Said Goodbye to Bangkok today. It was exactly as I expected - a big, crowded but not chaotic city with a lot of construction and many, many temples. The only thing I was not expecting was Happy Toilets.
In a completely unsurprising move, we ate Thai food. It looks a lot like this
They also have drinks in coconuts because of course they do.
We did not arrive in Laos until after dark because our flight out of Bangkok was delayed. Some tips on immigration in Laos. The visa form has some weird questions like "race". How do I answer that... White? It is also a visa-on-arrival process where you pay the fee in US Dollars. The fee is 30-40 dollars so carry some small bills to get the exact price. The fee today was $36. You also need passport photos and a great deal of patience because entering the country requires standing on no less than 3 separate lines.
We are staying at Avani Hotel in Luang Prabang which appears to be really nice. It's hard to tell since we arrived in the dark.
Picture of my room
Our hotel is conveniently located next door to the night market. This market is decidedly better than the night market in Bangkok. The goods are more interesting and of higher quality. As this is a tourist area, the market is also highly organized, clean and safe.
Our guide in Thailand told us the food in Laos was very similar to Thai food. Our first foray into a Laotian meal was not anything like Thai food. The tastes are heavily influenced from the Mekong River with many of the foods having a grassy flavor. In running for the most unusual food items of the trip, we ate some river weed and some buffalo skewers.
Yummy coconut pancakes for dessert
We have a big day tomorrow including yet another meandering river boat ride. I'm going to bring a book for when the inevitable boredom sets in.
Just one question before I leave you... is this fruit or flowers?
In a completely unsurprising move, we ate Thai food. It looks a lot like this
They also have drinks in coconuts because of course they do.
We did not arrive in Laos until after dark because our flight out of Bangkok was delayed. Some tips on immigration in Laos. The visa form has some weird questions like "race". How do I answer that... White? It is also a visa-on-arrival process where you pay the fee in US Dollars. The fee is 30-40 dollars so carry some small bills to get the exact price. The fee today was $36. You also need passport photos and a great deal of patience because entering the country requires standing on no less than 3 separate lines.
We are staying at Avani Hotel in Luang Prabang which appears to be really nice. It's hard to tell since we arrived in the dark.
Picture of my room
Our hotel is conveniently located next door to the night market. This market is decidedly better than the night market in Bangkok. The goods are more interesting and of higher quality. As this is a tourist area, the market is also highly organized, clean and safe.
Our guide in Thailand told us the food in Laos was very similar to Thai food. Our first foray into a Laotian meal was not anything like Thai food. The tastes are heavily influenced from the Mekong River with many of the foods having a grassy flavor. In running for the most unusual food items of the trip, we ate some river weed and some buffalo skewers.
Yummy coconut pancakes for dessert
We have a big day tomorrow including yet another meandering river boat ride. I'm going to bring a book for when the inevitable boredom sets in.
Just one question before I leave you... is this fruit or flowers?
Comments
Post a Comment