An Untapped Wonderland

Laos is amazing!!! Finishing our Mekong River boat ride from northern Thailand down through Pak Beng and finally to Luang Prabang by slow boat really set the mood.  For two days, we saw handfuls of villages with thatched huts, several roaming cows and buffalo, traditional rustic appearing fishermen, and endless rolling mountains.  Meeting Ramsay in Luang Prabang, the four of us adventured into one of these Hmong villages with a population of 300 for a night.  Biking through rocky paths, crossing rivers, and trekking the hilly peaks to arrive at our thatched hut with moderately comfortable mattress really mixed things up.  Not many people had any English and we surely could not converse in Lao, so smiles and gestures it was!  The following day we hiked out of the village about 5 hours to the river where we'd relocate in a beautiful Zen resort high up with the whisping trees.  A boat ride, elephant ride, and kayak trip later we were back in Luang Prabang~the fabled riverside World Heritage status town.  Definitely one of my favorite places honoring its French influenced villas, ample boutiques/cafes, and Lao style night markets.  We had a wonderful dinner consisting of lemongrass chicken, buffalo, Lao style omlettes, and banana desserts with our Thai friend, Winna before continuing onto exploring caves, some more kayaking, and final Wat tours in Vientiane.  The Laos part of our trip has truly been magical making it very difficult to package it up in preparation for Vietnam.  I would recommend it to anyone looking for mystical mountains, beautiful people, and by far the most pristine land in Southeast Asia.