Luang Prabang: So Chill

Here I am, sitting by the pool again; this time at Luang Prabang's La Maison Souvannaphoum. Arrived from Bangkok yesterday on a Bangkok Airways ("Asia's Boutique Airline") twin-prop plane, which least favoured form of air transport. I pretty much fell in love with Luang Prabang on landing. Maybe it's the tiny airport that makes me feel like I've landed back in time. The Canadians in our group got a bad first impression though. Of all the nationalities, they had to pay the highest visa fee -- US$42. Being American, I only paid US$35. But Chinese pay the least -- US$20.

By the time our group of 8 had checked into La Maison (hardware a tad disappointing, especially the small, single vanity, shower-only bathroom, but the staff are superb) and had our leisurely lunch, where I managed to stuff myself with spring rolls, Luang Prabang Fur (very similar to Vietnamese Pho) and a minced chicken salad, we had very little time to go temple-seeing. We breezed through two Vats and a quick hike up to a stupa before heading to La Residence Phou Vao for a cocktail and dinner at L'Elephant. La Residence is more a romantic retreat, whereas La Maison is a very convenient and comfortable base for chronic market shoppers.

Damn. Running low on battery. Will have to finish this post after massage and early dinner. We're getting up early tomorrow morning for the monk's procession.