Luang Prabang, the magical town!

I have visited Luang Prabang twice, a very beautiful town in Laos and a UNESCO World Heritage site. It is well preserved, full of French colonial houses and Laotian eateries, shops and massage parlours. The town is nestled between the Mekong and Nam Khan rivers, and is at an elevation of 1,000 feet, all of which makes the place very cool and fresh! You can hire a cycle for 3$/day and move around at will, or take a mountain bike or kayak to the beautiful waterfalls nearby. These pics are the highlights of my trips!

Town centre

Beautiful houses

The empty, scenic streets are perfect for cycling!

Mount Phousi is a small hill at the centre of the town. After climbing to the top, I had a stunning view of the entire town, surrounding mountains and rivers. I took the longer way (400 steps) up as the sun was beginning to set and caught the sunset from the top. Watching the sunlight mingle with fog and clouds, and play on the little red houses and the river was just beautiful! I came down by the shorter route (150 steps) just as the night market was being set up.

View of the Mekong while climbing up Mount Phousi

View of Nam Khan river

Luang Prabang town

Sunset over the Mekong

Luang Prabang's famously amazing night market

where you can find cheap clothes, silver jewelry, souvenirs and a tasty buffet for 1.3$!

There are three waterfalls near Luang Prabang - Kuang Si (largest and most famous), Tad Thong and Tad Sae - clear, pristine and straight out of a fairytale!

Tad Sae waterfall has many tiers, which are great for relaxing, swimming or hiking

Kuang Si waterfall has steps on this tree, from where you can jump into the pool

Almost surreal!

The highest level has a bridge which gives the best view of the waterfall. I stood there for ten minutes and was completely drenched in the water spray!

Daredevil monks

Lots of benches to relax, when you are tired of walking!

View from a cafe halfway up the fall

Asian bears are kept in a protected reserve near the entrance to the waterfall. They have hammocks, tyres and jungle gyms for their entertainment!

An amazing part of Luang Prabang is the countryside! It is completely different from the town. The views are of rice fields, mountains, lotus ponds, small farms and villages. I stayed at the Villa Santi resort - it's quiet, peaceful and somewhere in the middle of the countryside.

View from the room after sunrise

A great place to sit forever!

By boat from Thailand to Laos

One can go from Thailand to Laos by flight, train and (if you have lots of time and are looking for something adventurous) by boat! The Mekong river forms a natural border between the two countries in some parts. On one side of the Mekong, you have a Thai town called Chiang Khlong and on the other side, is the Laotian town, Huay Xai. It takes 5 minutes to cross the river from one to the other.

At Huay Xai, we got the visa-on-arrival for Laos. From here, we set out by boat for Luang Prabang, an amazingly beautiful town in Laos! It was a small speed boat which takes 8 hours for the journey and is mostly used by local people. Many tourists like to take the bigger boat that takes 2 days to reach Luang Prabang.The views throughout the journey are spectacular! The Mekong is bordered by mountains on both sides, and we passed villages, farms and local people going about their work.

The views are breathtaking, and you will soon fall in love with the place!

The small and very cramped speed boats!

It's hot as hell, but the wind and river spray make up for it!

The bigger slow boat

You can spend the night in Pak Being village, during the 2 day journey from Huay Xai to Luang Prabang

The water is as smooth as glass!

And the sunset over the river was just stunning!

Ancient temple cities of Cambodia

The gates of the walled city of Angkor Thom are flanked by a row of gods and a row of demons. It signifies the event called 'Churning of the Sea of Milk', where gods and demons worked together under the guidance of Lord Vishnu to produce the elixir of immortality.

East entrance of Angkor Wat

Outer compounds of Angkor Wat

Many temples were destroyed or looted and restoration work is ongoing, undertaken by the Cambodian and foreign governments.

Dancing apsaras or fairies engraved on temple walls

Boy monks inside Angkor Wat

Ruins of the eastern entrance to Angkor Wat

The moat surrounding Angkor Wat

Banteay Srei or the Citadel of Women is a symbol of beauty, seen in its red sandstone structure and intricate carvings

Banteay Srei is among the smallest and most delicate of the Siem Reap temples

Remains of a temple gate in the forests; many temples have been reclaimed by the jungles

The famous face towers of Bayon temple, it is unknown to who the faces belong

Bas reliefs at the Terrace of the Leper King, the tale goes that a powerful king fought a giant snake and contracted leprosy. The statue of the leper king is no longer here.

Shiv linga is a phallic symbol, one of birth and ultimately, prosperity

The riverbed of Kbal Spean is said to be carved with a thousand lingas (male symbol) and a few yonis (female symbol). During the dry season when the waters retreat, the linga carvings are visible and so are the carvings of Lord Vishnu and his garuda.

Phnom Bakheng temple has spectacular views of the area and of sunset

Pre Rup temple is a beautiful, quiet place for a lookout

Carving of a devi or female deity

Preah Khan temple has beautiful wall carvings and tiny rooms. The walls are almost falling apart and look quite unsafe. The rooms that house the gods and deities are small, as they were not meant for worship, but for the gods to have a beautiful and secluded abode from where they could practice their powers and benevolence.

Preah Khan temple has many trees growing over its walls. The trees grow from crevices and get their moisture from the stones. The tree roots spread out and work their way between stones, providing a support structure for the weak walls. When the trees die, the walls lose their support and disintegrate.

Bakong temple was the State temple of the ancient city of Hariharalaya, which no longer exists. The Hariharalaya sect worships both the Hindu Lords Shiva and Vishnu, and integrates the beliefs and customs of the Shaivik and Vaishnav sects.

Nandi bull at the entrance to Preah Ko temple. Nandi was the vehicle of Lord Shiva.

Sandstone walls of Preah Ko, the earliest of the Hariharalaya temples, in the region now known as Ruluos.

Beng Milea, an isolated temple reclaimed by dense forests

Ancient stones and living trees in perfect harmony

Ruins of Beng Milea. The piles of stone as you walk by are massive and overwhelming, and the occasional carvings of deities and fairies take you into a glorious age gone by.

When all is lost and there are tales of the forgotten past, the forest still breathes

Ta Phrom, within the city of Angkor Thom, was selected by archaeologists as the temple to be left in its natural state, overgrown by trees, to show how most temples of the Angkor region had looked upon their discovery in the 19th century.

Ta Phrom temple

Royal Palace in Phnom Penh is vivid in grey and golden

Summer flowers at the Royal Palace

Model of Angkor Wat at the Royal Palace

Sculptures at the Royal Palace