Luang Prabang II: Walkabout and Mekong River
Laos > Luang Prabang
LUANG PRABANG, 02 Oct 2009
Still along the main road, but near our inn, we find the post office.
The missus has to ship something to a friend. The place, offering a multitude of services, is open till 10pm, and sometimes the postmaster’s kids play in the office. How homely!
Across the post office, on the other side of the road, a hotel I’d recommend to honeymooners. 
From the main street, there are countless lanes such as this one, …
… and this – each choc-a-block with all manners of inns, guesthouses and hostels, mainly family-run. All the lanes run parallel heading for the river bank.
Yes, this river bank.
The river bank of the Mighty Mekong! This mass of fast-flowing, rusty-looking water stretches up to 750m to the other side. Obviously wider during the rainy season.
Along the road on the river bank, I gaze at a handsome wooden guesthouse under construction. I wonder, if I could build such a fine house in KL, that’d be the talk of town.
Next to me, chillis are being dried in the hot late afternoon sun.
We hang around waiting for the sun to set over the Mekong, and are not disappointed. What a great view. We’ve seen this great river in Chiangrai (Thailand) and in Phnom Penh (Cambodia).
A guy appears out of nowhere, with a Beerlao in hand, jumps onto his boat and ignites the engine. He lives on the other side of the river, and crossing the huge river is as routine as crossing the road is for us.
Just below me, kids are still having fun atop long boats (used for cruises up and down the river), …
… and in the street too.
We return to main road of Luang Prabang to discover that it has just been closed for the daily night market. The daytime heat is now barely noticeable as the breeze cools the place down.
After a quick survey of the market, we retire to our room. We’ll do the shopping tomorrow evening. It has been a great first day in Luang Prabang indeed!
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It’s like Kota Bharu 40 years ago..
Actually Vientiane is like KB, say 20 yrs ago, but enlarge the city 2 or 3 times!
What a nice place. Is it safe and convenient to travel with little kids?
Love the street photo of the three kids.
Cantik sungguh gambar sunset…
The Mekong has a magical air to it, regardless of the time of day.
Thanks, yes, it’s safe and convenient. The locals are friendly too. But to explore LP, considerable amount of walking/strolling is needed, which kids may not appreciate. You may hire a tuk-tuk but walking is still best. Bicycles are easily rented.