Day 104 Arrive in Vientiane19 May 2012

We both arrived tired in Vientiane, since neither of us had much sleep on the bus. After sharing a pizza and checking out the local Joma Cafe, we took an afternoon nap and ended the day with some great Lao food.



Day 103 Night bus to Vientiane 18 May 2012

Today we spent getting ready for the night bus to Vientiane. After packing, our hotel generously allowed us to stay in our air-conditioned room until departure at 7PM. That just gave us enough time to stuff everything into our backpacks and have one last lunch at Joma Café. The night bus was slightly different from the ones used in Vietnam, in that we shared a little cabin.

Gezellig (cosy) and romantic. That last sentence is open to interpretation between the two of us.

Day 102 Relax more in Luang Prabang 17 May 2012

A good night of sleep, a late breakfast, Café time at JoMa Bakery, a close shave, strolling around the night market, dinner at Tamarind topped off with a nice massage. A day full of Luang Prabang charm.

Day 101 Exploring Luang Prabang 16 May 2012

Today we took a walk around Luang Prabang exploring the sites. First was the Wat Xieng Thong, which is Luang Prabang's most famous monastery.

  

We had lunch at the Art Café- a variation of our tuna sandwich and bagel sandwich- over-looking the river.

We walked up the Phu Si hill to visit Wat Pa Huak, check out the views and chat with some 16 and 17 year old monks.

Back at the hotel we freshened up  and then headed out across the very wonky foot bridge for dinner at Dyen Sabai. Tonight we had Lao fondue – which consists of a pit burning stove where you cook meat on a dome pot and veggies and eggs at the bottom of the dome in soup broth. It was a fun activity.

Day 100 Forced Resting Day in LP 15 May 2012

We had all the intentions to go out into Luang Prabang and explore the sites it has to offer, but after breakfast in the garden a dark cloud descended and the heavens opened up flooding us. So we stayed the in the room for the three-hour thunder/lightning/rain storm, watching some movies on our computer. When the sky cleared up we were hungry and headed out to JoMo’s café once again. Martijn enjoyed a classic tuna melt while Ana had a bagel sandwich. The banana cake and the brownie are also pretty good.

After a stroll and some relaxation back at the hotel room it was time again to eat.
We were impressed by the dinner at Tamarind’s the night before so we made reservations for their Luang Prabang special menu tonight. The menus included eggplant and beef stew, buffalo laap salad, coconut milk steamed fish, salad, sticky rice and riverweed chips with a dipping platter.

  Although very tasty a bit too spicy and slightly less impressive than yesterday’s feast.

Day 99 Another Resting Day in LP 14 May 2012

After having brunch at JoMa Cafe we moved from our guesthouse to a boutique hotel- we had been wanting a bit more luxury. We relaxed in our new oasis and then went for dinner at Tamarind’s .

Here we explored a wide variety of Lao food with dips and sticky rice, fresh spring rolls, steam fish and incredible lemongrass wrapped chicken.

Day 98 Resting Day in Luang Prabang 13 May 2012

Traveling has taken its toll and we are physically and mentally exhausted. So we have decided to stay in Luang Prabang for a few days to really rest. Today we slept in and woke up for a lunch of sandwiches at JoMa Café.

We went back to the hotel and did laundry, (or rather used the guesthouse laundry service - just didn't know they would dry it outside for all other guests to see as they checked in),

 had issues with the air-conditioning,  changed rooms and then headed back to JoMa Café for dinner.