Having been talking up using our longer stay in Luang Prabang as a bit of a catch up, we got right to work on filling out the blog notes we had been taking for the past month. A large breakfast on our riverside balcony and the postcard-worthy view that came with it made sitting out on the balcony and plinking away a lovely morning into early afternoon. We set out towards the historic district and its french-colonial-meets-mid-second-millennium aesthetic, stopping at a "cat" cafe for lunch. I say "cat" because the majority of our lunch, there were no feline friends present: the indoor/outdoor cats were free to come and go as they pleased, and it did not please them to be bothered by customers of all ages. We circumscribed and criss-crossed the peninsula-esque old town that sits at the intersection of the Nam Kha and Mekong rivers, enjoying the views and keeping an eye out for our boatfellows from the previous day (saw 14/34 of them just on the first day!). 

As the sun set, the night market came up, and we walked its length towards our selected restaurant. Unfortunately, as we sat down, I had a bit of indigestion that felt all too familiar to my food poisoning from the month before. Turns out my paranoia got the best of me, and slightly embarrassed by my overestimation of my illness, we enjoyed dinner in the room. 

Shock launch: the act of physically throwing yourself out of bed as soon as your eyes open to avoid the inevitable rationalization of going back to sleep upon waking up too early. 

One of Luang Prabang's claims to fame is its continued daily alms giving to the local monks each morning at sunrise. Our hotel front desk informed us that we should aim to be up in the old town (~30 minute walk) by 5:30, so we woke to our alarms in the dark at 4:30 am. It turns out we had left slightly earlier than necessary, but didn't mind the time to explore the area and figure out the best place to watch from. It was an...interesting experience. Expecting a solemn and stoic act of collecting food, tying the monks' survival to the local population, we were surprised by the amount of industry that surrounds it. Vendors sell offerings at well above market rate to a majority of the alms-givers, who are mostly Chinese tourists. Guides direct everyday and ceremonial-garbed tourists to their reserved seats along the sidewalk, and photographers apply professional grade lighting to guarantee their piety is captured perfectly. The monks still process with quiet dignity, heads bowed and receptacles held out to the throngs they pass, but it was a far different sight from what we had expected. 

The early morning event also brought us to the foot of "Mount" Phousi. The ~300 meter hill has a small wat at the top, but the views are the main event. Sunrise over the mountains in such an historic town with nearly a millennia of history felt somehow significant. As we walked down the backside of the mountain hill, we had free roam of the empty temples and shrines that littered the incline. Breakfast waited upon our return and a midday nap quickly followed. Having completed our requisite exploration that morning, we lounged by the pool and continued to make attempts to catch up on the blog before returning to dinner at the spot we had left early the previous night.