Sabaidee!!!!

Good coffee, a chocolate croissant and an English print newspaper- heaven!!

Twoheys-  notice the Heinz tomato sauce (ketchup?) on the side...

Buddhas and more Buddhas.

Sunset on the Mekong River in Vientiane. Thailand is on the far side of the river.

Delicious Lao cuisine.

Kayaking on the Mekong.

Mike has to do his crazy dance wherever we are. This little girl doesn't seem amused...

Luang Prabang and the Mighty Mekong.

Morning Alms ceremony with Luang Prabang Monks.

Morning Market- Luang Prabang.

A couple of less than enthusiastic birds at the market.

 

Creepy Crawlies for sale at the market.

Kuang Si Waterfalls

Mike's so happy to be driving a scooter through the countryside.

Luang Prabang and the Mekong in the distance- view from our scooter expedition.

 

Sabaidee is the way to say hello in Laos (also known as Lao PDR- People's Democratic Republic.)   Everyone you meet anywhere will greet you with a most enthusiastic "Sabaidee!!!!" People teach their babies how to say it (and wave and blow kisses.)  It's really one of the most friendly and welcoming people we have encountered so far.

 

There are a bunch of reasons we're loving Laos so much right now. Here's a few...

 

Super friendly people. Everyone is so laid back and not too pushy. No hawkers or touts. All the guesthouse owners, shopkeepers, wait staff, tour operators have been really helpful. Lots of good advice and no hard sell for anything.

 

Great food. A combination of French cuisine left over from the colonial days and delicious Lao cuisine. We have enjoyed everything we've eaten so much!!

 

Amazing natural beauty!! Waterfalls, beautiful mountains and of course the Mighty Mekong.

 

We started in Vientiane, which is the capitol of the country, but really feels like a large town.  (The population of the whole country is less than the population of Hanoi.) We've had amazing hosts at our guesthouses (in Vientiane and Luang Prabang) who gave us the best advice about restaurants, sightseeing...

 

We flew from Vientiane to Luang Prabang, a UNESCO World Heritage site set in the Northern Highlands with a beautiful old quarter and Wats  Wats Wats! (temples.) The most monks we've seen in one place. There is a morning tradition of the monks accepting alms (offerings) from the devout that we were fortunate to see.

 

Tomorrow we'll head north to Nong Khiaw for a few days. It's a village further north where we hope to do some trekking and mountain biking.

 

After that we head back to Luang Prabang and a flight to Chiang Mai, Thailand later next week. We're watching the political situation there. We're not excited about heading into any thing that is crazy, so will bypass Thailand if it seems too hot.