Laos, The Windup

Our last day in Laos we had a leisurely breakfast then set off to climb up Mt Phousi.   Mt Phousi is 100 meters high and sits in the middle of Luang Prabang.  The name directly translates to sacred mountain and in 1804 King Anourat built a golden pagoda on the top called the That Chomsi which is visible from most places in Luang Prabang.  There are two ways to the top and both involve in excess of 300 steps.  We went up one side of the mountain and down the other.  At the top the day was clear and the views were panoramic.  We beat the crowds which was nice.  We took the backside route down which was dotted with Buddha ‘s set along the way which made for some great picture opportunities.  We took a walk through a different part of town which included gold shops and what locals refer to as a shopping centre but what we would call an enclosed market selling every type of merchandise.

We had lunch at a small local restaurant sitting right on the river bank where we could see some of the remainders of the nagas from the night before.  A nice two hour massage before a last wander through the night market for our farewell dinner at L’Elephant where we were warmly greeted by our waiter from our previous visit. The whole city was the quietest we had seen it and we decided people must have been recovering from the festival.

As we say goodbye to Taipei, Bhutan and Laos we are ready to head home to our family but we are taking so much with us.  We have met so many wonderful people, our travelling companions in Bhutan, our guides and all the locals in the countries we have been so lucky to visit.  As we start the long journey home I reflect with great gratitude on how very blessed we are to live in a country where we and our family have all the freedom and opportunities that we do.  Travel is a wonderful opportunity to experience the world and gives you the opportunity to learn so much about other cultures and people there in but most of all I know it makes me even more appreciative of my home, family and friends.

Minding the store from the inside of hr eyelids

The start of the staircase up Mt Phousi 

Not quite certain it was for him but then he got excited 

View from the top of the mountain 

The Mekong River winds it’s way through town

Buddha on the way down the back side of the mountain 

Buddha with his faithful followers 

Twisting staircase leading down

I wish we could have understood them

The stupa in the distance is the one on the top of Mt Phousi 

We visited a school where we got lots of smiles and waves

ATM’s were all over the city in the oddest places at times yet one hardly saw a bank

Umbrellas were a frequent sight on scooters yet in this bright sunshine almost no locals wore sunglasses 

Two car ferry boat. That could create some long waits on holiday weekends!

Here is a common spa menu though a bit more expensive than some. 50,000 kip is equal to 8 dollars so you can figure out how cheap it is and why one just has to go daily.  A massage is almost as cheap as a latte

This was our favourite restaurant and was a great recommendation 

A Lao tasting menu

Happy diners

The temple grounds lit up on our last night. The festival was over but these monks decided to light up for one more night and we felt it was a farewell