Luang Prabang

 Where the Mekong and Nam Khan Rivers converge

Nam Khan River from the old bridge

Hoikhua Waterfall

Boat ride on the Mekong

Obama was here!!! 💕

A little about where we are until the end of March. 

  Luang Prabang is in Northern Laos. Surrounded by mountains, it’s where the Mekong and Nam Khan Rivers come together. It was the ancient royal capital until the mid 1500’s. In 1995 the city was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is the most popular tourist destination of Laos.

  We were here during our excellent adventure four years ago and fell in love with the place. It’s beautiful. Lots of French architecture, royal palaces and so many Wats (Buddhist temples.) The surrounding countryside is just as nice with panoramic views and waterfalls.  Since it’s a premier tourist destination it’s also got great amenities. Really good restaurants, yoga, massage and markets. And since it’s Southeast Asia it’s very affordable!

   When I heard about an opportunity to work here I couldn’t pass it up. I had such fond memories of this place. I think we’re finding that we’re more drawn to staying in one place for a period of time and trying to get to know the place although we will be traveling a bit when my work at the hospital is done.

    Things are a little different than our last stay. Last time we were here in May which is a very quiet time before the rains. This time we showed up in the middle of the Chinese New Year celebration. Apparently a road has opened across the border (China is just north of us) so there are many cars with Chinese license plates. It was really crowded everywhere the first few days we were here. We are told by locals that by the end of the month it will be quiet again and I have to say that I’m looking forward to that.

  The main tourist activities in the city are visiting temples, observing the alm giving ceremony every morning at sunrise, shopping and eating great food. Because of the French influence there is no shortage of nice coffee, bread and even croissants.  Lao cuisine is delicious but we’ve also had some good pizza and Indian food. At a simple place we can get away with paying less than $10 for a meal for the two of us including a couple of big Beer Lao. Our favorite breakfast is from the soup stand on the corner where you can get a delicious bowl of noodle soup for 5000 Kip (about 60 cents.)

   Outside of the city there is trekking, waterfalls, kayaking, elephant sanctuaries. Today we took a nice trip up the Mekong to a botanical garden and waterfall. Mike’s planning a mountain bike trip through the countryside across the Mekong tomorrow morning before it gets too hot. Hoping to check out the sights on my days off.

   We’re staying at a nice guesthouse about a 10 minute walk/ 3 minute bike ride to the city center (4km/ 20 minute bike ride to the hospital.) It was built by a doctor who helped establish the hospital I work at and now works for the Swiss Red Cross. The other people who live here are mostly volunteers also- a couple of Brit nurses, an OT and nurse from the US, an English teacher from the Netherlands, a couple of Red Cross workers. It’s away from the main tourist area so very quiet which is good considering I’ll be working nights and will need to sleep during the day. 

  Mike and I share a small room with an ensuite bathroom. We have good strong air conditioning and a little fridge. (It can feel a little tight even if you’re used to tiny house living.) We do have a nice open air common space/garden to spill out into and have our morning coffee or evening beer. There’s a communal kitchen if we want to cook but haven’t had the desire since restuarant food is so cheap and good. Wifi is a little intermittent but fine. So far we haven’t had any power outages. All in all a simple, clean, comfortable living situation for about 8 bucks/day.

   There are two sweet local girls who keep things neat. They do housekeeping in our room once a week and do my laundry for 10,000 Kip/ kg (about $1.20.) Dr. Vahnaly, who owns our house, has asked Mike to teach them a little English but he hasn’t had much success. They are very young and extremely shy. He keeps trying…

   That’s it for now. I’ll share more about work soon. So happy to be in this place!!!