Vientiane

Crowne Plaza

We spent 4 nights at the Crowne Plaza Vientiane on our IHG points and this is definitely a hotel where you get the most value for your points.  The rooms are clean and quiet plus the hotel has a nice gym, pool and an awesome restaurant (3 Merchants-see more info below!) that was one of our favorite meals so far.  There was a very random mix of people that stayed there. People on business trips, families vacationing and people there to party.  We realized we didn’t get a picture but the pool was always such a scene with this mix of people and we found it quite entertaining to creepily watch from our hotel room window.

Getting a morning swim in before the pool turned into a scene

The Patuxai Victory Gate

As you will read in the last section, the food in Laos was absolutely amazing so we spent a lot of time eating and drinking. Plus, we were getting a bit burnt out on being tourists so the only touristy thing we did in Vientiane was to check out The Patuxai Victory Gate.  Fun fact, the US gave money to Laos to build an airport but instead, the Royal Laotian government used the funds to build the gate which is a memorial for soldiers who died in WWII and the independence war from France in 1949.

Luang Prabang

Sunset Cruise

This was by far one of our favorite activities in Luang Pabang.  We booked a boat cruise through Khopfa Mekong Cruise.  It was super chill and we got to relax on lounge chairs on the upper deck with a drink in hand. 

Zach lounging on our sunset cruise boat getting his first taste of Beer Lao Luang Prabang which he had been searching for

There were only about 6 other couples on our boat so that made it even more low key.  We took off southwest down the Mekong River for about an hour and then the captain stopped the engine as we watched the bright orange sun sink slowly below the horizon while we sat floating in the quiet calm water.  We headed back upstream and enjoyed the peaceful lights from the buildings along the river.  So relaxing!

All smiles at sunset

Kuang Si Waterfalls

We were a bit nervous that the Kuang Si Waterfalls would be a tourist trap because as we walked around town every tuk tuk driver literally asked the same thing, “Tuk Tuk? Waterfall? Boat Tour?”  so we imagined there would be crowds of people out by the waterfalls.  Plus, we are spoiled with beautiful waterfalls in the PNW so we didn’t think these would be that much cooler than the ones we have easy access to back home.

The top of Kuang Si Waterfalls- this is the image advertised to tourists to lure them to the falls

We quickly realized we were being pretty snobby about our PNW waterfalls and then took a closer look at the pictures of the waterfalls online.  They actually looked really unique so we decided to take a risk of going to a potential tourist trap.  Our tuk tuk driver picked us up early in the morning so we could get there before the crowds arrived.  

With all of the Instagram filters and photoshop capabilities it is pretty easy to post a picture online that looks way more stunning than the real life view.  However, this is one of the rare occasions where the pictures of the waterfalls online do not do it justice.  I almost couldn’t believe how stunning turquoise-blue waterfalls were.  

Kuang Si Waterfalls- the color of the water is even more stunning in person...Zach and I pretty much look the same in person?

“How does it get that magnificent turquoise color?” Well science nerds, they had a sign just for us.  Since the water from the spring flows over limestone rock on its way down to the pools, the water collects limestone particles which contain high levels of calcium carbonate.  These calcium carbonate-containing particles reflect the light producing the fabulous turquoise blue color. 

It's science!

There was a steep loop to the top of the waterfalls and because the climb is a bit more challenging there was barely anyone on the path.  This path is only open during the dry season for safety reasons and there is a section where you actually get to "climb" through the waterfall. We had a nice serene walk to the top where there was a random boat taking a couple on a private ride. 

Zach climbing up through the waterfall!

We wrapped up our visit with lovely espresso drinks at the bottom of the falls and headed out just as the crowds were really starting to come in.  The waterfalls are definitely something I am glad we didn’t miss out on.

Latte and cappuccino by the falls

Orange Robe Tour

We took a temple tour of Wat Pa Phai and guided meditation by a former Buddist monk. This was a very authentic experience hosted by Orange Robe Tours.  The mission of the organization is to help former Novices and Monks transition from their temple life back into the local community.  The tour guides provide education to the community and tourists about the traditions and culture of the monks of Laos.  It was really insightful to hear about the day to day life from a former monk and our guide shared some interesting stories that a monk in the temple would never reveal to the public.  For example, every morning there is a ceremony called the Alms Giving Ceremony where locals and even tourists can bring gifts, food, and money to the monks.  The monks are not allowed to turn any gift away.  He told us that a lot of tourists will come and put money into the bowl for sticky rice because they don’t realize that it is a food bowl.  Since the monks cannot say anything then their afternoon lunch often tastes like cooked money.  It really highlighted the importance of understanding local customs and cultures before partaking in events like Alms Giving.  

Relaxed minds after our guided meditation in the temple

We finished the tour with a guided meditation. Our guide helped us practice meditating while sitting, standing and walking.  Monks will often meditate for 2-4 hours a day to ensure that their mind is peaceful and calm.  We definitely felt enlightened and relaxed after this tour!

Airbnb Bugaboos

Our stay in Luang Prabang did have a few minor snags. Zach booked 7-nights at a nice two bedroom Airbnb with a great common space, kitchen and balcony.  The place had many excellent reviews (4.8 stars). Our host was super nice and had an informative guide book of things to do and places to eat.  In this guidebook she was very clear that whenever we ate food in the house we should throw out any peels/garbage immediately to avoid bugs coming in.  We were pretty diligent about this but unfortunately halfway through our stay we found multiple cockroaches in our bathroom. Not even our guided meditation practice could calm our minds after witnessing that!  If we had to do it again we would definitely stay in a boutique hotel on the river and avoid Airbnbs.  We are too bougie for cockroaches at this stage in our life.

Our lizard friends feasting on the bugs our light attracted in the evening.  Unfortunately, they don't eat cockroaches :(

Burning Season

One of the other downsides to our visit to Laos was that we visited during burning which is usually March/April but has been starting earlier and earlier each year.  During the burning season, local farmers will burn their old crops to prepare for planting new crops for the upcoming season.  This is a low cost way of preparing the land for new crops and unfortunately many of the farmers cannot afford newer more environmentally friendly methods.  Because of this, Northern Laos gets pretty smokey and the AQI was over 100 while we were there.  We highly recommend avoiding travel to northern Laos & Thailand during the burning season.

Hazy view due to the smoke from the burning season

Laos Food and Coffee

We absolutely loved the food and coffee in Laos and had many traditional Laotian dishes including laab, which is finely chopped meat, banana flower, handfuls of mint leaves, padaek, chili, and dry fried rice powder .  Because of the French colonization of Laos there is also a lot of French and Western influence in the food. Surprisingly, I didn’t have any pizza while we were there (we walked past a local pizza place everyday so I was slightly tempted)! 

Tasty Laab- make sure you order the non-spicy version if you have a sensitive stomach!

Coffee is a major crop produced in Laos and we felt the coffee was top quality (not as good as the coffee we had in Chiang Mai but pretty close in our opinion).  There are so many cute cafes where you can enjoy a nice espresso drink along the river. We wanted to share some of our favorite spots in both Vientiane and Luang Prabang. 

Food

3 Merchants serves Laotian food and is located on the ground floor of the Crowne Plaza in Vientiane.  We were a bit skeptical of how good the food would be since it was in our hotel but this was absolutely our favorite spot in Vientiane.  We also enjoyed getting 20% off as IHG members staying at the hotel so that was an added bonus.

Bacan is the first place we ate at when we got to Vientiane which is funny because the food is Chilean and Latin American. We got empanadas and tacos which were soooo good!  Zach also got a dish which was basically shrimp on top of a whole avocado.  He still raves about it to this day.

We had some tasty stew, curry and fried bamboo wrapped pork at T65 Cafe and Bar, which is on the Mekong River in Luang Prabang.  We are pretty sure they mixed up the meat in our curry and stew (I was supposed to get crispy pork in my curry but it looked like they put it in Zach’s stew) but it was still one of our favorite meals.

Tangor was one of our favorite spots in Luang Prabang and we went there twice because the food was so good!  They have a lot of western fusion food here so it is also a great spot to go to when you need a break from Laos food. We got a juicy burger and crispy fish and chips, yum! They also have fantastic cocktails and wine.

La Bannerton is a French Cafe in Luang Prabang with a great reputation because it is always packed with people.  We managed to sneak in one day and got salmon and cheese crepes.

Of course we had to have ice cream while we were in Laos to satisfy Zach’s sweet tooth.  Our tuk tuk driver took us to a drive up cafe that serves buffalo ice cream on the way back from our waterfall adventure in Luang Prabang.  I am not sure of the name of it but it was super tasty and unique. 

Buffalo Ice Cream!

Coffee

Saffron Coffee was our favorite coffee spot in Luang Prabang.  They usually offer a coffee tour of their facilities but their tour guide was out with a back injury so we didn’t get to check out their roastery which was a bummer.  Saffron is a profit for purpose company and a percentage of the profits are reinvested back to their coffee farmers in Laos.

Dada Cafe has excellent coffee and is right down the street from Saffron.  We enjoyed our morning coffee and got a visit from two furry friends.

Dada cafe with a visit from two furry friends

Longlai Coffee is a really cool coffee cart on the Mekong River in Luang Prabang.  They hand press their espresso shots which is something I had never seen before.

The barista handpressing espresso shots with a Monk practicing his English with a tourist in the background

Joma Bakery Cafe is a chain with locations in both Vientiane and Luang Prabang.  Being coffee lovers we obviously visited both locations.  They also have really tasty breakfast foods and salads.

We hope you enjoyed reading about our adventures in Laos!  We'll keep you updated with our upcoming stops in the Thai Islands, Malaysia and Singapore!