STL Blog-Day 9
Today we completed our two day journey from the Thailand/Laos border to Luang Prabang. Last night we stayed in Pak Beng in a river side hotel, overlooking the Mekong River. Today we experienced Laos though eyes not clouded with large cities and heavy tourism. We saw elephants bathing in the morning and wild animals grassing on the banks of the mighty Mekong. We also got a glimpse into the everyday life of a Lao villager when we stopped mid morning at a rural local village which relies on the Mekong for everything they need. Laos is very different from Thailand because it is a lot quieter, less busy, and when we first arrived we almost instantly noticed the difference. After visiting the village we continued along the Mekong to the statue caves of Tam Ting where we were able to see thousands of Buddah statues varying in sizes. Even though we have been in Laos for almost two days we didn’t really get to see what the country is really like until this afternoon when we arrived in Luang Prabang. The hotel we are staying at for the next three days is very different compared to the others we have stayed in. This hotel we are staying at tonight is incredibly luxurious which is a very stark contrast from where we’ve stayed for the past 4-5 days which gives us a really good chance to get so much need rest and washing. We are really excited to see the rest of Luang Prabang and explore Laos more in depth.
Lauren A and Marcus S
