Luang Prabang

Our visitor and I at Kuang Si Falls!

So I’m not sure we ever really got down the pronunciation of this place until we left. It may come down to different accents as well. I was calling it “loo ahng pra bahng” whereas anthony said “loo ang pruh bang.” I think mom just avoided pronouncing it altogether. 

Luang Prabang is typically either the first or final stop on the backpacker trail through Laos. It was our first stop in our second Southeast Asian country to experience. I didn’t know much about this country, since its close neighbors like Thailand and Vietnam tend to soak up a lot of the spotlight. Laos is landlocked, so tourists don’t come for the beaches, but they do come from all over the world for unspoiled nature, outdoor activities, and distinct Lao culture.

However, I would not recommend visiting when we did. The burning season in Southeast Asia is between December and April and we have really noticed it in Laos. The burning season is when farmers burn off the fields to prepare for planting and this leads to a smoky haze over many northern parts of the region. It hasn’t necessarily hindered our trip, but the views and landscapes aren’t near as lush as I imagine they are outside of the burning season. Obviously, the air quality isn’t great for us to be breathing every day either. 

I think a highlight for everyone was the Mandalou Elephant Conservation. It was an incredible day. At the start of the tour, an older Thai man explained what was happening at the sanctuary and how it started. To try and briefly summarize the issue, elephants in Thailand and Laos are endangered because of humans, so organizations like this one are set up to help care for the elephants and hopefully repopulate the region.

**If you ever visit somewhere with elephants DO NOT pay to ride them. It should be illegal but the governments here aren’t exactly proactive on the matter.

We got to be up close and personal with these guys.

We then made “elephant food” which consisted of small bananas filled with either sticky rice or tamarind covered in salt. They told us in the tour that elephants need to eat 6% of their body weight every day! I can imagine these little banana snacks to them were for us like eating single peas or something. Afterwards, it was time to walk with the elephants. You want to be pretty alert here. For as massive as elephants are, they are actually pretty quiet and can sneak up on you. I don’t think any of us realized how up close and personal we were going to get to be with these incredible creatures! 

Setting out for dinner later that evening, mom and I stopped and had drinks and cheese fries at a restaurant called Tangor, which we actually went to twice we enjoyed it so much. These were the best cocktails I had had in Southeast Asia thus far in addition to some really delicious and creative cheese fries I regretted not snapping a photo of. After Anthony joined and we were feeling a bit looser, it was time to journey on. We made another stop at a sports bar called Redbul, which had a pool table and was adjoined to a hostel, so it had a pretty strong backpacker vibe to it. After a bit of (poor) pool playing and a few more beers later, the bar was closing down at 11:00 pm.

We were then tempted by some locals to go to a bowling alley since it is apparently the only place in town open after hours. I was a little sceptical but I had heard it mentioned the day before by another local. We took a taxi a bit outside of town. While the rest of the town was dark and sleepy, the party in this establishment was thriving. There was music blaring, groups of people bowling at every lane, and booze flowing. Honestly, it was a lot of unexpected fun.

Bear in mind, the initial point of walking into town was to get burgers at the Aussie bar (recommended by Google reviews). We only got those burgers for dinner the following night. 

Mom and I went to The Living Land Farm the following day which was another incredible tour experience. We had lunch consisting of a variety of Lao dishes overlooking the rice fields. Then, it was time for the tour, which pretty much began with stepping knee-deep into wet squishy brown mud in a rice field. We learned the whole process of rice farming from seed to table; I thoroughly enjoyed it. I had always wondered how those pretty terraced fields I had seen in photos produced the rice we eat. 

No, I’m not wearing boots. That’s mud.

Kuang Si falls is number five on a list of the best waterfalls in the world, and it did not disappoint. We were told by other travelers to go early and they were not wrong. We got there around 11 am and while there were plenty of tourists, it was nothing like the hoards of people adn tours that were coming in around 2 pm as we were leaving. There’s an area where the main falls are and there’s a trail to hike to the viewpoint at the top of the falls. Anthony and I opted for the hike and though it was challenging, it was worth it! I could also imagine it being a bit dangerous in the wet season. 

There are so many different sections of the falls here.

Perhaps one of the biggest downsides to Laos, for us especially, is the wifi is terrible! However, there are some nice cafes that cater to westerners with good wifi. Indigo Cafe is a nice brunch spot right by the night market so it was quite close to us. Saffron Coffee was definitely a favorite though. They have an upstairs area away from the loud and busy street with good wifi and air conditioning for an optimal working environment. It was a bonus that they had a good looking menu and delicious bagels. I had a chicken bacon ranch sandwich (hadn’t seen that in Asia yet) which really hit the spot. 

For anyone here more interested in the traveling, we stayed at Maison Dalabua (Kellie’s choice) which was fanstastic. The hotel restaurant is set amongst lilly ponds and bamboo trees and the lighting is impeccable. We experienced the tasting menu the first night which was way too much food but a great introduction to Laos cuisine.

All in all, it was a great time had between me, my husband, and my mom, an unlikely trio yes, but we definitely made some memories to last.

Having drinks at Tangor