"Friends" in Viang Vien

And I don't mean people I know. Those annoying 30 somethings playing on wide screen tv's in open air bars to an audience of 20 somethings reclining on mattresses. To be fair, a lot of travellers here have been away from home for so long that they probably need an injection of western "culture" but I felt a bit out of place. The town seems to have been taken over by the backpackers almost totally. Some good points, English is spoken everywhere and lots of budget accommodation, everyone very friendly and the sublime scenery make it a must for the younger set (Jo, you must add this one to your itinery), but it was not for me.

A pity the misty conditions did not allow me to capture the beauty of the mountains but I "borrowed" this image from another blog to give you an idea.




In the morning I decided to take the mini bus to Luang Prabang, 6 hours north and so glad I did. The journey up here was an experience in itself. Winding between the Karsts (must find out how they are formed) the road was suprisingly flat despite the mountain scenery. As we went further north though the mountains became higher, and more of an obstacle. The whole population seems to live at the roadside and we made countless diversions around cattle, chickens, piglets and children. The traffic that we overtook was much less of a problem. The bends looked blind to me but our driver could see through solid rock.

Luang Prabang is the most relaxed, laid back town I have ever been in. A beautiful mixture of traditional Lao and French colonial building, a cluster of Wats in the centre and the Mekong river all along the Eastern edge of the town. The night market is in full swing with a stunning display of locally made handicrafts, especially hand woven silks, and the people are so pleasant they just let you look without any pressure to buy. So unlike other places I have been.

Here are some views: the ride into town on a tuc tuc, the mighty Mekong and the boats for hire (on one of those tomorrow, going on a tour) and the view from my balcony, splashed out here and gone for a nice guest house, teak floors and furniture in a quiet lane in between the streets used by the night market. I have a shower that works and if you look carefully, through the gaps in the houses, I do have a river view..