Wednesday, Feb 27, 2008

Well last night deserves a note.
The sunset was incredbile. The hike was exhausting and the company was perfect, although we were sad not to have Johanneke with us--she left early yesterday for Luang Prabang.

From atop this mountain you could see the innards of this valley which were entirely flattened by the towering mountains on each of its sides. Smoke from villages could be seen while the mooing of cows was heard over the laughs and conversation of at least 6 Lao children that followed us to the summit. The four of us (Joe, Laura, myself and Joe) were speechless with this view.

Not much more can be said here about this sunset.

ANYWAY, moving on to today.

We left early and drove through fog and cloud to Luang Prabang with a brief view of heaven (to a mountain lover). The road we traveled was thin and curvy and entirely dangerous. At some points we squeezed next to a large transport truck and multiple motorbikes side by side on steep mountain passes with steep drop offs, but I'm writing this now so I've made it.

Luang Prabang is another one of the most beautiful "major" cities in Laos. It is quiet and entirely influenced by European (mainly French, I think) architecture. It also boasts one of the most impressive night markets, which I'll have to check out. As soon as we arrived (about 6 hours, or maybe 8 hours later) we arranged for another rock climbing outing. This time on a rock wall that holds a view of something a bit more rewarding than just another rock face (like the one in Vang Vien). Our lunch was prepared right in front of us and was delicious.

The CREW!But before the night before the climbs we bumped into Johanneke again, along with her and the Joes' long time travel partners Stu and Kari. So, that night we celebrated their travels and time apart with a trip to a great bar where we shared jokes and stories then moved to another bar and then went bowling.... ILLEGALLY. Yeah, but it's run by the cops. Figure that one out.

The night was long but amazing, and I am happy to have met and spent some quality time with Stu and Kari, even though they might not entirely remember all of it.