Lounging in Luang Prabang

multi-headed dragon inside a temple

     
     Joma. That's all. As we reveled in the soup and salads that reminded us of our long-loast Panera, we guiltily berated each other for our silly craving. But that doesn't mean we enjoyed it any less. Our sudden excitement for a treat that reminded us of home was most likely (and by most likely, I mean definitely) a result of our dinner the first night we arrived.
    Walking through the night market, we sought out new bags (we were a little tough on ours and going through them at a solid rate), new Aladdin pants and paintings. Pleased with some of our finds, we set out for dinner. Stopping at a place that looked promising, we sat down and ordered. Unfortunately, our earlier purchases happened to be the best decision we made that night, as the father of the family brought out our friend fish. Our whole, still headed, eyes practically staring you down, gills flapping in the breeze, fish. As we stared at each other in horror, we tried to smile weakly as we stole glances down at our little sautéed friend. Eating bread, rice and soda water, we made a deal to really think about what we were about to order from now on. Thanking the family, we headed off into the night.

Finding Nemo

    The next day, we left early armed with our banana smoothies and strong Lao coffee. Walking around the city, we stopped at the many Buddhist temples and monasteries that made Luang Probing a UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Walking down the street, a fishing man asked if we wanted to go on a boat ride to the temples and market down the river. As our little boat struggled upstream, we stopped at a small village whose inhabitants created pressed paper lamps and cotton scarves. Back in the city, we changed to go up to the tallest point, Wat Chom Si, to see the sunset over the city.

sunset over luang prabang

    We walked a strange way up the top, through a small village on the side of the temple, literally behind and around their homes. Feeling the humidity by the time we rushed to the top, we took a few pictures and headed down before it got too dark to see the steps.

    The next day we enjoyed fruit smoothies and read for a bit before we were picked up to go to the elephant sanctuary. As we got there, we were immediately led to our elephant, and gestured to get on. Climbing aboard this large mammal, I was surprised at how much coarse hair was covering his head. First, we sat in the wooden seat, but as we got further into the forest, our guide jumped onto the ground from his seemingly precarious position on the elephants head and gestured for us to scoot down. We sat down lower and our guide suddenly became a professional photographer, motioning us in different poses and taking a plethora of photos. Giggling, we stayed in our position until we got back, which apparently others did not do. As we reached the elephants’ home, we were asked by the others if we liked sitting on the elephant. Um, yes. It was way more fun that way. Patting our elephant and thanking our funny guide, we headed back into town armed with an arsenal of photos.