from the plane clouds in a lightly hazy sky hang over gridded fields of undulating green.
first time taking a budget flight and leaving from the budget terminal, which feels like a giant hangar. despite transiting through bangkok, had to go through the hassle of clearing inbound and outbound customs.
managed to get seats on the 0950 flight to luang prabang instead of the 1150 one we were on.
just enough time to wolf down pork porridge before rushing for the flight - which was delayed for an hour due to low visibility in LP.
US$5 a person to get to Villa Santi Resort, which was 5km away south of the town centre and serviced by a final stretch of unpaved bumpy road.
greeted with a refreshing lemon grass drink and happy with the traditionally, cleanly furnished room.
being away from town meant having to rely on the resort's shuttle service schedule.
lunch at goongkhum restaurant. 88K kip for two. (US$1 abt 10K kip.) tried the rice noodle soup with coconut milk with chicken. like a very mild laksa.
headed to national museum after that but it closed at 4 so will have to return. gold, gold, an abundance of gold glinting in the strong light.
definitely a laidback town. more bustling than siem reap circa 2003 with quite a few new hotels and guest houses, but bustling is probably the wrong word to associate with it.
walked along mekong river, an uninviting muddy brown. not one of more picturesque waterways around but a lifeline for landlocked laos.
came across what looked like a mobile disco with young and old grooving to the musical offerings of a young chap.
loo break at a hostel offering internet access at 100kip/min. made 2 moves on scrabulous.
made it to wat xieng thong with some gorgeous mosaic work and a rare reclining buddha that took some effort to locate.
lots of young monks around and at evening time, heard them chanting rather musically in the temples.
dinner at 3 nagas, top end for lao cuisine. 120K kip each. tried the khao kham, a local sweet red wine made from sticky rice.
had the river weed, freshly toasted and warm, jaew bawng (paste of chilli and dried buffalo skin). definitely has a kick while the skin tastes tendon-y.
stew of venison and vegetables (forgettable) and fish and pork wrapped in banana leaf and grilled. like satay, proclaims K. a more refined, tasty version i guess. and sticky rice, which was harder and less sticky than glutinous rice. still can't quite get a grip on lao cuisine.
took 9pm shuttle back to resort from villa santi hotel, which was located in the town centre itself. so ready to crash. lack of sleep and the constant travelling has led to sniffing and blocked airways.