before I forget

The power cut out in my guesthouse last night before I finished my post. I had wanted to describe the utter magnificence of Lao's beauty. The slow boat did not bother me despite the delay in our travel plans because of the unspoilt scenery we saw along the way. There are literally no words to describe the strong beauty of the Mekong river as it slowly winds past the lush topiary of the Lao countryside. Brilliant greens layering on top of each other in the most perfect pastures, tall banana trees, rolling hills, and swaying grass. The Mekong river is not the cleanest I've ever seen. In fact it is downright opaque, picking up bankside mud as it rushes past our boat in a shade akin to orange clay. But I love the intensity of the colours. The sky is blue and the clouds white. Every direction I look is a new postcard ready to be sent home, luring people to this completely underrated and overlooked paradise.

If you thought that sounded like a song, don't even get me started on Luang Prabang. I have never seen a more idyllic town. The French colonial architecture fits beautifully onto the backdrop of glistening stupas and temples. The buddhist culture in Laos is as prominent as ever, with hundreds of temples, some dating back to the 1500's scattered on every block in Luang Prabang. Monks can be seen roaming the streets at all times of day, dressed in billowing robes of vibrant orange. By the dormitories inside each temple, orange robes hang on clothes lines drying under the sun. Every morning, the monks form a procession down the main street in an alms giving ceremony where locals give offerings to them of sticky rice and other food items. I will see this take place tomorrow morning if I wake up at 6 am as planned!