Today started on a sad note when Mike emailed that his brother passed away on Tuesday.  We knew this might happen while I was away, which is making it even more difficult for Mike.  Rick will be very much missed by all of us.

The goal of our morning walk was the summit of Phousi Hill.  Up until now Robin didn't think it wise for me to tackle this.  Feeling better and doing it while it was cool, off we went.  It was a good workout, stair climbing up 100m.  Certainly worth it for the 360 degree views of the city and surrounding countryside.  We decided we'd come back for the sunset since it would probably be the best view around and a way to celebrate our last night here.

At the base of the hill is the National Museum, housed in the former Royal Palace. Laos was a monarchy until 1975, when the communist political movement, the Pathet Lao, overthrew the Royal Government and arrested many members of the Royal family. The King, The Queen, Crown Prince and the King's brothers were taken to a remote location to a re-education camp, where they died.  The remaining Lao Royals base themselves in France, where they work to achieve a change of government in Laos.

We toyed with the idea of renting bicycles for the afternoon, but opted for a siesta instead to save energy for climb #2.

We are sad to leave Luang Prabang in the morning.  This is a magical place.  I'll be heading to Phnom Penh and getting into work mode.  Robin heads to Bangkok to spend time with her Thai friend before meeting up with the house building team on Sunday.