Luang Prabang, Laos [Post #5, Day 16]

Over the last few days I have crossed over the border into Laos via the Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge, then rode the “slow boat” along the Mekong River from Huay Xai to Luang Prabang, with an overnight stop in Pak Beng. Crossing the border into Laos was very exciting, especially because I was entering the second country of my trip. The open air taxi ride from the Laos Border Control and Immigration Office to my hostel (Over the Moon Hostel) in Huay Xai was very memorable, it was a perfect temperature in the early evening, cool breeze, and the warm red ball of the setting sun in the hazy sky was beautiful, it reminded me of the sunset on Tatooine from Star Wars, except there was only one sun this time!

After my overnight stay in Huay Xai, I boarded the slow boat the next morning. It is the most backpackers I’ve seen in a single place so far on my trip and there was an excited energy in the air as we boarded with our packed lunches. The slow boat was a great experience, it was fun to mingle with other backpackers and see the beautiful mountain views and village life from the river. I think my favorite part was seeing the water buffalo maneuvering along the steep slopes and plopping down in the shallow portions of the river to bathe.

Today I am walking around Luang Prabang. My favorite thing to do in a new place is to simply walk around and take in everything around me. As I write this post I am sitting on the beach at the juncture of the Mekong and Nam Khan Rivers. I finished my Thailand book on the slow boat yesterday so now I am on a mission to find my Lao book, the only bookstores I’ve found on Google Maps so far appear to be permanently closed so we’ll see what I can find.

I’m getting the hang of the hostel dorm living. As I’ve stayed in a few now I’ve been able to make comparisons between them. Having curtains around the beds makes a big difference, even though you are sharing a room with several others, you can still have your personal space, almost like a mini apartment by closing the curtains. For my last few nights in hostels I have had a very comfortable sleep.