We arrived late afternoon yesterday in Luang Prabang, Laos. It’s called the cultural capital of Laos, and one of my favourite places on this planet.

We’ve been on the go every day since we arrived in Hong Kong, we decided we’re going to take a couple of days and just relax, and Luang Prabang is the type of place that invites you to do just that.

We rented a full villa for our week here. At certain points of the trip, we planned on everyone needing a certain amount of space. The hotel in Chiang Mai was nice, but it was 3 twin beds in one room for 6 nights. Our next two stops are one room hotel rooms before we’re in another villa in Bali.

We’re staying at a Kiridara property called Ban Kili Villa. The last time I was in Luang Prabang, I stayed at the Kiridara hotel and it was quite nice. I much prefer the location of the villa, as it has a view of the Nam Kkan river, one of my favourite views in the town.

Our day was spent strolling around the town, and going in and out of the numerous coffee shops and bakeries. There is still a lot of French influence in the country, as it was a French protectorate for 50 years in the early 20th century.

We went to the Kiridara hotel for lunch, as I was craving a hamburger of all things. It didn’t disappoint, and now I can get back to the curry and other Laotian cuisine.

Once dinner was complete, we walked the night market in search of nothing, but you always find a lot. The last time I was here I purchased a lot of textiles that Theresa recognized that are now in our livingroom. Caellum got to try a khanom khrok, one of my favourite dessert snacks.

Khanom khrok or coconut-rice pancakes (Thai: ขนมครก, pronounced [kʰā.nǒm kʰrók]) are one of the ancient Thai desserts. They are prepared by mixing rice flour, sugar, and coconut milk to form a dough. Usually, khanom khrok is composed of two batters, one salty and one sweet, both of which are cooked in a heating mantle–a hot indented frying pan.

I brought the special pan that’s needed home the last time I was here and have never used it, I’ll change that once we get back to Canada.

We have no plans tomorrow, but I’m sure we’ll do something like a riverboat cruise down the Mekong River and make some plans for the rest of our stay here.

Theresa and Caellum have immediately taken to Luang Prabang, as I knew they would. As would anyone that comes here.