Back To Luang Prabang

My friends and I went back to Luang Prabang, Laos for a week's break. We love this peaceful, beautiful place. Laos people are really sweet and friendly, while Laos food is unique because they cook with lots of veggies from the forests. It's a little bit spicy like Thai food. We ate Laos food everyday especially laap and spicy Laos noodles soup with pork, chicken or beef. So yummy. The soup is something I had to have every single day and I can make it now in Hanoi. I feel regret that I didn't go to the Laos vegetarian food buffet, one of the great stops for tourists and only 5000 Kip, which is 50 cents. But we ate there a couple of times last year.

The shopping is great in Luang Prabang and I find it hard to keep away from the shops. They have a very nice night market for tourists with a variety of products, from childrens' slippers to doona covers and beautiful paintings or gorgeous buddha statues. You need to bargain or you get ripped off and I always think bargaining is a game and Laos people love it too. Of course, I usually give them a little bit more after I buy the stuff. If you go to the market about 4 Pm when they start opening, then you can see lots of beautiful kids hanging around the shops, some of them sleeping on the ground and some of them helping their parents set up the business. I love the night market in Luang Prabang.

We were very lucky to arrive in Luang Prang before October 1st because that date is the start of the high season, when hotels put up their prices. We stayed at the Sayo River Guesthouse and the room we stayed in increased from $20 to $30, but because we arrived before the changeover, we only paid $20 for the rest of our stay. If you are planning a trip to Luang Prabang, that's worth remembering.

We had such a great time travelling around by tuk tuk, on boat trips down the river to see the sunset and also joining the hotel receptionist at the local disco which was hilarious. Thanks alot to Liz, Pam, Mark, Matt and the Laos people for giving me such a memorable trip.

Holidays Rock!