 people aboard our flight and a few officials, it appeared deserted.
Applying for the visa took only minutes and $43. Canadians are often charged the highest rate and Laos was no exception.
A taxi from our guest house was waiting. He called himself Mr. Joy and was more than happy to offer his services as a taxi driver for the rest of our stay.
Budget hotel are always an interesting surprise. When toilet paper is mentioned in the description as an amenity, I know to keep the expectations low. This guesthouse charges $20/night, with free airport shuttle and free breakfast. I thought we had nothing to lose. I was right. What a find!
The Singharat Guesthouse is lovely. We got the boys a room on the bottom an us a room on top. The "fishing" has kept them amused along with the family dog.
We arrived around 2:00PM and had not eaten yet today. The airline served a bun with some mystery deli meat that only Jack ate so we were hungry. We ventured to the main street to find something local. Local indeed. I can't remember eating in a place like this. The floors were dirt and the ceilings made of cardboard, but the noodles were delicious.
The heat is still intense of 34 plus humidity. Nate had lost his third hat this trip and we needed to cool down a bit for the afternoon. The city is so calm, quiet and peaceful. Laos is now in the top recommendations for my travel list. From the streets we saw this morning in Saigon to this, is unbelievable.
Walking along the streets tonight two kids came running up asking is we were from Canada. When I said yes I recognized them from Australia. We had this family from Canada over two months ago when we first landed in Melbourne. Funny how that works. They were having a drink on a patio so we joined them for a few hours. They had spent a year in Australia and were on their way home.
A night market is on from 5 - midnight daily. Local specialties include elephant slippers, bracelets made from landmines and bombs that have been combed out of the region, indigo fabric and many textiles products.
The evening ended with a food court never seen by our eyes before. Even Levi was happy. The alley looks like something Charles Dickens describes in Oliver Twist, but there was variety. What boy doesn't like eating chicken right off a stick? Looking at the wares of chicken feet, chicken liver, and chicken bums, the chicken breast on a skewer was the winner.
I have started calling Levi Klinger as he always seems to be looking for a section 8 to get back home. Arriving in Laos had changed his opinion of Asia. Our advice - fly straight over Vietnam and land in Laos!
