Of all the places we visited in Myanmar, Mawlamyine is the one that had us thinking, “So this is what it was like to backpack 15-20 years ago…” Locals weren’t familiar with tourist faces, or at least that’s what we gleaned from a walk through the food market, and there were maybe 15 foreigners in the whole city. I’m not exaggerating when I say that when we arrived, we were the talk of the town. It was the first time we visited a place that was on the verge of something big. It actually felt a bit like a pre-tourist Luang Prabang, Laos.

Mawlamyine has what it takes — golden stupas topping mountains, a riverside begging for outdoor cafes, restaurants, and night markets as well as lush green mountains for miles — to reach that kind of recognition.

I mean, the city still needs work: street cleaning, a major paint job, better plumbing, more (and better) restaurants and better quality accommodation, but the foundation is there. (Cinderella Hotel was really nice, but $30/night was above our budget. We settled for a $13/night room in the popular guesthouse Breeze, where they can get away with dungeon-like, natural light-deprived rooms because of the lack of competition.)

Eaman, in particular, really connected with the place. I loved it, too, but the dungeon room plus torrential downpours often put a huge damper on my mood. This would’ve been totally fine in the beginning of our trip, but I’m just losing energy to put up with the rough stuff. So I’ll be the first to admit I was a Debbie Downer at some point every day in Mawlamyine.

Typical scene at our guesthouse: waiting out the rain.

The temples, green views and overall spirituality.

Leave it to Eaman and me to find the one cafe in town. It looked like Chuck E Cheese, but for us, it was juust fine.

Somewhere between South America and South East Asia, Eaman and I went from backpackers to flashpackers, which, if you’re not familiar with the term, refers to backpackers who travel with a slightly higher level of comfort.

And with that comes nicer accommodation — partly because we had some hostel-fatigue and partly because for almost the same price per person we paid in South America (anywhere from $5-15 each), we get our own — clean, often spacious — room with a quality breakfast.

Laos, in particular, had some amazing hotels and guesthouses (and staff) that became just as much a part of the traveling experience as treks and tours.

Our first day in Laos saw us in Pakse’sChampasak Palace Hotel, which used to be a prince’s playground. Being pretty much the only guests there at the time, it felt like our ownpalace. Yes, it was a splurge — $35/night — but it was also our first night’s sleep after our momentous Vietnam-to-Laos bus ride, so we just wanted some peace and quiet…and comfort.

So much to love: The detail in the decor of the Shining-esque hallways were gorgeous, two lotus ponds lined the grand entrance and sunsets from our fifth floor were a killer neon orange. Plus, the breakfasts were big enough to hold me over until dinner: baguette, eggs, coffee, juice, water and dragonfruit! My bank account is looking meager, but I definitely don’t regret splashing out on this one.

I’ve already sung our praises for Anouxa Guesthouse, the place we called home for a few days in Champasak. But I’ll say it again, the family was so friendly, the room was clean and the setting by the riverside made it all about relaxtion here. We loved it so much that we skipped Si Phan Don (Four Thousand Islands in the Mekong Delta) and stayed here longer instead. Wise choice.

We’ve generally booked accommodation in advance because where we lay our heads at night has become a bigger priority in hot, sweaty and at times exhausting Asia. But sometimes not booking ahead paid off, like when we found Auberge Sala Inpeng, an oasis in the capital of Vientiene, which to be fair, isn’t all that busy anyway. But we did want to be off the main stretch, and not only were we off it, we were basically staying in a botanical garden. Pair the beautiful surrounds with a semi-private patio and a luxurious breakfast served right on said patio as soon as we woke up, and this turned out to be the ultimate treat for a couple of (former) backpackers.

But the real jackpot was stumbling onto the gorgeous property known as Maison Dalabua in Luang Prabang. We were staying at a nice, but pretty ordinary guesthouse around the corner for part of our stay, and during one of our walks, we noticed a giant lotus pond. We walked into what turned out to be the Dalabua premises and the marketing director showed us around and we were hooked. She explained to us that the owner found the lotus pond and decided to keep it but build a hotel around its entirety. It was one of the most picturesque hotels we had ever seen, so we booked a mid-range room for our final two days in Laos. And because it was low season, we got a crazy good rate — and were ultimately upgraded to the best room. Luxury, luxury, luxury.

But in the end, it was — as was the case in the rest of Laos — all about the people we met, from the aforementioned marketing director, an inspiring French woman named Marion, who herself spent about 17 months backpacking with her partner some years ago, to getting the chance to fish for one of the staffers, a sweet Lao woman who fishes from the lotus pond each night. Definitely a fitting ending for our stay in what has become our favorite country.

After visiting so many small towns and sites that most travelers don’t venture to in Laos, it was a little strange to end our time in the most touristed city — Luang Prabang. We were worried that seeing more travelers would somewhat taint what was supposed to be a beautiful, spiritual city, but as we realized from our five days there — we were sorely mistaken.

OK, the main stretch where the great night market is located is jam-packed with foreigners, but other areas, particularly by the Nam Ou River and the area immediately outside the center, embody everything we had heard about this city. It’s no surprise that the entire city is marked a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Luang Prabang has this zen-like quality to it, accented with leafy green streets, beautiful colonial architecture and quiet avenues. (Though, why young backpackers parade around the streets in short shorts is beyond me. This is a temple city! Please go away now.)

Anywhoo, it’s easy to let days go by before you realize you didn’t really “do” anything beyond wafting through temples and sipping on fruit shakes in Luang Prabang. And that’s pretty much what we did.

We walked around gilded temples, checked out a fantastic photo exhibit about monks through the ages, ate some delicious food (though I think Vientiane has a better variety) and visited the icy blue waters of the Kuang Si Waterfalls — one of the coolest natural sights we had seen in some time. Eaman even got a haircut and shave from a local barber, who spoke zero English. (The cut was mostly a success, even if it veered a bit on the “Asian school boy” side.)

With a lot coming up on our travel agendas — visas, flights, etc. — we did get bogged down a couple days with enough time spent on the iPad to make our eyes pop out, but that comes with the territory. On the upside, we did all that research on the balcony of a fabulous hotel we checked into for our last two days in Laos. (More on that and our other awesome hotels in the next post.)

In any case, we certainly didn’t get too distracted from this lovely city, which, despite its upmarket cafes and fancy antique shops, hasn’t lost touch with the beautiful Laos spirit. (Though not sure what’s in store for this city 5-10 years from now.) Luang Prabang is best understood not with narrative, but with visuals, so take a look!