Day trip

Luang Prabang is a tourist town, full of guesthouses, hotels, restaurants, shops and markets pushing the local products (scarves and bamboo and coffee, to name but three) some ethical, others well, imported from China? And it's full of tourists, including me. It's not as crowded as Edinburgh in the Festival but it has that same 'disneyfied' feel, although luckily there are no piper equivalents. And like Edinburgh there are expats/foreigners, working here, temporarily and permanently.

And so as a tourist town the are a list of tourist "must dos' which was today. Early start at 8 then up the Mekong on a slow boat via a local village stop for scarves and "whisky' tasting, then another steep climb up to caves full of Buddhas and finally a very good lunch with optional elephant bathing, riding and feeding. I fed the elephant, photographed for Olivia.

Unlike other such trips elsewhere our group kept changing, people were added and removed, Korean, Singaporean, Irish, Canadian, British relocated to Oregon but used to live in Livingston and work at HWU and the Royal Ed, Australian and so the list continues. Far more of the young backpacker crowd here in Luang Prabang but still a fair sprinkling of my demographic, the global travellers avoiding northern winters, which leads to some interesting conversations.

But back to the trip. After lunch it was too the waterfall but what I didn't realise was that was the other side of Luang Prabang so a 90 minute minivan trip (with the guide standing) via a quick whisky stop for those who'd missed it and then a hot walk to the waterfall. The idea was to swim but I couldn't be bothered so read my book instead. Murders in Edinburgh!

We did get back by 5 in time for a swim by the pool with no stones to navigate. Then later dinner beside the Mekong with me the only customer in a Chinese restaurant and coconut pancakes from the Night Market on the way home.

On the first part of the trip we went under the new rail bridge being built by the Chinese. The high speed line will link China, Vietnam, Laos and Thailand, via Luang Prabang, Vient Veng and Vientiane. There will be change.