Luang Prubang-10

Luang Prubang is perhaps the most beautiful city I've ever visited...high on the banks of the Mekong River & nestled in a beautiful valley with green hills all around it is also a World Heritage site with 66 wats/temples with over half active with monks living in them...I stayed at a guesthouse in a great room for 40,000 Kip(4$)...the night market is great & the 'city'(more like small town) is very peaceful to stroll around at night(very hot during the day)..the former Kings residence is now the national museum with great artifacts....Pousi Hill is Wat on a hill in the middle of the town & a great place to see the sunset & the entire valley....also L'stranger is a nice bookstore/cafe which shows movies every night..I watched the excellent 'Capote' there one night....kind of hung out by myself(after the first night!) & played guitar & read...one thing that stays in my 'heart-mind' is my experience of the market one day when I went early & felt real suffering from certain vendors(so many!) pleading with me to buy their bags,ect...Laos is much poorer than Thailand....