Luang Prabang

Day 64 Saturday 3rd October 0 km (19300 km total)

 

Rest Day - whopee!

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I had planned two nights in Luang Prabang, partly as I thought it might be a long ride crom the border and also I had heard it was a nice place & I wanted to see a bit of Laos.

 

Unfortunately I spent most of the morning catching up with my China blogs, a few bits of work on the bike, washing clothes & recovering from the rather large meal & one too many beers I had consumed in celabration of arriving safely last night - oops!

View from my room in the morning was just what the doctor ordered :-)

Once all the domestic & other tasks were completed, I se of for a walk up mount Phu Si , which was conveniently on the doorstep.

Well OK its hardly a mount at only 150m but its 335 steps left my legs aching the following day, or was that from standing in the oegs on the rough roads?

 

The 'mount' is a central feature in Luang Prabang and one of the first things that visitors will notice as they arrive, it having gold statues & things all over it. i didnt notice it at all when I arrived however, as it was dark & I was too busy trying not to ride the bike into (seemingly) bottomless potholes!

 

Apparently the mount used to harbour a powerful Naga ( a mthyical serpent like creature of Buddist legend) but I didnt see one, just lots of tourists gsping & sweating as they climbed to watch the sunset from the top.

Its a rocky little mountain, with every nok & cranny filled with statues and the like.

 

 

 

Once at the top there is indeed a nice view, sunset or not.

I stayed until it got this dark, but then left, far too busy at the top for my liking

After a shower & change I ventured out to a bar that my host reccomended.

The Icon bar is not at all Laos style, its a very arty/ chic little place run by a hungarian lady (who was away) but managed by a canadian chap in her absence. It had a nice atmosphere so I stayed for a few, plus it had started raining heavily by then. The only other occupants at that time were 4 'mature' american ladies. 3 left to go for dinner shortly after and so I ended up chatting with the one that remained.

Barbara, was a true California girl and we got a great discussion going revolving around her time with the mystics in Nepal and mine motorbiking the world. Chalk & cheese but very enjoyable all the same & a nice lady.

So rest day over, clothes washed & almost dry, pack & go in the morning - next stop Vientiane.