What they say about Laos.

A beautiful saying I have read about Laos is:

The Vietnamese plant the rice
The Cambodians watch the rice grow
The Laotians listen to it grow

I think I am discovering that about Lao. The people here are extremely soft, gentle, quiet and friendly and with a bow will make sure you are alright.
I am still in Luang Prabang as I have once again found a place very difficult to leave.

The town is set on a peninusula between 2 rivers the Mekong and the Kham. Essentially a jungle setting along river banks.
The vibe here is uber-laid back with great food and great surrounding areas.
The morning markets are a feast to your senses selling everything from fish and chicken to roasted rats and water buffalo bile. Some things are hard to imagine what the hell they do with it but who am I but a farang(foreigner) trying to grasp another culture. I am trying to remain open to trying things I would normally not try and the water buffalo jerkey was actually quite tasty.

One of the unique features of Luang Prabang is the town closes up by midnight and you are expected to be in your place that you are registered ie. your guesthouse by midnight. Basically, they have a curfew for everyone. In some ways, I am OK with that as it keeps the quietness of the town intact and reduces the party atmosphere that would be happening considering that tall beers cost 1 dollar and cocktails are 2 dollars so drinking is really cheap here.


Went out of town to this fabulous waterfall about 36 km away.
It was awesome and in the areas that you could go swimming to cooling water washed away all the road grime I have been acuumulating.

Took an all day Cooking School class given by a highly respected restaurant.
We first went to the market and learned alot about the offerings available there.
We then headed to the cooking school set up in a garden along the riverside.
We cooked 5 dishes along with sticky rice and it was fabulous. I will have a dinner party when I get back and make these dishes. Really great stuff!!
I will be leaving LP in a few days and begin heading northeast towards the Plain of Jars- this amazing ancient plateau that has these huge stone containers strewn around for reasons lost in time. It is an area that was hard hit by the secret war America waged against the Laotians unbeknownst to the American people. It's a place that has facinated me for many years.
More to come.
Thanks for checking out my blog and for the great comments. Keep em coming.

Blessings,
Jeff