Christina Marie's Travel Blog

In order to get to Luang Prabang from Vientiane, my friend and I had to take a 10-bus ride through the mountains, most of which consisted of bumpy roads and nail-biting bends. I tend to get bad cases of motion sickness easily and rides like this are not good for those with weak stomachs. Fortunately for everyone on board, I was able to hold everything down during the long ride.

Once in Luang Prabang, we had to find a cheap guesthouse. The most expensive hotel to stay at was around $30 USD a night, and if I was still on a corporate American salary, I would have lived in luxury; however, on a volunteer teaching salary, I had to settle on a $5/night room, which had a dirty bathroom, no toilet paper, cold water, and mosquitoes. Even though it was hot outside, I slept with long pants and a hoodie to protect myself from getting bit during the night. 

When I wasn’t in the room, I ventured around the town. My favorite part overall was the quaint, small town feel, and the daily night market. Trying to haggle a good deal on merchandise reminded me of hitting up a flea market in Brooklyn with my grandma (I would have made you so proud). Everything was pretty cheap to begin with and I remembered thinking, I can’t believe I’m haggling to save the equivalent of one US dollar, but it’s the way they like to do business.

If you would like to view more photos from my time in Luang Prabang, visit my Flickr photo stream by clicking here. 

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