Luang Prabang: Wats, Smoke, & Water

Luang Prabang was the former capital of the Laos Kingdom until the 1970's. In 1995 it was designated as an UNESCO World Heritage town. The lack of economic growth between the 70's and 90's due to the war and socialist government has helped to maintain this city as a unique mix of traditional Lao and 1920's French architecture. Luang Prabang sits approximately 4/5ths of the way up the Mekong, which snakes it's way from the Himalayas to its Vietnam delta. According to the Lonely Planet in French colonial times it would take longer to travel the journey up the Mekong to Luang Prabang than it would to take the steamer from France to Vietnam.
For this relatively small city Luang Prabang has over 300 Wats, some of them over 500years old.

When were there it was stiflingly hot (90+/- degrees & 90% humidity) and it was also the middle of the burning season. We were showered in the afternoons with ash from the nearby forests that were being burned in order that the local villagers could claim the area as their agricultural land. So we went to the waterfall to swim and cool off.

The other prominent form of heat relief came from the New Years Festival Tradition (Songkran.) This festival traditionally is a time of cleansing for home and person. The ritual pouring of water upon elders and friends has turned into a 5 day water fight in many areas of Laos and Thailand. But as this is one of the hottest times of the year it is a welcome event. (Except when the other foreign tourists forget etiquette and turn it into a time to throw water in the face/ears)