Luang Prabang

After a restful night and a delicious Laotian lunch we took a short walk through the historic district of Luang Prabang. Afterwards, we sat down with our laptop in a nice cafe on the Mekong and wrote the next blog post. For further activities it would have been too hot anyway. With 42 degrees (feeling like 50 degrees) we were grateful for our shady spot under a big tree.

In the evening, we strolled through the night market, which takes place in Luang Prabang every evening from 6.00 pm. Clothes, self-sewn cultural and money bags, paintings, carvings, etc. are sold at the stands. The offer is diverse and the prices low. Of course, there are also numerous food and drink stands. At the drink stands, you can buy super delicious fruit juices. Generous amounts are poured out. For just two francs we received a liter of freshly squeezed passion fruit juice. The vegetarian buffet was particularly interesting. We have never seen such a thing in Asia before. In large bowls, various types of noodles, rice dishes, potatoes, vegetables and fruits are offered. For 15,000 kip (about 2 francs) a whole plate could be filled. At a separate stand, meat could be purchased. A similar concept to the Coop or Migros restaurant. The food was all fresh and delicious.

The next morning we treated ourselves to a very special breakfast. At the Zurich Bakery we enjoyed sandwiches with real cheese and dark bread. A real rarity in Asia. This was also reflected in the price (about 20 francs including a drink). It was definitely worth it for this little piece of home.

Well nourished, we embarked on a temple tour of Luang Prabang. In one street, there were five temples in a row. All of them could be visited for free. We admired the ornaments and marveled at the steep roofs. Some of them seemed to be at risk of collapse. They leaned inwards strongly. Unfortunately, there was no sign anywhere that would have provided information about the year of construction. The monks who were on the monastery grounds were mostly busy with their mobile phones. Technology has long since found its way here too. Some monks, however, were also busy with physical work or reading a book.

After a little over two hours, we couldn't stand the blistering midday sun any longer and made our way back to the hotel. There, we rented a scooter and drove to the Kuang Si Waterfall, which is about a 45-minute drive away. Before we reached the waterfall, we passed the bear park. Here, bears find a home who have often lived in small cages for years. The reason for this is their gall bladder. Chinese medicine attributes special healing powers to bear bile. Although it has long been scientifically proven that bear bile has no healing powers at all, traditional medicine is deeply rooted in people's minds. For the bears, this means a life full of pain. Most of the bears were admitted in a very bad condition and could be nursed back to health. The enclosures are not particularly large, but they allow the bears to live painlessly and enjoy their day in a group. We think it is important to raise awareness, as the waterfall is also visited by a large number of Chinese tourists. The waterfall itself was wonderful. It is one of the most beautiful ones we have seen on this trip. You can take a bath in the lower pool. The water was surprisingly cold and very refreshing. The wellness program was also included. Small fish thoroughly nibbled at our feet. After the swim, we headed up to the highest pool. From a bridge, we could admire the tall waterfall. We let the drone take off and took some aerial photos. We liked the many gradations and the color of the water. It was really clean and clear.

Before t he thunderstorm hit, we reached Luang Prabang. Summer thunderstorms are not unusual in these extreme outside temperatures. They are fierce, but usually very short and localized. After taking a shower, we went back to the night market. Here we met various people who had been on the slow boat with us. We had arranged to meet Maria and Christian for a beer at Utopia. Utopia is located on a small hill - we had a good view of the Mekong and enjoyed the cozy atmosphere.

On the last day, after breakfast - this time at the French Bakery - we visited the palace of Luang Prabang. It has been converted into a museum. The large hall was particularly impressive. The walls and ceiling were decorated with a huge red mosaic. Horses, soldiers, soldiers on horses and other motifs were incorporated into the mosaic using glass fragments. An incredibly elaborate and certainly expensive manual work. Each room was meticulously arranged: bedroom, reception room, office, hall, etc. The corridors were equipped with swords, pots, vases and other vessels. In the building next door, the different cars of the royal family could be admired. Some of them were given to them by the Americans. Unfortunately, photography was not allowed here.

After the palace visit, we climbed the adjacent hill. With this oppressive heat, every step was incredibly exhausting. Arriving at the top - the hill was really not high - we took some pictures of the city. Then we retreated to the coolness of our room. The heat made us incredibly tired. Thanks to an upgrade, we now had a beautiful hotel room. It wasn't until the evening that we dared to go outside again. We had dinner in a small local restaurant. On the way back, we ran into Lucien again, the Swiss guy we had met at the Chiang Mai Canyon.

After e three hot but culturally interesting days, we will continue tomorrow to the party city of Vang Vieng. It is best known for tubing on the river.