Laos

Laos is an amazing country. I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys Asian culture but wants to get away from the touristy parts of SE Asia. It is much less built-up and Westernized than Thailand and less expensive. A meal costs about 1 dollar on the street or 3 dollars in a restaurant. The food is really fragrant. The noodle dishes are similar to Thai food, but they eat sticky rice with their hands instead of steamed rice. They also have fresh spring rolls which are my favorite.
We crossed the Mekong River from Thailand to Houxai. After clearing customs, we boarded a slow boat to travel down the river for 2 days. It was crowded (about 100 people) and not too comfortable (definately buy a seat cushion), but the scenery was spectacular. There are a few small villages along the river, but it is mostly jungle and rainforest. The mix of trees is surprising. We stopped to spend the night in Prakeng, a village that exists solely for people on the slow boats to sleep. We paid a whopping $6 for a decent room with beds and a toilet and a cold shower. We even had electricty most of the night. The next evening we arrived in Luang Prabang, a larger town that was once the royal capital. The French influence is apparent in the colonial architecture. The downtown is a UNESCO site so it is well preserved. The royal palace is quite simple and modern compared to palaces in Europe, but it is ornate in the wall decorations. The temples are lovely here and are quite popular for monks. There are 500 monks in town. Each morning they walk several blocks through town collecting offerings of sticky rice and food from the locals. They wear bright orange robes with yellow sashes. It is a unique sight. The monks are friendly. We saw them shopping at the night markets and using the internet. The town does cater to tourists a little so we took some time to relax. I got 3 hours of spa treatment for $14, including a full-body massage, facial and reflexology foot massage. It is tempting to go every day, but I am constraining myself. Adam and I also took a Lao cooking class. We learned to make spring rolls, chicken salad, beef stew, chicken curry, ginger fish and steamed vegetables. It was delicious and really interesting. We also got a tour of the local food market. That was quite a sight. I wish we could travel to some smaller towns further south, but we are flying back to the southern beaches of Thailand tomorrow. I am so glad that I got the chance to discover this culture.