Thursday, March 19 – Luang Prabang

I’ve booked a food tour for this evening. It’s actually via the same company from which I took the tour in Chiang Mai.

I don’t have anything else planned for the day. That means a relaxing breakfast followed by some pool time (today’s drink: Mango smoothie!). Perfect.

The tour started by meeting at the Khaiphaen Restaurant at 4pm. What a coincidence, my favorite dining spot!

Our first course was Khaiphaen, the restaurant’s namesake. It is made from Mekong River weed, harvested in Northern Laos. It consists of dried green algae sheets, seasoned with sesame seeds and garlic. Also included were puffed rice crackers, accompanied by spicy tomato and Hmong mushroom dip.

A great start to the tour!

Across the street from the restaurant is Wat Choum Khong Sourin Tharame. The interior of the temple is usually closed to the public, but this evening’s tour included access, plus an audience with a monk.

Once inside, we sat down and had a nice 15 minute conversation with the young monk. He began his service when he was 12 and is now 16 years old. He told us a little about his background and then we spent the rest of the time asking each other questions. His English was halting, but our tour guide, Toun, was able to translate. A wonderful experience!

As we sat and talked, the monk placed this bracelet on our wrists. Our guide briefly explained its significance, but I did a little additional research (via Gemini)…

In Laotian culture, receiving a string bracelet, traditionally called Sai Sin, is a deeply meaningful gesture.

Here is a breakdown of what the specific elements of the bracelet represent:

1. The Orange String

The color orange is synonymous with the saffron robes worn by monks in the Theravada Buddhist tradition.

• Protection: The string acts as a symbolic “fence” or shield for your spirit.
• Connection: It represents the transfer of “Boon” (merit) and blessings from the monk to you.
• Binding the Soul: In Lao belief, humans have 32 spirits or “Kwan.” These can occasionally wander off due to stress or travel, causing illness or bad luck. The string is meant to “bind” those spirits back to your body.

2. The Three White Beads

While the string itself is the primary vessel for the blessing, the three beads often represent the Triple Gem (Tiratana), which is the foundation of Buddhist faith:

• The Buddha: The teacher and the potential for enlightenment.
• The Dharma: The teachings and the path of truth.
• The Sangha: The community of practitioners and monks.

3. The Custom of Wearing It

To respect the blessing, there are a few traditional “unwritten rules” to follow:

• The Three-Day Rule: It is traditionally encouraged to keep the string on for at least three days to ensure the blessing “sticks.”
• Do Not Cut It: When you are ready to remove it, it is customary to untie the knot rather than cutting the string with scissors, as cutting is sometimes seen as “severing” the luck or blessing.
• The Wrist: Usually, the right wrist is for receiving blessings/luck, while the left is for protection, though this can vary by region. (mine is on the right; strictly a random choice by me!)

A Quick Tip: If the string falls off naturally, it’s considered a good sign – it means the blessing has been fulfilled or the “bad luck” it was catching has been released.

Our next stop was the Mekong Sunset View Restaurant, aka…

…the Obama Coconut.

The backstory (again via Gemini): On September 7, 2016, Obama became the first sitting U.S. President to visit Laos. After touring the Wat Xieng Thong temple, he took an unscheduled “off-the-record” stroll through a neighborhood overlooking the Mekong River. Dressed casually in chinos and Ray-Ban Wayfarers, Obama stopped at a modest stall and watched as a local woman hacked open a large green coconut with a machete, offering for him to drink.

(Back to Me): As the Mekong Sunset View Restaurant is not at all close to Wat Xieng Thong, it’s likely that this is not the place where he sipped from the coconut, but the restaurant has appropriated it anyway. Pretty funny!

The view from the restaurant, including Wat Chomphet in the background.

And our course here was Stuffed Lemongrass. I’m familiar with this! Very nice! But I liked mine better! (kidding!)

A short walk along the river brought us to our next stop.

Taking their seats in the upper left is our guide, Toun, and the other participant on the tour, Katiana. She’s from Germany, in her 40s, recently quit her banking job, sold her furniture, and moved out of her apartment in Cologne. She is now in the middle of an 8 month Southeast Asia trip. Impressive!

Here we had smoky grilled Mekong fish, with assorted fresh vegetables, noodles, and sauces.

Mmmm, mmmm, good!

Another beautiful sunset on the river!

We next took a stroll away from the river to a strip of roadside vendors.

Here sticky rice is being roasted over hot coals.

I put some sauce on mine, which might have been a mistake, because it was a little hot (spicy)!

Fortunately, right next door was this stand providing fresh-squeezed sugarcane juice. You heard me right!

Here the vendor is placing the cane in the industrial sized squeezer! We were told that this woman has been serving up sugarcane juice for the past three decades! Well done!

Tasty! And it hit the spot, providing relief to my spicy mouth!

After walking a few blocks, we arrived at our next tasting spot.

Here we tried Khao Piak Sen, a rice noodle soup with pork bone broth. This was very good!

We’ve now made our way to the food stalls near the night market. I’ve walked through here previously, and included some pictures in an earlier Entry.

Being prepared is Khao Nom Kok (Coconut Rice Pancakes).

These were great! They’re cooked in a way that makes them crispy on the outside, yet with a soft, custardy filling.

Here we’re purchasing some beef jerky.

The meat is marinated and then sun-dried. It was a little tough (chewy), but not bad!

Papaya Salad. A favorite!

Sai Oua Sausage; it is stuffed with fresh herbs and spices, including lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, galangal, cilantro, and chili. The German and Wisconsinite approved of this sausage!

Our last stop was a short tuk tuk ride away…

…to this dessert stand that has been around since 1965!

Nam Vaanh; consisting of coconut milk, palm sugar, tapioca pearls, and tropical fruits. It was okay, but not a favorite.

Well, what a night! I’m stuffed (I need to quit saying that!). I’m a little disappointed though that there were no insects on tonight’s menu. NOT!

The tour lasted about 4 hours and cost 45 USD.

The fact that there were only two of us on the tour was kind of good, and kind of bad. The good? It was rather like a private tour. The bad? It’s fun having conversations with other travelers (from around the world).

Friday, March 20 – Luang Prabang

My last full day in Luang Prabang. I’ve enjoyed it here; will miss this small town with the beautiful architecture, good food, and (fairly) quiet atmosphere.

My breakfast was minimal, still full from last night. Ugh!

I’m rather tired today, so I’m just going to check out a couple more places on the western outskirts, and less visited, part of town.

The entrance to Wat That Luang Rasamahavihane.

Founded in 1548 by King Setthathirath, this current sim was built in 1818 during King Manthaturat’s reign.

The main stupa, Phra Sitham Hai Sokarath.

Following massive damage in 1900, the temple was rebuilt and has undergone subsequent renovations, with the most recent work completed in 2024.

A few blocks away from the temple is this monument to Kaysone Phomvihane. He was the first leader of the Communist Lao People’s Revolutionary Party, from 1955 until his death in 1992.

Next door is Wat Pha Bat Tai, also known as Chua Phat Tich.

It serves as a place of worship for the Vietnamese community in Luang Prabang.

There’s a nice view of the Mekong River behind the temple.

I got back to the hotel by early afternoon and took a nap, followed by some pool time (today’s drink: Lemonade).

Of course my last dinner in Luang Prabang was at Khaiphaen.

Since I just prepared Laap in the cooking class, I decided to try it here. (Mine was with buffalo meat, tonight it was chicken)

Yes, another smoothie!

Another great meal! (124k LAK = 6 USD)

Of my three different visits here, I’d say my favorite choice was the Mekong River Fish with Coconut Laska (besides the smoothie, obviously!).

Travel Note: I just realized that, although I’ve been out and about many evenings in Luang Prabang, I’ve received no mosquito bites. Without the use of a repellent. Very nice!

Saturday, March 21 – transit from Luang Prabang to Vientiane, Laos

Check-out today was at 11:30am, but my flight wasn’t until 4:40pm, so…

…I just hung out at the hotel doing some Journal work.

(While enjoying a complimentary mango smoothie. Thank you!)

I booked a tuk tuk for the 15 minute ride to the airport at a cost of 120k LAK (6 USD).

For comparison, a taxi would have been 200k, and my arrival ride in the shared minivan from the airport to the hotel was 100k.

My ride…

The Luang Prabang airport is rather small.

Check-In Area

Departure Lounge

As with my flight from Chiang Mai, I’m on Lao Airlines this afternoon. This is the same type of plane that we used on the Chiang Mai flight, with 2×2 seating.

The cost of the one-way, 40 minute flight was 56 USD. It was 2/3 full, and sadly, no snacks were offered this afternoon!

Travel Note: There is train service available from Luang Prabang to Vientiane. I would normally prefer that to flying on such a short journey. However, I read (via The Man in Seat 61) that the train security checks are rather extreme, with items routinely being confiscated from luggage. Pass.

Upon arrival in Vientiane, I was quoted a 150k LAK taxi fare for the 15 minute ride to my hotel. As an alternate, I checked the Loca ride-hailing app used in Laos. That quoted 94k. Great, let’s go for it! The pickup was in a nice Volkswagen ID.4 EV, and the trip went smoothly. Well, when I received the invoice, they ended up billing me 125k, with add-ons for airport insurance and a couple other things. Still (a little) cheaper than the taxi, but rather lame!

I’m staying at the Amari Ventiane Hotel.

Chinese New Year display

95 USD/night, including breakfast

I’ll be here for 7 nights.

Just outside the hotel is a night market that operates every day of the week. After getting settled in, I decided to check it out. I hadn’t eaten since breakfast, so was hoping to find something…

…and here we go! A smoothie stand! I went with my new favorite: Pineapple/Passion Fruit (sorry Pineapple/Orange!). It was great! And so was the cost: 30k LAK (1.50 USD).