Our next stop was Non Khiaw, a small-ish town north of Luang Prabang. We decided to travel via the Mekong, so we headed down to the riverside in the morning to get on a boat. Because I've developed an almost debilitating fear of lateness when it comes to travel, we got there really, really early. Hanna likes to get to places at the last minute, so for rest of the trip we combined forces and usually arrived at places at a normal hour.After waiting around for a bit, we boarded a narrow wooden boat along with some older French people in nice sweaters, carrying expensive snacks. (Is that enough cultural stereotyping for you?) As I've said a million times in this blog: the scenery was amazing. It was an eight hour boat ride, but it never felt a minute too long. We read, we thought, we ate little pieces of Hanna's crackers, we waved hello to fisherman and kids, we looked at the mountains and the water, and once in a while we got out to stretch our legs.
In addition to the spunky French folk, there was also a quiet Polish woman, a Brit, and a dreamy Israeli guy. We chatted for a bit and he asked me for some Yunnan travel advice. Then I took surreptitious photos of him and daydreamed about our future children. This paparazzi shot doesn't really do him justice.
When we arrived in Nong Khiaw, the sun had already begun its slow descent behind the mountains. It was a really beautiful time of day. I felt lucky to be there.
i liked how you used the word 'dreamy' to describe the israeli guy - so retro. but i agree definitely very cute!
ReplyDeleteYour children will be beautiful. Of course you'll have to meet again in another haphazard situation in order for fate to be sealed.
ReplyDeleteimpressive! i love Mekong and especially the upper part in Laos. I myself also organize laos tours and we always focus on Mekong.
ReplyDeleteThank you again and keeo it up
The ultimate Laos adventure tours starts in Houey Xay in the North and finishes in Pakse in the South
ReplyDeleteIf you are trekking in Myanmar, why don’t you make time to visit Shwezigon Paya in Bagan. Maybe a lot of tourists know about Shwedagon Paya, the largest golden in Burma. Shwezigon is also a golden pagoda, which is ranked second after Shwedagon. However, the structures of 2 pagodas are different. The pagoda is located in the center of Bagan, there are a lot of small towers and temples around. The structure of Shwezigon is symmetrical. It makes the pagoda look perfect and strong. The main tower looks like a giant bell, and under the top of the tower, many small bells are hung. There are 4 staircases which lead to inside.
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