Luang Prabang

After spending a couple of beautiful days up in the very North of Laos (Luang Nam Tha - nice little town we were happy to reach after a six hour bus ride, yes the bus was totally packed; Udomxai - dusty crossroad town where Chinese, Vietnamese and Thai merchants cross and Nong Khiaw - a pretty and idyllic town on the river Nam) we came down on a beautiful boat ride (kind of cold though because it started to rain...) on the river Nam, where people still wash gold in very traditional ways, to a very special place - Luang Prabang.
Its the capital of the ancient Kingdom of Thousand Elephants, later on became a refuge for bored French colonialists, who built beautiful villas on the banks of the great Mekong. Its situated between two big rivers and majestic mountains surround it.
The town has a strange Mediterranean flare, small shady streets, beautiful cafes, traditional wooden Lao houses and colonial villas. There is art galleries, silk shops, silver design, beauty wherever you look. And among this hundreds of temples (wats) competing for your attention friendly but shy monks.

Downside: this place is flooooooded with all kinds of strange co-tourists;)