Luang Prabang is a really lovely city tucked into a nook at the convergence of the Mekong and Nam Khan rivers. The city was named a Unesco World Heritage site in 1995, so they have done a good job of preserving what was left as of then, while implementing regulations to ensure proper growth management. While there are plenty of western tourists who pass through Luang Prabang (typically via boat trips from Chiang Mai, Thailand), we found a wonderful Lao experienc...

We finally made it to Luang Prabang, but the bus ride was our fist real travel hiccup. We boarded the bus at 8AM and, for the most part, everything was fine. Once all the main passengers were on, however, a few Lao guys got on the bus with lawn chairs, cracked them open in the aisle, and sat down. We all looked a bit quizzically at them, but we have seen wackier things, so we just went with it. Then we noticed that two of them had AK-47s. Methinks this trip sh...

*** Check out the companion photo album called "Vientiane" Mission accomplished! We found a new guest house with a clean room and bathroom, and we are muuuuch more comfortable. It is amazing what a little cleaner and a sponge can accomplish. :) Our new guest house is in a more energetic section of town, although, we have to use the word "energetic" loosely. For a national capital, this is one quiet town. The town barely is moving by 7AM, and most everything sh...

We don't have pics of Laos yet, so we just slapped this pic of Bev from Seattle in as a place holder. It will be over 80 degrees during the day, so no need for a fleece and hat. We caught the bus that crosses the Friendship Bridge from Nong Khai (Thailand) into Laos (Vientiane). It was a 90-minute ride, but we spent about 15-20 minutes getting out of the bus and dealing with immigration. We arrived in Vientiane at around 7PM and took the first available room (cr...