Will, Charles, Kristi and Sara in Southeast Asia, 2015: Luang Prabang (Laos)

Such a great idea to take a 5-hour private taxi from Thakhek to and through Vientiene! We'd have never made the flight if we took the bus. Our driver was hauling, the roads were nutty, it was raining, we passed by 2 accidents on the way, BUT, once we got to the dinky Vientiene airport, we checked in (no line) and had delicious Pho and other food at a 5-table cafe in the upstairs 'dining area'. Then on the plane to Luang Prabang. A 35-minute flight would have taken us 11 hours by bus. O.O . We made some great choices today (although I wonder what scenery we missed on the bus!) Charles found us this cute little guesthouse on the north part of the peninsula called Oui's guesthouse. We based from there and did short day trips out of the city, but we also took advantage of the gray skies and got some serious work in.

Airport pho

Sunset view flying Vientiene to Luang Prabang

It's been overcast a lot - and cooler here in Luang Prabang. But it's a really cool feel. A mix of tourists and high end, well-dressed people - everyone is wearing scarves. Tons of morning joggers. The main street from our hotel is higher end, nice restaurants overlooking the Mekong and Nam Kahn rivers. As you walk to the night market the vibe transitions into more of a cultural feel with more 'fun' restaurants and then the market with a few food vendors. There are a ton of beautiful items sold at the night market. We've gone back a couple times and have had fun buying Christmas gifts for people. Although we've been working (and recovering Kristi's neck from a fall on a waterfall trail), we were able to explore the Kuang Si falls - about a 26k scooter ride from town. Beautiful.