It's Evening on the Mekong River...

...And I've lazily situated myself at the lovely Big Tree Cafe overlooking the Mekong River in Luang Prabang, Laos. It's been a hectic day or two of traveling. After a brief day-and-a-half exploring Vientiane, Brian and I took the five-hour bus north to Vang Vieng. Here we discovered that what was once most likely a nice little river escape has been transformed into a heavily touristed mecca, made up of video bars, tourist offices, and guest houses. In other words, Brian and I ended up drinking a few BeerLao while watching the entirety of Friends, Season 5. We really got a feel of the true Laos experience...(please know I'm kidding).

This morning we took the six-hour minivan to Luang Prabang, a drive that took us along the single winding road through Laos' beautiful mountains and limestone cliffs. (Pictures to come). Once we arrived, we did a bit of shopping around for accommodation, until we finally came across a beautiful guesthouse right on the river for only 60,000 kip/night (that's about $3 each between the two of us). Found an internet cafe, bought myself some pineapple juice, and now watching the sun set over the Mekong.

I might never want to leave...