From Ho Chi Minh City we flew to Luang Prabang on a small prop plane operated by Laos Airlines. After the incident with Vietnam Airlines, and the women on the bus to the plane loudly proclaiming that they had been warned against flying Laos Airlines and that they use bus drivers for pilots, it was a little nerve racking. But the flight was uneventful and actually just fine. The snack was quite good and the pilot seemed perfectly competent.

After going through customs there (where after choosing if you have anything to declare or not there is only one door: nothing to declare) we made it to our lovely bungalow looking over the Khan River and to the farms across it. The town (a world heritage site like Hoi An) is very walkable and full of temples. We were told that Laos is the land of Buddhists and elephants. Good, we like both.

We spent the day wandering around Luang Prabang, looking at temples, checking out vendors, and getting out of the heat. In the evening, the main drag closes to traffic and becomes the night market, which we explored a little bit. Neither of us tend to be big shoppers, but we do enjoy things like this with endless shops repeating the tchochkies of another culture.