Luang prabang

Arrived in Luang Prabang in the late afternoon and were met by our guide and car and whisked away to our hotel. It was a lovely old colonial built in 1900 for the French Governor. The rooms were built round a quadrangle that boasted beautiful water features and gardens. Our room was again quite sumptuous and opened onto an enclosed garden that boasted an outdoor bath tub! The floor to ceiling shutters in the indoor shower and separate bath could be opened right out, so effectively, they could also be outdoor. When we got there, there was no electricity - the manager explained that the government were upgrading the system and power should be restored very shortly (think this must happen frequently, as there was a huge tub of water with a scoop in the toilet!). Anyway, the good news was that because of the lack of electricity, we were given unlimited free drinks at the bar!

Luang Pabang is the former capital of Laos and is far and away the best city we have visited so far. The French influence is everywhere. The whole town is designated a UNESCO site and as such, none of the buildings can be altered. The houses are mostly stone and the streets are wide and tree lined. There are lots of good restaurants, both local and international cuisine plus a plethora of French bakeries serving good coffee and delicious French pastries. Our guide told us that one thing the French left behind was the baguette! There are lots of European tourists here ranging from students to ageing hippies and because of this, the accommodation is varied from high end hotels to guest houses.

Our first day, our guide picked us up and gave us a tour of a local market, then onto the old King’s palace (now a museum)and a couple of temples - quite different from the ones we have seen so far, but also relatively new. We then stopped off in town for a cup of coffee and an almond croissant- delicious. In the afternoon we retired to the pool area for more relaxation- something we are getting quite expert at.

The second day we set off for some waterfalls that are about a 45 minute ride out of town. We started off on quite a good road that quickly deteriorated into a pothole ridden dirt road. The ride was worth it though as the falls were very picturesque. The water is heavily mineralised so the pools are a beautiful turquoise colour. At the same location there is a black bear sanctuary. An Australian lady started it some years ago to save the bears from poachers who keep the bears in captivity to harvest the bile for the Chinese market. Since she opened the centre, she has been responsible for closing down two very large bear farms. Any baby bears at the centre are carefully reared and then, with help, released back into the wild. A very interesting day.

We are now on our way to Vientiane, the capital of Laos.Read more