Luang Prabang, Laos

Main Street (Th Sisavangvong) - Luang Prabang, Laos

Restaurants, cafes, tour agencies, souvenir shops and craft shops now have their home in these French colonial buildings. Luang Prabang is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This has helped preserve some of the old buildings by providing funds for renovation and has also required strict zoning laws so the Luang Prabang doesn't end up with ugly cement guest house high rises seen elsewhere throughout Southeast Asia. Read more about laid back Luang Prabang.

Wat Xieng Thong - Luang Prabang, Laos

Built in the 16th century, this is one of the oldest temples in Luang Prabang. Its tree of life mosaic reflects the afternoon sun. Read more about laid back Luang Prabang.

Paper Parasols - Luang Prabang, Laos

No shortage of color at the Luang Prabang night market, including these paper parasols. Read more about laid back Luang Prabang.

Night Market - Luang Prabang, Laos

When dusk falls in Luang Prabang, vendors roll out their colorful wares to sell at the night market. Read more about laid back Luang Prabang.

Riverbank - Luang Prabang, Laos

As the dry season advances and the river levels drop, the banks of Luang Prabang's rivers are exposed for growing vegetables and herbs. Read more about laid back Luang Prabang.

Sunset - Luang Prabang, Laos

A typical sunset scene in Luang Prabang. Read more about laid back Luang Prabang.

Sleeping boy - Luang Prabang, Laos

The son of one of the vendors at Luang Prabang's Hmong day market takes an afternoon nap. "Authentic" Cartier watches and pens are lined up around him. Read more about laid back Luang Prabang.

Monk at the Nam Khan River - Luang Prabang, Laos

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Novice Monks - Luang Prabang, Laos

We read somewhere that almost all males in Laos have been a monk at some point in their life, whether for a week or for many years. These young novice monks live at the temple, but still attend school in town. Read more about laid back Luang Prabang.

Sunset on the Mekong - Luang Prabang, Laos

A sunset view of the Mekong River from the top of Phu Si hill in Luang Prabang. Read more about laid back Luang Prabang.

Girl with a Duck - Luang Prabang, Laos

From Luang Prabang, we took a river taxi across the Mekong to the area of Ban Xieng Maen, a peaceful area with a few low-key temples. Its simplicity belied the fact that we were only minutes from Luang Prabang. This girl was waiting with her mother...and her duck. And she was quite serious about it. People were extraordinarily friendly, even happy to see us, with kids running up to us and waving and adults smiling as we passed by. We only saw a couple of other tourists the whole day, meaning that not many people make the trip. We'd really recommend it, an easy way to see a different side of Laos so close to Luang Prabang. Read more about Ban Xieng Maen.

Big Brother Mouse Sign - Luang Prabang, Laos

Big Brother Mouse, a book publishing and literacy program in Luang Prabang, produces children's books in the Lao language to help promote the love of reading and learning in children. One of its challenges is book distribution to rural villages and schools. Travelers planning treks to remote areas can purchase books to take with them and distribute. We picked up a group of 10. In addition to book publishing, BBM also runs a center where travelers can help monks or children practice speaking English or reading in English. When we stopped by, we helped edit some Lao proverbs translated into English. Not an easy task! Read more about the organization Big Brother Mouse.

Butterfly and Red Flowers - Luang Prabang, Laos

A butterfly dances between red flowers in the Ban Xieng Maen area across the river from Luang Prabang. Read more about Ban Xieng Maen.

Girl with a Gun - Luang Prabang, Laos

Unfortunately, plastic guns are popular toys in Southeast Asia, too. We saw similar scenes of kids playing with plastic guns in all the countries we visited (Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia). Read more about Ban Xieng Maen.

Woman Enjoying a Walking - Luang Prabang, Laos

We took a water taxi across the river from Luang Prabang and found a laid back, pleasant village scene. This village woman takes her offerings to the temple. Read more about Ban Xieng Maen.

Lao Boy - Luang Prabang, Laos

Read more about Ban Xieng Maen.

Leaves and Laundry - Luang Prabang, Laos

Behind these leaves, orange robes hang out to dry on laundry day at the temple. Read more about Ban Xieng Maen.

Girl Sitting - Luang Prabang, Laos

This girl stops for a snack along one of the village roads in the Ban Xieng Maen area, across the river from Luang Prabang. Read more about Ban Xieng Maen.

TV on the Boat - Luang Prabang, Laos

On our return to Luang Prabang, we figured that the safest boat taxi around would be the one with the TV, so we jumped in. Read more about Ban Xieng Maen.

Stop Sign - Luang Prabang, Laos

A tourist takes her bike down by the Nam Khan River, making a brief pause at the stop sign. Bikes are a wonderful way to see Luang Prabang, and can be rented from guest houses for $1-$2 per day. Read more about laid back Luang Prabang.

Monk on the Internet - Luang Prabang, Laos

A monk checking his email at one of Luang Prabang's many internet cafes. Luang Prabang is full of Buddhist temples, most of them active with novice monks practicing their religion and studying at school. Many are eager to practice English and hand out email addresses to stay in touch. We read that most men in Laos have been monks at some time or another during their lives. Read more about laid back Luang Prabang.

Bougainvillea - Luang Prabang, Laos

A close up shot of the bougainvillea at Wat Pa Phai. Read more about laid back Luang Prabang.

Monks at Wat Pa Phai - Luang Prabang, Laos

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Phu Si Vendor - Luang Prabang, Laos

This Luang Prabang vendor offered a selection of temple flowers, khai paen (a crispy, tasty fried river weed) and a semi-sweet treat of purple sticky rice and coconut smoked in bamboo. Learn more about Lao cuisine and markets.

Torani Statue - Luang Prabang, Laos

Torani, wringing water out of her long black tresses, makes appearances throughout Southeast Asia. Torani is the Earth Goddess who helped Buddha defeat the evil Mara when she and her demons tried to block his meditation and path to enlightenment. As the story goes, Torani wrung her hair out with water that contained all the blessings from Buddha's many lives. The resulting flood washed Mara and her demons cleanly away. Read more about laid back Luang Prabang.