Luang Prabang (incl pics)

There comes a time in every trip where I have a little meltdown. "This sucks! What am I doing? Why aren't I in Brooklyn, having pancakes at Cafe Luluc?" This summer, my meltdown was exacerbated by my utter failure as a bicycle tourist. Being in Luang Prabang makes it a little worse, as I meet ACTUAL bike tourists, who aren't just putting their bikes on buses and using them for dinky little 30-40 km rides. They're always very impressed by my setup, which makes the shame a little deeper. The self-pity spiral might still be going if I didn't have a little conversation in my head with my meanest friend, The Rugby Player, who I could hear mocking me, "Oh, poor Frances, she's in the most beautiful part of touristed Laos, eating baguettes in cafes overlooking the Mekong, and taking lovely walks. POOR FRANCES!  Your life SUCKS." Having succeeded in making myself feel like a whinging jerk, I pulled myself out of it.

While I've failed as a bicycle tourist, I'm succeeding at being a chatty solo tourist who, on three different occasions, made dinner plans with strangers (excuse me, with friends I hadn't met yet). I'm also succeeding in not shopping--the bike is a fantastic deterrent.

I have some plans involving the bike, but I won't bother sharing them until they've been implemented.

Luang Prabang is a city of extremes--French colonial architecture in the city, tin shacks and rocky (scared for my tires!) dirt roads three kilometers out. The shops sell silk scarves and silver bowls; at the morning market I saw a woman selling two small heaps of tamarind and three frogs.

Here are some wats, monks, grilled frogs, and a lovely water view.  I've included them because, otherwise, this was a boring blog post.