Laos: kayaks, curfews & cosmic bowling

In the light of day, Luang Prabang was even more enchanting than I initially thought. It is a Unesco-protected World Heritage city, and offers the weary traveler a quaint and charming place to kick back for a couple days with its many bistros, cafes and night-market shopping, not to mention the stunning temples with glittering gold spires and orange-robed monks strolling the grounds.

Day One took my new travel buddy Ana and I on a (disastrous) mountain biking + kayaking day trip up into the hills of Laos to the Kuang Si Waterfall. The two hour bike ride took us along a dirt road past fields of green rice paddies, and the waterfall itself was a beautiful collection of bright blue pools that looked like something designed for a Las Vegas casino. The disaster equation of the trip was when, toward the end of a deceptively-calm kayak ride, our guide pointed ahead and said "rapids." Sure enough, the whooshing sound of the water got louder and before we knew it we smashed into a rock and were dumped unceremoniously into the rushing water. We were dragged down the river by the current, bumping into rocks and branches as we struggled to pull ourselves back into the kayak. The worst part was finding our cameras and money swimming in four inches of water in our "waterproof" bag. Needless to say, not my favorite experience of the trip thus far.

Day Two was far more relaxing, with a trip to the temples on the slopes of Phu Si and a leisurely stroll to the newly built Phousy Market which boasts an impressive array of vendors selling cookware and mountains of fresh produce. At sundown we visited the Hmong Night Market, a lantern- and candle-lit market on the main drag where you can stock up on souvenirs of Lao handicrafts, jewelry, textiles and weavings.

Feeling like we deserved a beer or five from our kayaking disaster, we headed out to the bar for a drink. Unfortunately the lights came on before we were ready to go home (damn Laos curfew) so we hopped in a passing tuk tuk to the Cosmic Bowling Alley, the only establishment in the entire city open past midnight. For some reason, bowling alleys can defy the curfew - probably because Laos recognizes a backpacker cash cow when it sees one and many places are more than happy to deliver a party if it means extra tourist dollars. So Cosmic Bowl we did, until two in the morning when we slunk home to our guest house through the deserted streets.