Laos: Even Better Than Thailand

As I mentioned, my short time in Thailand (I'll be back at the end of the month, and probably again in the not too distant future) was pretty great. So far, though, Laos has been even better.

First, there's the wackiness of the transport. Random tuk tuks and little boats aside, the main mode of transport from Thailand the Luang Prabang (where I've been since last night) was slow boat. Which is an incredibly relaxing way to get from A to B, and would have been perfect if mornings on the water hadn't been so cold.

Then, there's the food, which is really good (a lot like Thai, really, but maybe just a little better, thanks to the French influence). Plus, the shopping has been good (and for a non-shopper, that's saying something). Who can resist beautiful (although possibly not handmade) scarves being sold for about $3? Not I.

Today (my first full day in Luang Prabang) has been great, although I'm amazed that I'm still standing. I woke up at 4:50 a.m. (earlier than for a morning game drive) to go feed the monks (which sounded great in theory but was a little too tourist-heavy). After that, we went to the morning market: excellent. Not only did we get to sample some pretty amazing food that was made as we waited, but we got to see some of the pretty insane food that the locals eat (bats, tadpoles, moles, parakeets). I am really looking forward to posting those photos. Following that, a few of us went with our guide to hang out at a local favorite that serves Lao coffee (crazy strong with a shot of condensed milk, like my great grandmother used to drink). Then breakfast, a tour of the Royal Palace (with some sketchy info as to whether the entire royal family was killed in 1975), a walk around town, an amazing lunch at a kind of posh restaurant (posh = $5-7 entrees), and a 90 minute massage. And I still have HOURS to go (we're going out at 10 to experience the Luang Prabang club scene). Excellent day.