2015 - MEKONG RIVER in LAOS, five days in Luang Prabang

Getting to Luang Prabang from Yangon was fairly easy .. a connection in Bangkok, which is becoming very familiar

Here is the view from across the road from my hotel .. not too shabby.

then a left turn & a walk along the river looking for a spot to have a quiet sit down & a beer .. past the little park ..

& into the restaurant with this as the view .. the river on the left is the Mekong ,, the one in the foreground is a tributary.

Maybe I will cross the bridge .. later ..

instead I finish my beer & keep walking but alongside the Mekong now...

A left turn & I head up alleyways into town ..

Nice flowers & a Pagoda or two . . of course

It was quite wet while I was here & I was struck by the number of people who drive motorbikes & hold umbrellas

The ICON Klub .. closed now but maybe I will try it of an evening.

Looks a nice little town .. very clean .. people are more reserved than Myanmar .. not so many smiles or hellos but friendly enough

I have five days here until my river boat takes me out on the Mekong . . . so still time for a look around town .. I have taken the road outside the hotel & turned right this time .. along the river that runs into the Mekong.

Pop into the market for a bite to eat ..

I am going to cross over the river now .. nice safe bridge.

That is lovely little restaurant . . set into the trees, it cascades down the hill towards the river.

Back across the river .. another lovely restaurant with a great view over the river

Another pleasant evening stroll round town ..

and the sun goes down on the Mekong ..

ladies selling lottery tickets ..

I am going to take the ferry across the Mekong .. a bit of a mix-up paying for the ride . . the guy got the idea I was with the only other foreigner on board & I ended up paying for him too .. never mind . . it was only a dollar or two.

A nicely paved road to walk along .. . .

Time for a sit down here & a quiet beer . . this side of the river is not so pristine as the Luang Prabang side .. I wonder if there is any tourist accommodation over here.

At the ferry where the captain sorted out my fare mix-up .. nice of him. .. he could have just ignored me.

looking back at the girls working hard

& a nice little vegetable patch ..

Up very early today to see the monks gathering alms .. something very touristy here in Luang Prabang but the locals participate too ..

Monks gather in the grounds of monasteries ..

There are many people selling food to donate to the monks ..

And tourists making donations ..

And locals.

That's goodbye to Luang Prabang for a week while I cruise the river on the Mekong Sun.