So I’m sitting in a nice café in Luang Prabang and I have to say: I’m just loving it!
Honestly: Luang Prabang is one of the most charming cities I’ve ever been. If you can call it a city…maybe it’s more of a small town with just 60.000 people living there.
When I wander down the main road, I see many beautiful little cafés lining up like pearls on a string. I could spend all day just hopping from one café to the other, sitting in big cushions or in comfy armchairs, reading, sipping drinks, watching people walking by.
Every café is a little bit different: one feels like when I enter, I see Hemingway sitting at the bar, writing his newest novel while smoking a cigar. It’s a combination of a French café with a colonial style bar and I’m enjoying sitting on the balcony, watching the tuk tuk drivers waiting for clients while the rain is pouring down. Yes, it’s raining but I don’t mind, I just enjoy the atmosphere.
The “Opera” emanates the image of a relaxed chillout café with its small and colorful couches and big cushions. It’s still raining a bit and after an exhausting day climbing up a beautiful waterfall I’m opting for a hot fresh ginger tea – don’t laugh at me! It’s the perfect drink for rainy evening, nestled in the comfy couch. Behind me, 3 men are sitting in armchairs, reading. Cozy.
Luang Prabang has a French history and so you can find little bakeries offering croissants everywhere. Oh, and yeah, another nice little café / bar.
And the food markets! Everybody who’s been to Asia will agree with me that the food markets are amazing. We love exploring the areas where outside of the standard tourist areas and so we ask a tuk tuk driver to bring us to the local market. It’s outside of town and really just a shabby street with dirt and little huts, but wonderful fresh vegetables. We’re a little late and many vendors are already closed, meaning they packed their veggies and their blanket, but there are still some women around, smiling at us.
Oh yeah, these are snails. Little cliché here, but very French indeed…
An old lady is selling rice and fresh coconuts and hey, coconuts are always a good choice. She choses the two biggest ones and invites us to sit with her. Of course we can’t understand each other, but we try to have a little conversation and are laughing a lot. It’s always a gift to realize that we don’t need to speak the same language in order to understand each other. A smile is more than enough ☺
On our way back we see a little street with lots of local market stands, offering fresh veggies, fish and meat.
And I just can’t believe it: there is an old lady baking waffles! I mean, waffles!! I never can say no to waffles and honestly, who can? I just haven’t count on eating waffles in Laos in the middle of hundreds of little elderly women selling fish and meat, but that’s the beauty of foreign countries: they tend to always surprise you when you least expect it.
So if you ever have the chance of going to Laos and Luang Prabang, be sure to bring your book so you can enjoy some cozy afternoons in nice little cafés after a long walk to the waterfall ;)
Always be the best version of yourself
Cheers,
FlipFlopRebel