Luang Prabang - Part 2

Yes, our first introduction into Laos was a bit of a shocker to us, the level at which they catered to tourists was amazing. As Tina mentioned, in the evening the town was only other tourists and the locals manning the market booths. The amount of English used seemed strange, but it was nice to be able to know what we were ordering - we don't recommend the water buffalo, it's a little tough.
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The next morning we hiked up the hill in the center of the town, there is a wat at the top of the hill and it allows for some great views of the town and the countryside.

Starting up the stairs.

View from the top.
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From there we wandered the markets again, and stopped at a French restaurant for a cheese plate. We ended up ordering a second plate, it was good cheese...

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We then picked out a travel agency in the center of town, it seems like every third business is a travel agent, and booked a minibus to take us to Vang Vieng. The cost was $11 each for the 6 hour ride and an extra $1 for a transfer from our hotel. Not bad at all.

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Two of the main attractions in the area surrounding Luang Prabang are waterfalls and caves. To see the caves you need to take a 1/2 day boat trip down the Mekong River, and the falls are about a 20 minute tuk-tuk ride out of town. We decided that we would go and see the falls...

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The ride out to the falls was nice, and a view of the real living and poverty that is in Laos. About 5 minutes out of town all of the homes are rough built thatch homes, but almost every house had a large satellite dish out in front of it.

Falls

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We spent a while at the falls, just relaxing and admiring the beauty of it. Apparently they are even more brilliant during the wet season, but we were impressed enough with it as it was.

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Back in town we ate dinner at a local street vendor, and then stopped at a tiny empty bar to enjoy a bottle of Laotion wine, it was terrible.