Luang Prabang

The bus to Laos took just a few hours longer than expected but we were still glad to have made it there after 27 hours of driving. Two people were left behind at the Vietnamese border because they had an eVisa which doesn't allow you to cross this border...
We didn't have any issues but the process at the Laotian border was ridiculous: There were like 6 stations and at each one you needed to pay one or two dollars. The last station was to get the temperature, why exactly isn't clear 😂
We checked in at our "Villa" pretty late and then headed out again to get something to eat. Almost all restaurants had already closed so we were happy to get some fried rice and noodles before going to sleep.
The next day we rented a scooter to get to the sightseeing highlight of Luang Prabang, the Kuang Si Falls. Usually they have a blue color, but because of the recent rainfalls the water was wilder and greyish. Still a pretty impressive sight! There is also a bear sanctuary as a part of the park with over 20 rescued bears from poachers and the horrible practice of extracting bile. This is used for some sketchy alternative medicine mainly in China and Thailand. These magnificent animals were luckily rescued but many more are still hunted and tortured.
Later we went to the Royal Palace in the city center and then early back to the hotel as I wasn't feeling well...Read more