Well, this is it, perhaps the most perfect little town on Earth. How do I describe such a place. Why after all of my travels, has this place made such an impression on me?
Well, to start with, it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Not just a building, not a complex, but the whole town has that designation! It was given it for it's unique combination of Lao and French Colonial Architecture that is so well preserved. Everything in the town is on a small scale, with no ugly billboards or signs to mar its beauty.
It is definitely a travellers town. Streets and alleyways are overflowing with cute little guesthouses, and there are great bars and restaurants to eat in everywhere. The town sits where a small river meets the Mekong, and many of the bars and restaurants are on stilts at the top of the riverbanks, with fabulous views.
This is Laos, afterall, so everything is absurdly cheap. You know when you go into a rather fancy restaurant and comment that $3.50 seems a little steep for dinner, that you are getting used to Lao prices. You decide to eat there anyway, because the atmosphere is so nice, and the food is great.
It is just the kind of place you could hang out in for weeks, probably not accomplishing anything, and not really caring. The whole country of Laos is sort of that way - very laid back.
We did manage a trip to a beautiful set of waterfalls, which you can see more of on my flickr account. Some of the group went elephant riding, but I have been there/done that in Bali and Thailand. I just wandered around town with a big smile on my face, drinking it all in.
If you get a chance, come to this wonderful little gem of a town!
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