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The minibus journey from Luang Nam Tha to Luang Phrabang was a bumpy affair, the road punctuated with pot holes and dirt tracks; although the destination was well worth it. As we pulled into the town, it was the scene of total mayhem. Westerners and locals alike were dousing each other from buckets and supersquirters as part of the festival Songkran. This went on for 3 days!!!! Cameras had to be stored in dry bags each day....there was no escape. One saving grace was that, unlike the Holi festival, there was little coloured paint being brandished.
Luang Phrabang, where the Nam Khan meets the Mekong River, has beautiful temples, French colonial architecture and (when Songkran is over) a peaceful air. Along with Rachel (we used to work with in Dubai) and Pradeep, we explored the old town, saw hundreds of monks and experienced a Laos Massage. I loved it as it wasn't as harsh as the Thai version. The night markets and street food were fantastic, although Gen and I ended up eating Laos Noodle Soup as the days went on to save our travel budget.
On a couple of days, we hired bicycles and headed outside the town, doing some yoga at sunrise at a bar on the riverbank. Beautiful.
Next stop, a couple of villages as we head towards the Vietnamese border and the delights of Hanoi.
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