SE Asia Program: Vietnam Bound

Sabaidee from Luang Prabang, Laos!

The group has arrived from three days of remote river travel in the north western part of the country. We traveled the muddy waters of the Nam Tha River for a day and a half, slept overnight in our boat driver's village, and then joined up with the mighty Mekong River to bring us all the way to the town of Luang Prabang.

Luang Prabang has a population of approximately 50,000 people within city limits. The town was given UNESCO World Heritage site status in 1995 in order to preserve the cultural and structural gems of this location. A day's walk will afford you many looks upon glimmering Buddhist temples or wats, ancient French colonial architecture with the pastel paint chipping away with the times. And while on the city stroll you can be sure to end up running into the local French baguette vendor. They'll slap on some Laughing Cow spreadable cheese and add a bit of fresh cucumber and tomato. The best afternoon snack for under $1.00 USD.

Tomorrow the group boards a short flight to Hanoi, Vietnam. Hard to believe it's our third country out of four. A new language to practice, new cusine to explore, and many more smiles to exchange. Life is good here in Southeast Asia!

Sabaidee,

Mels