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Since we spent three days and two nights in Luang Prabang, we we’re able to “eat our way” around town. We tried to sample the best that Lao cuisine has to offer without breaking the bank by avoiding high end restaurants and instead opted for backpacker friendly food places. Since most of the restaurants have menu books with photos of dishes and a brief description of what’s in them, we pretty much knew what to expect and what we’re paying for before we sit down. As much as we could, we also tried to eat where the locals go. One of our favorite place is the row of fruit stalls that sells various fruit shakes, baguette sandwiches, and crepes. We would go there everyday and try various combination of fruits and spices and just sit and watch people go by. Thongmoun Aunt  This noodle place is located at the end of a narrow alleyway along the main road in Luang Prabang. They serve a really yummy noodle dish called Kaopeerk with chicken, vegetable...

My friend said the guidebook mentioned that Lao food taste bland compared to its neighboring countries. Excuse me random writer but we beg to differ! I’ve never eaten so much Lao food in my life and I enjoyed each and every morsel. In fact, I looked forward to each meal and every time we’d sat down to eat you’ll hear us let out a series of OMGs. Sigh, I miss my Lao fried noodles. LUNCH  Fried Sweet Thai Basil (15000LAK) I thought it’s the sweeter version of Thailand’s Chicken with Basil but thankfully I was wrong. It was still too spicy and sooo good. Pat Tha (15000LAK) This was described in the menu as fried noodle Thai style with seafood, pork, beef, and shrimp. Lao Style Noodle Soup (10000LAK) Our new friend Eli whom we met at the train station ordered this one and I remember him saying it was okay. Even though it was a very warm afternoon, my friend couldn’t resist and tried the famous Beer Lao (10,000LAK)  right away. I read somewhere i...

Thailand was our first stop during our IndoChina backpacking trip and  we were there for only a couple of days so we didn’t really had a chance to eat as much Thai food as we wanted to. But here are some we were able to sample. Khao Man Gai  We found this Thai version of Chicken Hainanese just outside our hostel in Phra-artid Road although of course after post-reading, it turned out this dish is practically everywhere in Thailand. So anyway, this place we went to just basically serves three dishes: Khao Man Gai (40 Baht), Fried Khao Man Gai (40 Baht) and fried spring rolls with rice (25 Baht). Sodas and water cost 10 Baht. Pretty economical right? and delicious too! The dishes really looked unassuming and plain but wait til you dip it in the sauce. Ours came accompanied by chicken broth soup with winter gourd and cilantro and two kinds of dips: sweet chili sauce and a soybean paste based sauce with ginger, garlic, and pepper. Mind you I’m not a good cook so ...

While preparing my itinerary for the partial IndoChina trip, I have read up a bit on the famous Buddhist alms giving ritual – both the good and the bad. The day after our first night in Luang Prabang, I set my alarm clock to 6 o’clock so as not to miss the morning ceremony. I wasn’t exactly sure about the time so as soon as there’s a bit of light out, I went out to check. I saw a small crowd already gathered outside, tour vans, and on the horizon – a line of monks in their bright orange garb slowly making their way to us. I ran back to our room and grabbed my camera. What follows is a series of conflicting emotion. THE GOOD I have always been fascinated by monks. Maybe because I’ve seen them in countless movies. Their lifestyle is something that is not exactly known to many. Their dedication and faith is something that should inspire me. Most of all, they’re “so Asian”. Well, monks and conical hats. I simply love them. So seeing them walk by in a long line was a moving ex...