Eating our way round Luang Prabang

We've been going for walks in this small city famous for its French colonial architecture. Last night we walked up Phu Si hill in between the two rivers that border the city: the Mekong and Nam Khan. The hill has three Buddhist temples and offers lovely views all around the city. However, as you'll see from the photo, a few other tourists had read the same paragraph in the guidebook. The temple had an Escher-like staircase. One of those staircase which you walk down and find yourself at the top again.




This morning, we explored the new town and found a lovely sunny spot on the bank where the two rivers merge. While we were watching the world go by, a large chunk of the riverbank fell into the Nam Khan river. I guess it's not very stable then. We also passed the tiny airport and watched a Lao Airlines plane fly really low over the houses as it was landing.



You may not think of doughnuts when you think of Laos, but we've found some divine ones in the markets. The round sugar doughnuts with a custard filling are so good that Jen was trying to eat it in one piece.



The hunt for dinner began in earnest. We skipped the pig head and trotters on offer and headed straight for the lady with the barbecue. For our supper, we had barbecued fish with sticky rice and Beerlao. The fish was very simple but absolutely delicious. Its skin had been rubbed with salt and belly stuffed with lemon grass. A home made sweet chilli sauce arrived for dipping. Who could ask for more?




Walking back through the market, every fourth stall sold the same items. Tourists haggled with sellers, who punched out the prices on oversized calculators. This photo makes the market look far more atmospheric than it really was.



And a Happy New Year to everyone. We'll be bringing in the bells with one or two Beerlao. Hope you have a good time, whatever you're doing and wherever you are.