Laos Post #1: 2 - 13 June 2018 Luang Prabang, Laos

2 - 13 June 2018
Luang Prabang, Laos

June 2-5

We packed up in the morning and took a tuk tuk into town to have lunch and do some shopping. Hayden and I had the idea of getting a kroma (Cambodian scarf) for each of us in yellow and blue to wear to LBYH hockey games. While we waited for our lunch to arrive, we ran back to the market area. We had a hard time finding one that wasn’t huge/would fit in our luggage- so we got just one in yellow and navy blue.

We flew from Cambodia to Laos on another midday, easy, one hour flight. We were amazed to see the beautiful mountains surrounding Luang Prabang as we flew in.

The AirBNB host helper arranged a van pick up for us for the ten minute drive from the airport to the Greenhouse villa. ($10 for 10 minute, which seems steep - but then we realized we pay $75-$100 for

a 35 minute ride from Lexington to Logan!). 

Greenhouse Villa!

A cool shadow of the bicycle wheel spokes.

We had our first dinner in Luang Prabang at a pizza place down the street for our AirBNB. It was already dark and the candles were the only light. The pizza was good and the unlimited drinking water was even better!

Day 2, we headed into town. First we crossed the bamboo bridge which goes over the Mekong River tributary, the Nam Khan River.

We brought the umbrella for sun protection. Notice the children swimming under the bridge on this Sunday morning!

There is a hut at the end of the bridge where a woman collects 5000 kip (a little less than a dollar) for every round trip, or 10K kip for unlimited trips. The fee goes to the family who builds the bridge each year. It is taken down, usually in July, when the river gets too high and built again at the end of the rainy season.

We were a little annoyed to have to pay a fee to cross the bridge. It was kind of silly to be annoyed because we paid $3 for a tuk tuk each way into town in Siem Reap and didn’t think twice of it. We were probably feeling this way more because the woman collecting the fee was kind of rude to us.

The second time we crossed, she said “you have been coming across all week.” And we hadn’t! Partly because it was so hot and we weren’t going out and partly because we were taking the bike bridge (pics of that later).

We took a walk around town, to check it out, and to look for the supermarket. As you can see from Eliza’s face, it was way too hot! We did find the supermarket and spent plenty of time there, enjoying the air con!

We were happy to find granola, pancake mix, cream cheese (which we have never found again, even at the same supermarket), and non-boxed milk. We also bought margarine because butter seemed expensive. The margarine was really gross, so we ended up buying olive oil spread and then butter too! (It’s now three weeks later, and we have been taking them with us! I put the butter into the olive oil spread container and then froze them so they’d be easy to transport.)

This is a mini-wat with offerings (made from banana leaves and marigolds), in front of a restaurant on the side of the road heading back toward the bamboo bridge.

We stopped at the jewelry shop on our side of the bamboo bridge. Lydia found this necklace and said, “turn that frown upside down!” She thought the necklace might help us out of our “grump-iTee”* moods.

*Eliza’s new and improved word for grumpy!

For dinner, we ate at Dyen Sabai, a restaurant overlooking the river, also on our side of the bamboo bridge. We all loved the starter of three dips (eggplant, mushroom, tomato), with roasted river weed and sticky rice for dipping.

On full Day #2 (Mon, June 4), we set off to La Pistoche pool which is a public pool, where you pay a fee and swim as long as you like.

Eliza’s cool hair-do- it stays in ponytail form even without the elastic holding it up!

Walking across the bike bridge toward the area of town where we can catch a tuk tuk to the pool. We walked along the outside of the bridge but the planks were not all stable and not all there! In the center, there is a lane going each way for bicycles and motor bikes.

Hopping on a tuk tuk to get a ride across town.

Arriving at La Pistoche

We stayed for much of the day, enjoying the refreshing water and people watching. The Lao kids come before and after school (or maybe they are already on summer vacation, because some seemed to stay all day). They swim in their clothing, and had fun doing inner tube races. As we have found at most pools, there is a bar in the pool, with stools to perch on while sitting in the pool.

The next day, June 5, we stayed home in did schooling in the morning. In the afternoon, Katie and the kids went to the jewelry shop where you can make your own jewelry.

Heading out to the jewelry shop. The kids are waiting for me to open to front gate which was padlocked. This is the front of the Greenhouse villa.

Brian stayed home to work on downloading pics and other computer related activity. He should have come with us because, unfortunately, the wifi was very spotty and it took forever to download anything.

The children spent lots of time choosing their beads. Hayden is hammering the brass for the necklace I am making. It is the shape of a heart, and I chose the children’s birthstones, amethyst, pearl and citrine, to put across the heart.

The jewelry making area is on a porch overlooking the Nam Khan river. The porch leans downward toward the river, and we weren’t sure it could support us all. Lan who works there and lives there too, promised us that he hosts parties on the porch and it’s never collapsed!

Eliza made this bracelet with beads and a flower charm, that looks like a waterfall, on slik string.

Lydia’s bracelet also has beads and a charm (with two Ls) on silk string. Hayden’s was the same, with a bird charm.

We decided to go back to the Pizza restaurant down the street. We were feeling lazy and hesitant about going into town.

This is a cool pic Hayden took on the way to the pizza place. It was raining, and the heat of the day caused steam to come up from the road.

We could not find candles at the house or the supermarket, so we decided to make use of the Pizza place candle for Eliza to make a birthday wish.

The kids wanted to see if they have any facial features in common. What do you think?

We are really finding time to talk about a range of topics, including genetics and DNA, puberty, drugs and alcohol use, communism, impeachment, and s-e-x! 

Next up…

A day with the Elephants for Eliza’s birthday!