This Battered Suitcase
  • Home
  • About
    • Privacy Policy
    • Around the Web
    • Contact
  • Start Here
  • Destinations
    • Africa
      • Botswana
      • Egypt
      • Kenya
      • Morocco
      • Namibia
      • Rwanda
      • South Africa
      • Tanzania
      • Uganda
      • Zambia
    • Asia
      • Bhutan
      • Brunei
      • Cambodia
      • China
      • Hong Kong
      • India
      • Indonesia
      • Israel
      • Japan
      • Laos
      • Macau
      • Malaysia
      • Mongolia
      • Myanmar
      • Nepal
      • The Philippines
      • Singapore
      • Sri Lanka
      • South Korea
      • Thailand
      • UAE
      • Vietnam
    • Europe
      • Austria
      • Belgium
      • Bulgaria
      • Croatia
      • Cyprus
      • Czechia
      • Denmark
      • England
      • Estonia
      • Finland
      • France
      • Germany
      • Greece
      • Hungary
      • Iceland
      • Ireland
      • Italy
      • Latvia
      • Liechtenstein
      • Lithuania
      • Luxembourg
      • Malta
      • Monaco
      • Netherlands
      • Northern Ireland
      • Norway
      • Poland
      • Portugal
      • Romania
      • Russia
      • San Marino
      • Scotland
      • Slovakia
      • Slovenia
      • Spain
      • Sweden
      • Switzerland
      • Turkey
      • Vatican City
      • Wales
    • North America
      • Antigua and Barbuda
      • Barbados
      • Belize
      • Canada
      • Costa Rica
      • Cuba
      • Dominican Republic
      • Grenada
      • Guatemala
      • Honduras
      • Jamaica
      • Nicaragua
      • Mexico
      • Panama
      • St. Kitt’s and Nevis
      • St. Vincent and the Grenadines
      • USA
    • Oceania
      • Australia
      • New Zealand
    • South America
      • Argentina
      • Bolivia
      • Brazil
      • Chile
      • Colombia
      • Ecuador
      • Peru
      • Uruguay
  • Topics
    • Advice
    • Fashion
    • Lifestyle
    • Opinions
    • Romance
    • Stories
    • Travel
    • Writing and Blogging
  • Work With Me

This Battered Suitcase

  • Home
  • About
    • Privacy Policy
    • Around the Web
    • Contact
  • Start Here
  • Destinations
    • Africa
      • Botswana
      • Egypt
      • Kenya
      • Morocco
      • Namibia
      • Rwanda
      • South Africa
      • Tanzania
      • Uganda
      • Zambia
    • Asia
      • Bhutan
      • Brunei
      • Cambodia
      • China
      • Hong Kong
      • India
      • Indonesia
      • Israel
      • Japan
      • Laos
      • Macau
      • Malaysia
      • Mongolia
      • Myanmar
      • Nepal
      • The Philippines
      • Singapore
      • Sri Lanka
      • South Korea
      • Thailand
      • UAE
      • Vietnam
    • Europe
      • Austria
      • Belgium
      • Bulgaria
      • Croatia
      • Cyprus
      • Czechia
      • Denmark
      • England
      • Estonia
      • Finland
      • France
      • Germany
      • Greece
      • Hungary
      • Iceland
      • Ireland
      • Italy
      • Latvia
      • Liechtenstein
      • Lithuania
      • Luxembourg
      • Malta
      • Monaco
      • Netherlands
      • Northern Ireland
      • Norway
      • Poland
      • Portugal
      • Romania
      • Russia
      • San Marino
      • Scotland
      • Slovakia
      • Slovenia
      • Spain
      • Sweden
      • Switzerland
      • Turkey
      • Vatican City
      • Wales
    • North America
      • Antigua and Barbuda
      • Barbados
      • Belize
      • Canada
      • Costa Rica
      • Cuba
      • Dominican Republic
      • Grenada
      • Guatemala
      • Honduras
      • Jamaica
      • Nicaragua
      • Mexico
      • Panama
      • St. Kitt’s and Nevis
      • St. Vincent and the Grenadines
      • USA
    • Oceania
      • Australia
      • New Zealand
    • South America
      • Argentina
      • Bolivia
      • Brazil
      • Chile
      • Colombia
      • Ecuador
      • Peru
      • Uruguay
  • Topics
    • Advice
    • Fashion
    • Lifestyle
    • Opinions
    • Romance
    • Stories
    • Travel
    • Writing and Blogging
  • Work With Me
Travel

For All The Love In Luang Prabang

written by Brenna Holeman November 3, 2011
luang-prabang-1 luang-prabang-2 luang-prabang-3 luang-prabang-4 luang-prabang-5 luang-prabang-6 luang-prabang-7 luang-prabang-8 luang-prabang-9 luang-prabang-10

Luang Prabang, Laos

 I’ll admit, it was excruciating getting up at such an early hour – 4:30am to be precise. I had woken up this early to give alms to the monks, as people do every morning in Luang Prabang. After handing out rice to the passing monks in their orange robes, I took the long way back to my guesthouse, wandering through a small series of alleyways. I had walked through these alleys before, albeit in the afternoons and evenings, and at those times they were filled with a few food stalls and not much else. In the early morning, however, they were absolutely bustling, filled with makeshift stands selling just about everything one could possibly need for a freshly stocked kitchen: eggs, tomatoes, spices, chicken, rambutans, bananas, rice, you name it. There were also a few ingredients I shied away from, including live frogs (with bloodied legs tied together), large and very menacing-looking turkeys, buckets of writhing fish, and plastic bags filled with blood.

If you have been reading my blog for a little while, you’ll know that I love markets; they are places to watch the city come alive, places to watch the local people live their lives and go about day-to-day activities. Too often when we travel, we can get caught up with trying to see too much, trying to fit in all of the things our guidebooks tell us to do. We can forget that the cities and towns we visit are thriving and full of life, whether or not we are there to sight-see and take photos. This is why I always try to spend a few days in each place I go just wandering around, without plan or purpose. I try to see what it would be like to be a resident. I try to imagine what it would be like to visit these markets, to pick up my fresh produce and fish, to chat with the same people each time. I love experiencing these moments in new places.

Luang Prabang was the perfect medley of reality and tourism for me; I could feel like a local or feel like a visitor whenever I chose. I spent a few days doing all of the sightseeing I could, visiting temples, museums, galleries, and recommended restaurants. I also spent a few days doing very little, sitting in coffeeshops and bakeries, riding my rented bicycle around, shopping in the night market, and trying new foods in the previously mentioned stalls. For this, it is one of my favourite cities in Asia. What I also love about Luang Prabang is that Aaron and I can share memories of it, even though we barely knew each other then and didn’t spend any of our time there together; we had met in northern Thailand but didn’t start travelling together for another three weeks. Tonight, while we opened up yet another bottle of red wine and started to prepare a warm beet and feta salad (yes, it was delicious), we began reminiscing about the times we bumped into each other there. We shared stories of the local people we met (separately), the times we got lost (separately), and when we finally crossed paths at Utopia and The Hive, two popular bars in town. I can remember so clearly riding my bicycle home one night (the night before my birthday, to be exact), and bumping into him, chatting for a few minutes about monks, beer, and anything else that popped into our heads.

That was over six months ago. From bumping into each other on the streets of Laos to sitting together on my couch in Canada, drinking wine and watching TV, I’m glad to have him by my side.

AsiaLaosShopping and Markets
2 comments
1
Facebook Twitter Google + Pinterest
Brenna Holeman

Brenna Holeman has travelled to over 100 countries in the past 15 years, many of them solo. She's a big fan of whisky and window seats.

previous post
Kit Kats (Part Three)
next post
Home For A While (Part One)

You may also like

Banana Shampoo

September 26, 2011

What I’m Taking to Southeast Asia

January 13, 2011

Around The World: Schweppes Limon

June 8, 2013

The Lazy Weekend

April 9, 2012

The First Of July

July 1, 2012

The Perfect Holiday: A Villa in Mallorca

July 6, 2016

Is it Difficult to Get a Visa for...

December 2, 2015

Hello From Melbourne

June 9, 2011

Around the World: Dogs

April 25, 2013

Finding Tibet

August 15, 2011

2 comments

Cherry November 4, 2011 - 7:48 am

Awww. This is just so sweet. All the best to you guys! 🙂

Reply
This Battered Suitcase November 4, 2011 - 6:10 pm

Thank you, Cherry!

Reply

Leave a Comment Cancel Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

About Me

About Me

Hi, I'm Brenna

My name is Brenna Holeman and I drink a lot of whisky. No, wait. That’s not how I want to start. After travelling to more than 100 countries over the past 15 years, many of them solo, I tend to write about travel a lot, but I write about other things, too: getting dumped, buying way too much jewellery, and yeah, OK, whisky (none of those things are related, I swear). You’ll find a mix of advice, opinion pieces, and stories on this blog, but either way, I hope to make you want to read more. And up next? I'm about to become a single mom to a beautiful baby boy, the biggest solo adventure I've ever been on. For more about me and what you'll find on This Battered Suitcase, click here .

Keep in touch

facebook
instagram
twitter
pinterest
youtube

Newsletter

Subscribe to get the latest updates from This Battered Suitcase!

Archives

INSPIRATION

Our battered suitcases were piled on the sidewalk again; we had longer ways to go. But no matter, the road is life." - Jack Kerouac

About Brenna

This Battered Suitcase is not only about the where and the how of travel, it's about the who and the why.

Originally from Canada, all I've ever wanted to do is travel. After eleven years of solo travel and over 90 countries, I'm currently living in London and fulfilling my other dream of becoming a writer. If I'm not travelling, I'm writing about it, either for my blog, my job, or my book. I firmly believe there is adventure everywhere, so long as you keep your eyes (and your mind, and your heart) open. Join me as I continue to look for these adventures. Hopefully you'll find your own, too.

For more, click here.

WHERE AM I?

Last stops: Manitoba, Canada

Currently: Manitoba, Canada

Up Next: Manitoba, Canada (are you sensing a theme?)

Archives

Want local knowledge about Manitoba?

AFFILIATE POLICY

Please note that some links on This Battered Suitcase are affiliates (at no extra cost to you); I only recommend products I use and love. This Battered Suitcase is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

INSPIRATION

"Our battered suitcases were piled on the sidewalk again; we had longer ways to go. But no matter, the road is life." - Jack Kerouac

Currently in

WINNIPEG, MANITOBA, CANADA

Last Stops: Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

Up Next:  Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

(AKA: STAY HOME)

Disclosures

This Battered Suitcase is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and links to Amazon.com. For the full disclosure/privacy policy, please click here.

Popular Posts

  • 1

    On Ghosting (and what to do if it happens to you)

    August 8, 2016
  • 2

    What to Wear in Canada in Winter

    February 28, 2018
  • 3

    What to Wear in India

    December 15, 2014
  • 4

    Giraffe Manor: Is It Worth The Cost?

    November 22, 2017
Promotion Image

The Last time I saw you

Promotion Image

What to wear

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Youtube

@2018 - All Rights Reserved


Back To Top
 

Loading Comments...