The 2nd leg of our trip was to Laos. From Bangkok we took a puddle jumper to Luang Prabang the former capital in northern Laos. We got there around midday and checked in to our nice hotel cottage. We got settled then explored the town a little bit. The next day was a full day for us despite misty weather. We toured Wat Visounnarath along with That Makmo referred to as "Watermelon Stupa". Next was the infamous Wat Xieng Thong (Golden Tree), one of the city's oldest & most important temples which is closest to the intersection of where the rivers Nam Khan & Mekhong meet. Our last temple was Wat Phousi to which we had to climb 400 steps or more...more climbing then I really care for hehehe. Then it was a 2 hr boat ride up the Mekhong River to see Pak Ou caves. Tham Ting (lower cave) & Tham Theung (upper cave) is where there's an impressive collection of Lao style Buddha statues assembled for centuries totaling approximately 4000. Each night we headed out to downtown to explore the night market where the locals would bring their silk fabrics, handicrafts, etc... This was my first experience in the night market and I truly loved it! The trick is to smile when you bargain but it also helps if you look & speak like the locals except for having a tall white guy around hehehe. The next morning we headed to Kuoang Si waterfalls. At the park entrance I almost took a spill near the bathroom wet tile but was able to compose my balance even though I had to sacrifice my upper leg muscle which stayed sore for almost 2 days. It would have been a nicer day if it hadn't rained most of the hike up to the falls, but it did stop raining just in time for our lunch/picnic that the hotel prepared for us. Our last day in Luang Prabang was special to me as an American raised by buddhist parents and native of Laos. We woke up @ 4am that morning so that we could go and see the monks collecting alms around 5:30am downtown. The weather finally cooperated for us so we could enjoy the early morning offerings to the local buddhist monks of about 200 or so. Later that morning we were on our way to Vientiane to surprise my relatives from my mom's side. Since we last visited over a year ago there were some new additions to the growing Inthavong clan. The rain plagued us once again throughout our stay there but we managed to make a day trip up to Vang Vieng to visit a limestone cave called Tham Jang (more climbing in the rain). It wasn't about the cave but more about spending time with my family whom I rarely ever get to visit. They want us to come visit every year so that we can explore Laos together since they usaully always just stay in their own village and work on the rice farms. It was however too short of a visit but Cambodia was calling us for our next adventure....
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