Luang Prabang… Take 2

Back to one of our favorite street stalls…

and the daily Hmong night street market

 

and the local way of life.

We managed to get back to Luang Prabang just in time for the end of Lent celebrations. Lots of lights, street parties and fun.

Locals preparing for the celebrations…

  

     

         Monks working on their “laiheuafai”, a boat adorned with candles and colourful decorations

 

 

 

 

Beautiful street decorations

 Sunset on the Mekong

 

 

Restaurant Brasserie L’Elephant – a fancy French restaurant that we really wanted to go to. Next time…

One of the many lovely restaurants along the waterfront

  

Local children parading through the streets

 

Kids participating in the celebrations by shooting off some fireworks.

 

One of the laiheuafai was in the water and getting ready for its journey down the Mekong.

 

 After watching some of the celebrations, we went out for some traditional Lao barbecue (which was like a steamboat) and Beerlao. Yum, yum!!

 

Chillin out for a couple more days in Luang Prabang (I couldn’t get enough of the beauty and culture of it!) With its mixture of temples and French colonial architectures, it’s become something of a tourist destination in recent times. People were talking about 1000% increases in the price of real estate!! The town is not short of restaurants, cafes tours and amenities, but it was quite expensive considering that Laos is considered the cheapest place in SE Asia.

 

   

 

 

   

      

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

             

 

 

 

 

 

The final morning in LP was a real highlight… we got up to see the monks collect their offerings at dawn. Almsgiving during the end of Lent is a nationwide tradition and Luang Prabang is no exception. People rise early to prepare khaotom (sticky rice wrapped in banana leaf) and other food to offer to monks at their local temple.

 

 

  

  

 

 

After watching the monks collect their alms for the day, we had a bit of time to kill before we could even get any breakfast (unless we just wanted rice, of course). We packed ourselves up, had a final bagel, egg & cheese sandwich at JoMa and then hopped unto a bus to Vang Vieng. It was a little sad to leave Luang Prabang, but I know that we’ll go back again someday,