Day 407: To Luang Prabang

Another day, another long bus ride: the bus to Luang Prabang in northern Laos took about 6 hours. Since the road is very bumpy and winding, buses run only during the daylight hours. While I appreciate the thinking behind this, it also meant that the better part of the day was spent crammed in a minivan, being catapulted out of the seat at regular intervals.

We passed many small mountain villages on the way. Most of the villages had a single central well where people were taking showers and filling their water canisters. Plumbing? Running water? Hot showers? All non-existent in these villages.

In the late afternoon, I walked around Luang Prabang's historical center for a while. The town is located on the banks of the Mekong river - an old acquaintance that I had already seen in Vietnam. When I got there, all the tourist boats were already parked for the night:

This is one of many temples that are scattered throughout the center:

A famous attraction in Luang Prabang is its night market. Every evening, the main street running through the historical center is roped off and hundreds of stalls are erected that sell mainly souvenirs for tourists. In some of the side streets there is excellent street food, and so I indulged in a big dinner that cost only 10.000 Kip - about 1 euro.