Luang Prabang : walk in the city after a long night of rest

- 16 Janvier : Long night of rest till 10 am, that's restful. I'll come to visit the city by walking. I'm gone at 11 am. I stop to a café terace above the Mekong river to have a coffee and a smoothie before to go and walk a few kilometers. They are not really in a hurry to serve me, but I'm Ok I kind of have the time, that's holidays, no? It's cool along the Mekong river this morning, and a little bit cloudy and windy.

     I begin to walk in direction of the end of the peninsula, passing in front of a load of guesthouses and restaurants along the river, with teraces. I see some of the people that where on the same boat as me from Houessay. I stop in another café with a terace along the Mekong, contemplating a tree all covered with a symbiotic plant on the trunk and branches, that's amazing.

 

     They sell some fresh cocos. I take one and drink the juice with a straw and finally order something for lunch. I order and taste the famous Mekong seaweed - dried and fried 1 second in the oil and covered with sesame and garlic - with a basket of sticky rice. It's pretty delicious but a little fat with the oil, then even if it doesn't weigh a lot I couldn't finish my plate. For the dessert I ask to the guy who served me to cut the coconut  and I ate the white fresh flesh.

     I continue my way towards the place where the Nam Kane river meet the Mekong river. I stop to visit one of the most beautiful temple of Luang Prabang, the Wat Xieng Thong, built in 1560. A few little temples around one big where you can see, on the back of one, the amazing tree of illumination, done with bits of shiny mosaics. In an another one you can see an immense funeral  tank , and a little bit further a big lying Bouddha.

     When I arrive to the mouth of the river Naam Kane I see the couple of old  people from Jersey I've been with from Chian Mai. They rented bikes and when I see them they are discussing with a young couple who come back from visiting the village across the river. They say it worth the visit. Then iI let them and go in that direction. I have to pay a little amount to cross the river by a bamboo bridge, and when you're on the other side in the little village you can go and visit  the crafters you can see them working the silk. Also you can see how they make the chinese lanterns using the bark of white mulberry tree, and also frames, books, trays.  I buy some other Chinese lanterns and a bedside lamp. I make a fast visit to the temple because it is worth seeing.

     I then go back to the other side of the river and go along the Nam Kane river till the area  where there are all the bars and then I visit another temple where I see  a young couple from te boat trip. I couldn't find the tourist office from the plan I had from the travel book but I saw where I can go and do traditional sauna with herbs and at will tea between the sequences, at Lao Red Cross center.  I stop later in the area and have a soup to give me some strengh and courage to do the  ascent of the Mount Phousi to see the temple (Wat Tham Phusi) and see the splendid view on the Mékong at the sunset from there.

     Stiff ascent but really great Buddhas along the way and indeed splendid view, even if it's a little cloudy tonight. I also there see the young netherlands guy I met in the guesthouse in Chiang Kong.  I go down by the other stairs which reaches directly the night Market wher I try to find an ATM et take some money because  I'm broke. I see the Germans of yesterday, the one from the minibus from Chiang Mai. I become a millionaire in Kips (about 100€)…not so long because I have to pay my room when I come back there (80000 kips).

     I put a long sleeves sweater I go to do a walk and find something to eat, like yesterday, in the little food market. Passing by a stall I buy something I hadn't taste yet with a paste with peanuts, rice and lemon grass, wrapped in a letuce leave, very fresh and delicious and cheap too. Looking for dinner I meet a couple from England I saw on the boat. We discuss a moment and say we'll see later maybe at the Hive Bar for a drink. Actually we met again in the little market and chat by the street a long moment before we decide to go and have dinner somewhere in the street at a food stall. Their names are Rachel and Joe, and like many of the Europeans I met here, travel on a 5 to 6 months duration. They already did the Thaïland during one month, stay nearly two months in Laos, then they'll do Canbodia and Vietnam and maybe Malaysia and finally if it's possible Australia.

     Finally we discuss a long moment and have some fun with a cat which loved Rachel and decided  not to let her go from the place we were eating. It's a bit late now to  go and have a drink, then Rachel and Joe go back to their accomodation and I go to the bar of yesterday and order only one beer in bottle and stay out of the bar to catch the WIFI and update my blog. I chat a moment with a guy from Savoie I met there who explains me he had a pretty good time by doing woofing in a rice farm near Pai in the north of Thaïland and really advise me to try. I hope my guesthouse won't be closed when I come back. It's OK because I come back enough early.