Laos Waterfalls

During our stay in Luang Prabang, we did outings to 2 waterfalls. Kuang Si is more impressive in terms of waterfalls, but Tad Sae is also a worthwhile trip to see elephants wading in pools.

Tad Sae

Getting to this waterfall involved a roadtrip, followed by a short boat ride to the other side of a river. Our driver dropped us off near the river bank, where several old men waited for passengers. We had to assume that they would also be waiting for us upon our return from the falls.

Elephant rides and bathing are offered in the lower half of these falls. On our way in, we saw a woman happily bathing a gentle younger elephant, and OD started saying he wanted to see me bathe an elephant (just me -- he had some excuse not to go himself).

However, we then watched a mother and two daughters with the elephants, and I decided squarely against it. Not only did the elephants like to dunk their passengers, but they also took large poops in the water. Already sick with a respiratory bug from Bangkok, I would not have been happy to be thrown off an elephant's back into dirty water (there were elephant-free pools in the levels above, which OD took a dip in). We did get some good video footage of the action.

After watching the elephant rides/bathing, we bought some bananas and sugarcane to feed the elephants, which was enough interaction for us for the day. I couldn't recall ever feeding elephants before and I was struck by the pointy shapes of their mouths and trunks.

Kuang Si Falls

These waterfalls cascade down over various levels. In the lower levels, there were a number of people swimming, with a couple spots with ropes for swinging into the water. Due to minerals, the water had a particular turquoise blue color.

Near the waterfalls is a sanctuary of sunbears, who were too busy to pose for a shot. These bears are endangered in parts of Southeast Asia, due to deforestation and the bear bile trade. The bile of these bears is extracted for use as an ingredient in Traditional Chinese Medicine. Bear bile farms in China and other regions keep bears in small cages, allowing easy access to their gall bladders. The bile extraction process is believed to be extremely painful for them. Sanctuaries such as this one are an attempt to conserve the species and educate the public about their abuse. 

Pak Ou Caves, Laos

From Luang Prabang, we took a slow boat up the Mekong River to the Pak Ou Caves. It is about a two-hour ride from town, as those boats really do go slowly! But they do have their charms.

It was a relaxing ride on calm waters. The trip also gave us a chance to get a short glimpse of life on the river. Of course, there was also a built-in stop at a fishing village, with a few stands hawking souvenirs, but there wasn't much else to see or do there.

 

The Pak Ou Caves are known for their hundreds of Buddha sculptures. They ranged in size from medium to miniature and looked as if they had been placed randomly by mischievous followers. 

There was also an upper cave, but as I was weak from the respiratory bug we got in Bangkok, I couldn't face the steps, so I had OD go on without me. At least I could review the photos afterwards.

Luang Prabang, Laos

The main reason for our stop in Bangkok was to catch a flight to Luang Prabang, a town in north central Laos along the Mekong river. Several of our friends had raved about this UNESCO World Heritage site as being the perfect place (that's not a beach) in Southeast Asia to chill out for a few days. According to my guidebook, the Laos people believe stress should be avoided whenever possible -- sounds like my kind of philosophy. 

We actually didn't go into any temples; we were satisfied this trip ju taking them in as part of the landscape. Nor did we arise early for the famous procession of Buddhist monks; we did, though, occasionally see a few novices, young men in bright orange robes going about their way on the town street.

Luang Prabang has perhaps the nicest market we've been to in Southeast Asia. It had more quality goods than the trinkets you'll sometimes see; many of the fabrics have been certified as handmade (unlike the factory batiks we got ripped off on in Bali). And the atmosphere is very laid-back -- no jostling through the crowd, no aggressive hawkers. I always let OD handle the bargaining, but I gave it a try at one of the stalls -- though apparently, my approach was humorous, as the woman kept laughing at my too-low then too-high bids.

We rented bikes for an afternoon and rode along the river (the town is sleepy enough that you don't have to worry about getting hit by traffic). We passed slowboats, a quaint garden, upscale inns, riverside eateries and a bridge crossing the river. The weather was mild and the scenery subtly beautiful -- one of the highlights of the trip.

Along with every other tourist in town, we hiked up the steps of Phou Si to catch the sunset. If you can get your camera above the other tourists' heads, you can get good shots of the surrounding area.  

For food, as a former French colony and now a major tourist destination, Western food was abundant (as well as better and cheaper than in Singapore). I did try a few Laos dishes, including fish steamed in banana leaf (mok pa) and the staple of steamed sticky rice. On reading up on Laos cuisine in my guidebook, I came across the warning to watch out for "happy" on menus, as this may mean the dish is laced with drugs (opium, a traditional crop, is still grown). Lo and behold, at a restaurant one evening, the special drink of the month was a "Happy Smile with Coconut Smoothie."As the place was a mid-range Westernized restaurant, I didn't really believe they meant that kind of "happy", but alas, we did not order the drink to find out for ourselves.