A Little Luxury in Luang Prabang

12 August

The Royal and Ancient city of Luang Prabang—home to many temples (wats) and palaces, as well as tourist infrastructure on a scale not known since Turkey. Cafes with wifi, baguettes, and fruit shakes; a market full of silks and hippie clothes and sandwiches for $1; tuk-tuks to take you to the waterfalls scattered around. All easy and mellow and lovely. As David remained poorly, went about with the girls most of the time.

Out to the waterfalls at Kouang Si—possibly the most beautiful place on earth. Clear, pale turquoise water flowing from pool to pool, down mini falls over white limestone, and all descending from one massive, beautiful fall the the bas of a karst mountain. The pools are all easily swimmable, cool and fresh and lovely. Rich people pay a fortune to make their swimming pools look anything like this—I didn't believe it actually existed in nature, and yet we spent the afternoon there for the equivalent of $5 each, including transport 35K and entry. Random Asian bear reserve is also there, several bears chilling in their hammocks.

Having all acquired some girly clothes, went out for dinner just before what proved to be a monsoon-esque thunderstorm. Planning on a terrace on the Mekong, but settled for pizza on the main strip when the plastic walls of the terrace ripped off in the wind. But damned if we didn't look lovely.

A striking feature of Laos so far has to be the sheer number of white people. God, they're everywhere. I feel a bit defensive, as if I should be telling them all that I've slept in a thunderstorm in Kazakhstan, and going to Laos for a week on your summer break does not earn you bragging rights. Should possibly focus on the positive—nice to have a broader market for western products, as it means I'm having an easier time replacing my beauty products. Although still had to settle for skin cream that promises to whiten my complexion—what on earth is in this stuff? Does this worry anyone else? I knew I should have learned to read Laotian.

Khmu Massage on the high street is home to what appear to be the cheapest massages in Luang Prabang—in a slightly dodgy basement room, Amy and Deb and I stripped down and got rubbed down for an hour, at a cost of $5. Pedicures after for another $3, accompanied by fresh watermelon shakes for 80 cents. Why not go all out, you know?