Of course this isn't entirely true, as the 700-year old World Heritage Site full of mystery and infused with Buddhism and spirituality is captivating on its own.
As the second city of Laos it is somewhat smaller than I imagined but full of character despite being full of Falang (foreigners). With guesthouses lining the river front and a bustling market full of tourists, it is clear that tourism is propping up this city, which sadly will probably slowly change the face of this nation full of warm, smiling people and laughing, playing children. You can feel the lunge for the buck hasn't quite sunk in here. Hassle is minimal and the slow agricultural lifestyle is still rich. The streets are full of children on bicycles, families on scooters, women peddling fresh fruit and vegetables - deliciously, disarmingly Laos!
Of course on the first night their I discovered the heaps of warm baguettes sold on the side of the road which you can fill with anything (I choose peanut butter), the wonderful fresh cakes (mango cake, banana cake, chocolate cake) and the yummy Lao coffee served with condensed milk.
A cold snap hit when we arrived so bumming around swaddled in all our clothing sipping on hot drinks was warranted.
On our first morning we stumbled across Joma bakery, a delightfully sinful place where we ate most of our meals. Probably quite unauthentic of me (pish-posh) but I had eaten a lot of local food and as I said cold = cake and goodies.
The best bacon and eggs, banana cake, mango crumble and most importantly up until that point, the toilet was awarded Best Toilet in South East Asia.
I just wanted to sit there, comfortably, on the cool toilet seat (yes... a SEAT!) breathing in the non-urine filled air, the fresh surrounds. No bin full of paper that can't be flushed, no unidentifiable liquid all over the floor, no squatting and a pretty little white white little cute basin in which to wash my hands. (saving some instant hand sanitiser = bonus!!) *sigh*. Don't get me wrong, me and my thighs of steel can squat like a squaw when necessary - but *sigh* it was nice.
Joma bakery rocks!!We took the sightseeing easy, climbing up to Mount Phousi (whose name when sounded out gave some endless hours of amusement as did the Phousi Hotel etc) for a sunset and strolling through the seriously dangerous market. Do your shopping here it doesn't get much better!
Stairs up to the temple!
Sun setting over the Mekong
The next morning we woke up early to watch Luang's most famous spectacle, hundreds of monks in bright saffron robes pouring down the streets to receive alms. Sadly this has become an opportunity for tourists to shove their camera's in a monks face for that perfect shot, flocking in giant buses to witness it. It wasn't too busy the morning we did it but it did require waking up at 5am!!
A very matronly woman sternly instructed us to buy a basket of food to give the monks and "sit down". I love how often a lack of ability to grasp the subtleties of English leads many to sound abrupt and as if they are giving orders even when saying the simplest of things!
Awake and hungry, we again headed off to Joma for breakfast!!
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