Luang Prabang

Luang Prabang was one of our favorite spots on the trip.  It's a quaint blend of French colonialism (architecture, cafes, food) and Lao hospitality.  The streets are beautiful, the food is amazing, and there are cute little monks walking around everywhere (not trying to patronize Buddhism, here, they're just so cute!).  And there is a lot to do around and outside town.

Eating great street food:

Eating street food with our American pals, Aaron and Tamar.  

The quaint streets and temples on our bikes:

Me finding my Budha.  

Our little street:  Our guesthouse lady cooked us an amazing meal, including fish laap, a traditional Lao dish made of chopped meat, and a mix of spices and herbs - so delicious!  

See, look at those cute little monks.

Checking out and swimming in a nearby waterfall - definitely up there with the most beautiful places I've seen:

Then we rode, fed, and bathed elephants... you know, the usual:

It's amazing how strong they are and how tough their skin is.  You literally climb up them to get on and sit on their neck.  You even stand on their heads sometimes.  But they don't care, beats the hell out of the logging business from which they were rescued, where they'd work 12 hour days getting whipped as they dragged trees out of the forest.

Feeding the elephants was a highlight, especially watching Kate get attacked by trunks, I mean feed them:

Don't worry, she got more comfortable around these probing noses:

We highly recommend Laos and Luang Prabang.  Good times indeed.