Yesterday we arrived in Laos at about 7pm. The moment you reach the country you enter a whole new atmosphere. Vietnam was very built up with large cities and much more production, while Laos is pretty much the opposite. Flying into Luang Prabang, you look out the window and see barely any lights even though it is considered the second most important city in Laos. Luang Prabang only has a population of 50,000 and the main town is very small. The town is very quaint and small and there are many guesthouses lining the riverbanks. In many ways it is a very tourist geared place, there are money exchanges and bike rental centers everywhere. Tomorrow night is the annual Festival of Lights to celebrate the end of the monsoon. Most households will build a bamboo boat with candles and decoration all over and will carry them in procession down to the river and then set them in the water. People prepare many days in advance because everywhere lights are strung over the streets and people are hammering away at bamboo strips for the boats.
Luang Prabang sits at the merger of two large rivers, one of which is the Mekong. The surrounding area is fairly hilly and is very jungle like. Tomorrow we are planning to take motorbikes towards some nearby waterfalls and today we discovered the town by bicycle.
Last night our family decided to go a dinner cruise up the Mekong River. We were very fortunate that it was only us four on a boat that could hold forty guests. The landscape around Luang Probang is very similar to Myanmar. It is fairly hilly and jungly with a river at the very heart of it. There were several very rural villages lining the riverbank. The Mekong River is one of the most powerful in the world. It is very wide and 20 feet. This depth can vary on a day to day basis by up to 3 feet. Surprisingly, the banks didn't seem too eroded considering how fast the water was moving, although the river is incredibly silty.
On the boat we got to see some Laotian dancers. This is very different from a Burmese dance. In Burma the dances were a lot more active with people utilizing the whole stage and louder music. These dancers in a more slow and precise way with quieter and slower music. In Laotian dancing it is most important to learn to use the hands and feet and you are considered more elegant if you can bend your fingers back in an arc shape.
Luang Prabang sits at the merger of two large rivers, one of which is the Mekong. The surrounding area is fairly hilly and is very jungle like. Tomorrow we are planning to take motorbikes towards some nearby waterfalls and today we discovered the town by bicycle.
Me at Kuang Si waterfalls.
A sub swimming hole near to the bottom.
Last night our family decided to go a dinner cruise up the Mekong River. We were very fortunate that it was only us four on a boat that could hold forty guests. The landscape around Luang Probang is very similar to Myanmar. It is fairly hilly and jungly with a river at the very heart of it. There were several very rural villages lining the riverbank. The Mekong River is one of the most powerful in the world. It is very wide and 20 feet. This depth can vary on a day to day basis by up to 3 feet. Surprisingly, the banks didn't seem too eroded considering how fast the water was moving, although the river is incredibly silty.
On the boat we got to see some Laotian dancers. This is very different from a Burmese dance. In Burma the dances were a lot more active with people utilizing the whole stage and louder music. These dancers in a more slow and precise way with quieter and slower music. In Laotian dancing it is most important to learn to use the hands and feet and you are considered more elegant if you can bend your fingers back in an arc shape.
The Laotian dancers.
Monks on their way to the monastery.
A lovely sunset on the Mekong.
No comments:
Post a Comment