Luang Prabang, touristy but charming

Luang Prabang

From I decided to Khiaw Nong Luang Prabang by boat, although you can also get much faster by road, the trip was good, the scenery is beautiful and on the boat is easier to make photographs than a bus, so was worth it down the river, but I arrived very hungry, because I thought that we would stop somewhere to eat or buy some snack, but did not, were about 6 hours or more, without stopping to eat, and I did not bring anything. Luckily in Luang Prabang there is night market food where they make a kind of law, where they give you a plate and you can fill much as you want or can, for 10,000 kips, which amounts to one euro, as you can imagine was the plate once filled it, and surely will fall short.
Of Luang Prabang, generally people say it is a city you have to do, but there are many travelers who say it is too touristy, and in this they are right, in fact have a night market, dedicated to tourists, with textile products, but where you can also find paper lanterns or paper umbrellas, spices, jewelery, paintings and old bills, among others things. This market reminds me of Thailand, there is typical to see such markets in almost all tourist sites. Luang Prabang is a city full of temples and houses seldom exceed ground floor and 1st floor, this city is located at the confluence of the Mekong and the river Khan and one of the main attractions is a waterfall that there to 30 km, the Kuang Si waterfall.
The first two days, I devoted myself to walk around downtown and relax, and the third I decided to try to get a shuttle to get to Kuang Si, before all the tourists arrived, I was lucky that two French girls had closed a deal with one of the drivers to go there so I got a pretty reasonable price. The waterfall is formed by the waterfall and 5 rafts, of which the 3rd is the most photogenic, since it has different levels through which water, turquoise, goes down, you can also climb to the top of the waterfall to have a more general view of the nature that surrounds this place, and few people up here.
Yesterday I went to Phousi Hill, where there are the temple is located at higher altitudes, people go there to see the sunset, they are all grouped near one corner where trees reveal a piece of river, city and sun, at the end seeing that to take a picture of the sunset was not much less the place, I decided to do some photos of tourists taking pictures, I thought it would be much more attractive than taking a picture of a piece of sky.
Today I decided to rent a bike, to exit downtown and see what’s around, I crossed the river Khan and then I entered the grounds of a small Buddhist temple, there I met a Buddhist monk, Keo, and I could not say how long I’ve been talking to him, but I would have stayed longer, was interesting, he told me things about his country and me of mine, I had a good time after which I followed way. The way I’ve done was on the side of the Mekong River and was going through different villages, who are dedicated to making textiles, and paper. After a while, the belly started to protest, but I have not found any place where they prepare, even soup noodles, so I bought bananas to eat and I followed a bit more, until the heat has made me back. Returning, I found a place in one of the villages, where they built ships, which circulate in the river, and I stopped to do a few pictures and I am back on track. Before arriving, I found that to be the best place from which to watch the sunset, just where the Khan and Mekong River meet, on the other side of the river from where is located the center of the city. I’ve stayed there a while enjoying the view, and all the time I was there, only a couple of Westerners arrived.

Kolakata, 2nd chance for Thailand and Laos

Muang Ngoi Neua

After two months without writing, I return to post the few pictures I took in Kolakata and to open a new section for Laos. In between I have been to Thailand, but this time if I have it clear, Thailand leaves me cold, I have not found anything in this country that I woke my curiosity, I think is the East Asian country more westernized, not even I’ve been wanting to photograph the temples, as meeting all alike.

As refers to Kolakatathe lack of photographs is not because I did not like, but just the opposite, of the big cities of India, at least for me, is the best by far, in fact I was almost three weeks, and a photo if I did, but not that he deserved, because it is very photogenic, as I took a creative slump and decided to leave the camera parked, here I leave the link of the latest pictures of India:

Kolkata

About 10 days ago, I cross the border of Laos, wanting to leave behind Thailand and know a new country, crossed the Mekong river I went to the bus station Huay Xai and buy the ticket to go to Luang Nam Tha, after three hours of delay and four of travel I arrive at my destination, the town is simple, no beauty, but with a fairly large market and economic places to eat. Around Luang Nam Tha are a few towns or settlements, living in the field of garment manufacturing and the local liqueur Lao Lao, which are the main attraction of the area. After a week I decided it was time to move my ass and went to Nong Khiaw. A village on the banks of the Nam Ou river and where I finally began to remove the camera from the bag to make some snapshots. This is a quiet village, although I have said Laos is a country full quiet even for some, of which at the moment I do not include myself, bored. Here you can walk or rent a bike to see the surrounding villages or a natural setting and is a stop required for all who want to go to Muang Ngoi Neua, like me. Anyway I decided to spend a couple of nights here, and is that the place has its charm, especially if you leave the street where are grouped all guest house and restaurant and cross the bridge to go to what I believe is the real town it has two main streets that converge on the bridge and in between these, are the simplest and typical buildings of the area, are wooden structures or also from billet, topped with a thatched roof that usually conceals a metal plate, which prevents in case of rain, leaks. Within this area are dirt streets, the people take the shadows of some large tree or some shed to meet, you can also find a small market to buy vegetables or test a noodle soup (I do not really know because they have this habit of eating soup with this heat).

After two nights, I took the only possible transport to get to Muang Ngoi Neua, some boats that make this journey every day, so at 11 am boarding and arrive matter of an hour, after giving up the stairs access to the jetty, I saw that the village basically had a main street and little else, after finding somewhere to sleep I went for a walk around the town, but end soon, I think it’s a good place to relax and meet people, perhaps also to make a tour around the villages nearby, whether on foot, bike or kayak, there is also a cave nearby, but seen the reactions of those who had visited I decided that if I did not visit, was okay.

This morning after 2 nights, I woke up at 6 to see them market that takes place every 10 days (all fortunate to have coincided with the market) and today whether the camera worked, I was waiting for a day like this, in this market meet people from neighboring villages and local, to sell their products either vegetables, sweets and clothes, but the most successful product or at least the fastest-selling was tobacco, sell it in bulk and rolled it with notebook paper, that if recycled, meaning that everything is written, so they smoke tobacco, ink and unsmokable paper. After the market, I did my bag and I took the boat back to Nong Khiaw, from where I’m finally writing.