Luang Prabang-sublime

Truly a magical "city", very tranquil and relaxed place that sits atop two rivers that converge.  The bus station is on the east side of the Nam Khan river by the airport. tuk tuk cost about 10,000 kip each.

We stayed at the wonderful Apsara on Kingkitsarath Road which is on the peninsula part and overlooked the Nam Khan river. Booked through Booking.com and paid about $80 a night for a fab room (room #8) that had a private balcony overlooking the road and river, form where we sat and drank beers and watched monks and people stroll by. One of the more expensive places we stayed, but it was holidays and peak travel time, and a hotel that would cost easily 4180 or so a night, it was a good deal in my view.  Note, no TV in case it matters and wi-fi spotty. I had to go to the main hotel building to get faster wi-fi (free).  Lovely breakfast included which we ate on the main building verandah.

Meals

• Night market: buffet style stalls set up in an alley at the night market. Chocka and all seem to be vegetarian with a few meat BBQ stands that are a separate charge to the otherwise, pile your plate as high as you can for $K10,000.
• no shortage of Chinese and lao places that cooked in open air kitchens overlooking the sidewalk.
• dinner at Apsara hotel in patio section across the street right overlooking river. delicious cold mushroom salad with cilantro, mint and spring onion. Delicious.  With beers (several) abotu $30 for two.
• Coffee at Mekong riverview hotel cafe across the street from their hotel and also overlooking the convergence of the river. Nice place to stop and have a breather

To do

• WALK!!!! Go down all laneways and streets. lots to see and absorb. the temples of course,  but meandering through streets off the main peninsula part is also a must. of note to us was the streets that led to the Chao Anouvong monument and the UXO missile museum ( Bhounkhong street). The hotel de la paix used to be an old prison and is now a luxury hotel. so lux they don't even bother putting the hotel name out front; out curiosity of this high walled space and open gate drew us in.
• Alms giving: overrated and wrought with appalling tourist behaviours shoving into the flow of the monks to take a flash photo or pretend it is a meaningful gesture to them to give alms, when really, its a lame attempt to have a 'local' namaste experience. I had strong feelings about what a Disney tragedy it all is. Food vendors would be better positioned to sell coffee at 5am rather than low quality insulting rice packets.
• we kept walking down the side roads to the Craft Center and the main market which sits about 2m west of the main drag.
• cross the Mekong river on the car 'ferry' and walk through the little village on the bank of the Mekong where there are more temples and brick path, that eventually peters out to a track to quite temples. i see this side of the river getting more traction for hotels and hostels being touted as the "quiet' side as Luang Prabang gets more popular and crowded.