Chilled out in Laos

I arrived in Luang Prabang, Laos from Hanoi on a morning flight the 8th of February. (I whimped out on the 36 hour overland bus journey between Hanoi and LP on the basis that I'm starting to run out of time, and that 32 of those 36 hours could be better spent doing something else). The only things I knew about Laos were

1. it's the most bombed country in history (the US dropped 2million tonnes of bombs in the 60s and 70s, and there is still a huge problem with unexploded ordinances - UXOs - around)

2. it's very, very, very chilled out

So, coming from Hanoi it was always going to be a shock. After getting my visa at the blasé immigration counter (US$30 or $35 depending on your nationality - except Sweden which was bizarrely $31) and taking a tuk tuk into town, I walked around in the sweltering midday heat searching for accommodation. I now knew a 3rd thing about Laos

3. Laos is expensive!

Well, not western-standards expensive, but compared to Vietnam...far out, $10 for a room in which I have to haul myself down the hall and a flight of stairs to use a bathroom!

Finally found somewhere to stay in the center of town and went for a walk...

...crickets chriping...

...fingers drumming...

...elevator muszak playing...

So...this is Luang Prabang...

Most people rave about LP and I can definitely see why - it's a lovely spot, a great base from which to go on some treks (and we all know how much I like that!), and if you haven't already seen 10 million temples, monasteries, pagodas & wats in the past 12 months, an interesting place in which to check out that kind of thing. It seemed like a tourist Disneyland of white people wandering around taking trips to waterfalls and buying overpriced (but gorgeous) handicrafts.

One of the key things to do is get up early and watch the monks march single-file around town collecting alms - usually sticky rice - from the locals.

...OK that killed 20 minutes...

I just wasn't into the chilled out Lao state of mind - I had to consciously relax myself in layers, a bit like when you realise your facial muscles are tense and you relax them, then you realise they're still tense so you relax again, and again until finally the tension is gone from your face. Let's face it, with a few exceptions I haven't exactly had what we'd describe as a stressful year, but I still felt like I wasn't in the right mindset to enjoy Luang Prabang.

But more than that, I think I struggled with it because it just didn't have the buzz and the character that I loved so much about Hanoi. This happened with Thailand too, where I was so enamoured with India that my next destination suffered as a result.

So, maybe I just need to take a nap and relax further to go with the flow. I figure that by the time I reach southern Laos (supposedly even *more* chilled out) I'll be there?