How I fell in love with Luang Prabang, Laos

I spent 5 days and 4 nights in the town of Luang Prabang in Laos. 

Arrived on a sleeper bus (this one was not at bad at the others*) early one morning (days are getting tougher to remember).

After landing at the hostel, I made a friend from Spain (who is living in China) and there began our bicycling adventures. First around the little and beautiful town. There are temples, rivers, smiling people, puppies everywhere, cool breezes and a glittery night market that never gets old.

In 2 alone days we cycled over 100 kilometers. Riding the second day to the Kuang Si waterfalls, up mountain 36 kilometers, through villages, passing schools of giggling children, and stopping for fruit at wooden stands along the way. Well worth the trip, even worth the uphill pushing of the rented bicycles without tire treads. 

The falls were unbelievable, cascading into natures most perfect pools of cool blue water. One of those places, like so many I have seen, where you take about 100 of the same pictures, because at that moment in your life, every millisecond of beauty is different but as magical as the next.

The following day we rode a total of 52 kilometers to the Pak Ou Caves. The ride was easier for about two thirds of the way. then we left the concrete to the rough and tough soil and mountainous terrain. The ride was rough, but I felt remarkably connected to my surroundings. There were 'awe' moments left and right, mountains that looked like those floating on clouds in Avatar, and minutes at a time when we were surrounded by the most whimsical and colorful butterflies I have ever seen. Those random times in life when you find yourself smiling for at least half an hour straight and laughing at just about everything, well that happened on the ride that day to the caves.

Which- were filled with thousands of Buddhas and almost enchanting when you enter the caverns...

Back to how I fell in love with this place- I believe it is the synchronicity. The flow. Everything works smoothly, like clockwork but with comfort, and not anxiety. The monks in the early morning with their calmness, the curiosity of the new tourists and the mixture of the old and the young, the traveler on a budget and the English old money. The way the night market glitters with exactly the same thing in almost every stall, but somehow you are mesmerized by it every single night. The 10,000 kip vegan buffet located right in the center of the market. The little lady who makes the coconut milk cakes and gives me an additional 1 to 3 each time I visit. The hidden bar called 'Utopia' where we ended up every night sitting on cushions with strangers, surrounded by vintage motorcycles and travelers all under what seems to be a magical canopy in Neverland. 

The last sunset I had in Luang Prabang- I found myself on the side of a concrete wall, staring at the mountains, the skyline, the water, and the man on a small boat creating these wonderful and smooth ripples on the water just awaiting someone to paint him. As I bicycled slowly away following natures light show, I said to myself, and then aloud to my friend, 'I am absolutely in love with this place.'

That perfect feeling where your skin is smiling because your heart is smiling, never loose that feeling. And when you find it, engrave it into your memory so that your life never falls short of this wonderful feeling of living.