Luang Prabang

Luang Prabang is a small town in northern Laos that reminds us of nothing so much as Taos, New Mexico. It is a bit of a hippie/backpacker place e with 43 Buddhist temples and 1000s of monks. Each AM the monks walk the streets begging for food and the tourist ritual is to buy food to give to them. We did that this morning.  There is a fun cafe culture here too with lots of great crafts. Katy bought a new dress and we died some silk shopping too. Besides a boat trip on the Mekong the other highlights were some great food and a dance concert by the Laotian national ballet.

From here it is back to Hanoi tonight and then homeward bound. A great trip -- totally different from our others,

Another Grand Adventure -- South East Asia

We are off on another grand adventure later this week.  We depart on the 19th of January for three weeks in South East Asia -- mostly Vietnam, but with a little bit of Cambodia and Laos thrown in.  We'll be traveling with two other couples (or friends Dev & Ellen and their friend Ron and JoAnne).  For those who want to follow along, we'll be posting updates here on the blog (and links on Facebook).  Our rough itinerary is as follows:

We begin in Hanoi where we arrive and spend a couple of days looking at this beautiful old city.  Highlights will include a 1000 year old pagoda and the classic water puppet shows, along a trip to the Ba Vi National Park.  Then its a short trip over to Halong Bay, a world heritage sight, where we will spend some time visiting old-style fishing villages.

Next up is a short flight to the mid-section of Vietnam and the town of Hoi An, where will take a cooking class and see a classic market town.   Then we jump down to Cai Bei in the Mekong Delta for 3 days of bike touring.  We will finish the Vietnam portion of the trip with some relaxation -- 3 days on the beach a Phu Quoc.

Then it will be off to Siam Riep and Angkor Wat and the other structures.  We'll do some more biking and take in the sites.  Then our trip closes with a visit to Luang Prabang in Laos.  Luang Prabang is a world heritage town on the Mekong with a very vibrant history that is still "alive" (or so we are told).  It's a bit of a shot in the dark, but comes highly recommended.  After that, its back to Hanoi for Tet celebrations and a trip home.  Should be a blast.