Monday, October 21, 2013

Luang Prabang, northern Laos

We arrived in the former capital of Laos two nights ago and was happy for the change of scene from the bustling city of Hanoi. At the airport an improvised tuk tuk picked us up and drove us through what looked like a lantern festival. I had read that in October, there is a Buddhist holiday celebrating the end of the rains although I had no idea it would be the day we arrived! What we had luckily stumbled upon was the last day of Boun Ok Phansa; the festival of the boats of light.
After checking into our guesthouse, the quaint Manichan, we ventured to the Mekong to witness lit paper lanterns floating in the sky above the river and bamboo and banana leaf boats with candles drifting along the water. Adam and I purchased a lantern and set it alight, it was a magnificent experience.
Hungry, we sat at a riverside restaurant and ate fresh fish from the Mekong with the traditional sticky rice famous in this country.

2 comments:

  1. The magic of arriving to something unexpected.

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  2. The lanterns look magical. I would like to eat that fish. All the photos of the food are driving me crazy! Looks so good.

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