(To quote from the Internet:)     "Luang Prabang is the jewel of Indochina, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1995.  The ancient royal city  is surrounded by mountains at the junction of the Mekong and its tributary, the Khan river.  Luang Prabang is a city where time seems to stand still.  As part of the UNESCO plan, new buildings have been limited and development must be in keeping with this magical place."  

We liked this place so much 

we have more pictures here.

The capital of Laos is Vientiane, a place where we have not yet visited.  But we loved Luang Prabang, and would return.

Top:  I took this picture from Mt. Phousi, a hill in the center of the town.  That's the Mekong River, which eventually flows through Cambodia and Viet Nam.

Below:  We got up at 5:30 and rode our bikes in the dark to the main street, where, at daybreak, about 400 of the town's monks are fed a ration of rice by anyone who wants to do so.  You can see that the monks carry a special pot for the collection.

Left:  What better place to practice yoga than in a Buddhist temple?

Above:  The "Day Market" has food, household items, 

clothing, and anything else.  No Wal-Marts here.  Laos is the 'land of a million elephants' and one of the last places to see a bit of old Indochina. The pace of Laos is slow and its people relaxed and friendly.

There are no big international hotels in Labang Prabang.  Our guest house, the Villa Maydou, (see breakfast area below), had about 15 lovely rooms with gorgeous wood plank floors, vaulted ceilings and a real "Indo-China" feel about it....although the bath room was ultra modern and ultra clean, probably the best hotel bathroom we've ever seen.  The courteous employees all seemed to be college students training to be English teachers.  French is no longer spoken very much.

Above:  These children lived in the "Blacksmith" village.  We visited five villages, each specializing in a trade or craft, e.g., paper, fabrics, liquor.