Luang Prabang, Laos, in photos

My guesthouse was across the street from Wat Xieng Thong. I already thought it was so beautiful only to later realize it is one of the most beautiful and famous wats in the city!

Beautiful.

The evening market is set up every day at 5pm. Again, I bought crap. And I have officially cut myself off - I cant look at markets anymore after this one!! (Also, if you forgot to pick up souvenirs in Thailand, Cambodia, or Vietnam, you can purchase them here!!)

Ah, the serene Mekong - we meet again!

Hairy tree!

From Nong Khai to Kratie to Vietnam to Luang Prabang, the Mekong has been a constant friend.

Temple on the Palace grounds. No more king in Laos, though.

Peek a boo. I love these wats. Thailand and Laos have such beautiful wats, they are just so serene and HAPPY inside.

Workin' hard or hardly workin'?

...but the market sure is pretty.

Communism everywhere I go.

They just loooove hanging up "World heritage" signs everywhere.

Bamboo bridge over the Nam Khan River. Oh, and monks. There are so many temples in Luang Prabang, and therefore many many saffron robed monks. They all just remind me of the kids I taught back in Krabi.

Laos is very mountainous and pretty.

And O - M - G, you should've seen my face when I saw my first airplane in over a month. This was the second one. My jaw dropped. Airplanes are so cool. Ill be on one soon enough...for 27 hours.

Setting up for the market.

Ginger???

I learned what I am: Sunset junkie

Sunset, mountains, Mekong River, what more can I ask for?

Well I guess I asked to get into graduate school and that evening I found out I was accepted into Columbia University!
So of course I couldn't stop smiling and took my smile out for some deliciousness.

Thanking the right people.

I went out to do more thanking by giving alms to the monks. It was hard work to place a bit of sticky rice in every bowl, but it was quite the experience to have at 6:30 in the morning!

Here they come!