LAOS: Part IV

Luang Prabang

As the mini bus rounded it's last of many bends, we piled out, carsick, groggy and relieved to have arrived in the beautiful town of Luang Prabang. With Jij having spent some time here already, I had a picture in my mind of what the little town would be like. Along with that image came a lot of excitement and anticipation. So, there I was giddy and galavanting amidst my three groggy travel buddies who were suffering from the effects of dramamine (medication to help prevent motion sickness). It was a bit difficult to keep up the giddy act around that crew so I joined in the moping. It was in that fashion that we found a place to call home for the next week.
A few hours spent recovering and regrouping from the ride put everyone in prime form for Luang Prabang's feature attraction...the Night Market. This would prove to be the beginning of our nightly addiction, you could call it a sport, of bartering for "good price for you, good price for me" textiles. Afterall, you can't leave Laos, they won't permit it :>, unless you purchase their unique, beautiful textiles. They are well known for their handywork and do, indeed, produce very nice quilts, pillow cases, aprons, wall hangings and more. Needless to say, Jij and I left with very stuffed backpacks and an overflow bag each! We have now upgraded to rolly suitcases (call us posh, I don't know!) so we can no longer be put in the ranks of dirty backpackers!!
Our time in Luang Prabang was very slow...laid back and mellow! We ate lots of bread and drank some quality coffee thanks to the French influence. We explored a wat or two, spent an afternoon at a waterfall, but our time was mostly consumed by eating, shopping, and wandering by the Mighty Mekong River!
Life's rough when you Live on Vacation.