Ahhh, the Sound of Silence...

Luang Prabang, Laos

July 13, 2007
N 19°53.486
E 102°08.302

It was 6:30 PM, 32 degrees Celsius and at least 90% humidity. It felt like it was only getting hotter.

Luckily, we didn’t have any “complications” with Marc’s passport and Visa upon entry into Laos. W didn’t even have to pay an extra “convenience” fee like in Cambodia.

However, after we struck-out at our first two picks for lodging we were scrambling. We looked around and saw we were just one of at least half a dozen backpackers looking for a place to stay for the evening. Unfortunately, I was getting a major rumbling down below and a there was an extreme sense of urgency. We knew we needed a room with a private bathroom (which is uncommon) for obvious reasons and it had to be least under $25 a night.

After wandering the streets of Luang Prabang for at least 45 minutes a young boy on a bicycle approached us, “You need room? $6?.” Marc asked him if the room had a private toilet and he said yes... that was all it took. We followed our young savior to the Kinnesy Guesthouse. Marc took a quick tour of the Spartan room and hollered out to me on the street, “This is where we’re staying tonight.” No air-conditioning, but it does have a ceiling fan, clean sheets, and a private bathroom with lukewarm water. Luxury!

Our first day in Luang Prabang was very low key. After waking up with a few kinks in my back and neck, I decided to take advantage of one of the several massage spas in the area. The average cost for one hour is around $3—very difficult to turn down. I went to the spa nearest to our guest house and told them I wanted work done on my neck and shoulders. Yes, we have been through this before in Vietnam.

I was pleased to discover the typical massage in Laos is similar to the Thai Massage where you dress in a little cotton suit prior to the massage. The massage consists of a lot of stretching; exactly what I needed after climbing the temple stairs in Siem Reap for a few days and frantically trudging around with my backpack the day before.

The best part of the whole massage was I didn’t have the uncomfortable feeling that I got from “Bob’s Place” in Vietnam. There was no need to clinch the butt cheeks or look over my shoulder and find a gnat with a towel over his head vigorously shaking my boot—all very legit.

The city has a unique layout centered between two rivers—the Mekong Delta and Nam Khan. We took a walk along the Delta side until we reached the round-about that took us on the Nam Khan side of town. We stopped on occasion to admire the vegetation and beautiful countryside in the near distance and just listen to the quiet.

The French, who colonized much of South East Asia, have a famous quote about the people in the region… “The Vietnamese plant rice, the Cambodians watch it grow, and the Lao listen to it grow.”

As we walked around today, we found the Lao people to be extremely laid back, relaxed, and without much outward emotion. A very nice change from other cities we have been in during the past month.