Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?

I tell Lisa I am in love with Luang Prabang even before we arrive at the hotel.  The lush tree-lined streets, French colonial architecture,and brick sidewalks make it so pretty.  The Mekong cuts through the city and is lined with terraces of peanuts, Palm trees and steep staircases go down to it's river beaches.

Luang Prabang  was declared a UNESCO World Heritage City in 1995. It is a small jewel compared to bustling Chiang Mai, Thailand.  With about 50,000 residents, and surrounded by step lush teak and tropical forests, Luang Prabang is an outpost that is nonetheless swarming with Western tourists.  We will repeatedly run into our boat cruise mates over the next few days.  In some ways, LP is like San Luis Obispo!  A small city with a charming downtown and a neighborly feel.  Except it is in one of the poorest countries in the world.  80% of Laos population are substance farmers.

We check into The Aspara.  It is a boutique hotel - charming, old, and beautifully situated across the street from the riverside promenade.  The chiffon curtains in our room billow in the breeze that comes in from our upstairs balcony overlooking the street and river.  We will gladly forgive the creaking floorboards and doors.

We all get situated and then head out to explore.  We impulsively make dinner reservations at the pricy Tamarind Reataurant next door.  It has gotten great reviews, but we will be rather disappointed in the food.

So when I say it is pricy, consider that dinner for four costs about $60.  This will probably ly be the most expensive meal of our trip.  We often eat dinner for about $6 a person.

So it is easy to feel like a millionaire in Thailand and Laos.  After all, he currency, the Kip, is 8000 Kip to one dollar.  That means 1,000,000 Kip is $121.  Wow, we feel rich.

Our first morning Ben and I check out the free hotel bikes.  Mornings in LP are cool, but by 10 am the sun is bright and jackets are stowed.  The evenings are warm.  Thank goodness we came in January, the best weather of the year.

LP is at the convergence of two rivers, The Mekong and the smaller Nam Khan.  We discover this bamboo foot bridge and pay 5000 Kip (65 cents) to cross.  No idea what is on the other side.

First we scramble up a steep and trashy foot path to this small shrine.  We meet some French tourists and follow them to the handicrafts village down the dirt road.  

We can't resist the very first shop, where a husband and wife are selling textiles.  She is busy at her loom and I admire the vivid turquoise scarf she is weaving. They offer to sell it to me off the loom.  She has two completed ones rolled around the spindle.  All she has to do is unroll one and cut it off. The picture shows how the fringe separates each piece.

I always wondered how fringe was made.  She demonstrates by rolling a few threads together.  In just a few moments the scarf is ready for me to purchase.  I pay $12 for this scarf that has taken her days to make.

It has a lovely pattern and yet is certainly not one of the more complicated designs they sell.

Back to the hotel only to discover that our camera is broken.  Trip crisis.  Ben does online research and determines it is toast.  He heads to the Dara Market, which is a bunch of indoor stalls selling everything you need (and if not, you will live without it).  He comes back with a basic Canon camera that he bargained for, but since the seller readily took his offer, he figures he paid too much.

John and Lisa have run into their Dutch bridge partners from the boat and they recommend Lao BBQ place for dinner.  The restaurant is a jungle inside - our table is under vines hanging down from big trees.  Our waiter brings a clay bucket of blazing wood coals, and a big domed pan, like a metal sombrero, that fits over it.  There is a hole cut in the center of our table to hold the fire bucket.  He delivers platters of thinly cut meats and veggies for us to BBQ on the dome and steam in the broth that we are to pour into the lip of the pan.  The hot broth arrives first in a little bucket.  Not knowing what it is for, Lisa serves some to each of us in our bowls.  The waiter has to correct us and put it back - it's intended for cooking our veggies, not eating like soup!

Luang Prabang is easy to get to know, yet we realize we have lots and lots to learn.