We left Pai with a 2 day journey ahead to Luang Prabang. After an overnight bus ride from Pai to the Thai/Lao border we boarded a 2 day "slow boat" down the Mekong. True to it's name the boat cruised down the river giving us a combined 14 hours of jungle views, beautiful but repetitive. The boat stopped for one night in the one street town of Pak Beng giving us a chance to stretch our legs and eat a few meals before boarding the boat the next morning.
Lung Prabang, one of Laos largest cities, we were surprised to find quiet riverside town and the quaint streets around the hilltop temple. We rented some bikes and found that the somewhat touristic center qiuckly gave way to basic roadside shops selling necessities and rudimentary dwellings.
Sterns of the slow boats as we headed down river
Some of the vibrant jungle scenery
Every once in a while we cruised passed small hillside villages, where the river seemed to be a playground for the kids
The cliff side containing Pak Ou Caves which we made a trip to the following day
The caves housed several hundred various statues of Buddha, many had been damaged and "retired" to the cave.
Note the sitting Buddha on the right in leopard print robes...party Buddha.
The Haw Kham temple in the center of town
Street side grilled bananas
The canopies that would spring up for the nightly street market.
View from the top of Phou Si Temple
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