Luang Prabang, Laos
An 180km drive through steep mountains and stunningly beautiful scenery to get to Luang Prabang, a World Heritage site. The drive was supposed to take 4 hours but took 7! We managed to get the slowest driver on the planet average speed about 45km and a group from Lao Tourism who were travelling up and down the country conducting surveys. We had some good chats with them about Laos and they made the driver stop at a couple of viewpoints which were absolutely breathtaking. In addition, they bought local food along the way for us to try. Everyone was passing food back and forth, so was a really festive long… ride.
The next day we explored the beautiful Luang Prabang on foot. The buildings are so cute most have been restored to their former glory it has a very European feel, mixed with local architecture. Lots of guest houses, restaurants and little shops fill this pretty town situated along the Mekong River.
As you know, I love been on the water so we decided quite on a sunset cruise. The tour boats are quiet big, can seat at least 30 and have roofs – not my cup of tea. So, I asked if we could hire a local boat to take us out – we could… The boat was a very narrow long boat just barley wide enough to sit in, no seats (the life jacket came in handy for that). Off we go on a very unstable boat, luckily Nick and I both paddle so that made balance a bit easier. These boats are obviously not the norm, the locals thought it was very funny to see us in a boat like this and the tourist took our photo – it was fabulous, I loved it! The sunset was amazing, setting behind the mountains turning the sky orange.
Morning food and evening tourist markets have been fun to visit. You can pick up rats, toads, bugs in the morning for breakfast. In the evening, sit at the local food stalls enjoying noodle soups with helpings of fresh greens and herbs or grilled meat and sticky rice. Other stalls line the streets selling clothing, embroidered, carved and sculptured, goods and coloured lights as reminders of your adventures.
A deep mist sits over the town and countryside every morning and burns off by 11 am. We decided to head out early on scooters to the Kuang Si Waterfall about 30km out of town. This was a good and bad decision. Good – we made a head start in front of the tourists. Bad – it was freezing(!) riding through the mountains in the mist. An English guy heard us chatting and asked if he could ride with us, but he only had a Tshirt (who travels without a jumper…). I was going to wear my cardigan and jacket on the ride so gave him my jacket to wear, we were all like ice blocks when we arrived and very happy when the sun came out.
Oh, my heavens!!!! The waterfall is incredible, breathtaking, magical – one of the prettiest places I have ever been – the reason I came to Laos is this waterfall, I fell in love with photos on Instagram. The curved stepped pools are different shades – azure, turquoise, cobalt blues then jade, mint and emerald greens depending on the sunlight and the depth of the pools. Limestone makes the bottom white and brings out the colour of the water. The main waterfall, even in the dry season, is full and powerful fed by a natural ice cold spring. A long walk up to the top, some of the way on wooden steps with water flowing over them (no I didn’t fall…) to walk along planks over the top of falls. I must say I am certainly getting fit on this trip!
On the way down, we were now very hot and sweaty, so braved the COLD water and went for a very refreshing swim and a shower under one of the little waterfalls. I’m so glad, I got to experience this magical place. The ride back to town was a lot warmer!
The Monks Alms is not as touristy as Myanmar. A longer route, more monks and more people giving donations, it wasn’t as uncomfortable to watch. I still only stayed a few minutes and decided to walk down to the river. Along the way, I found a quiet street where the monks walk back along and receive donations from the locals and a scattering of tourists, this was a lot nicer. I was amazed at the huge bags of stuff they had. As they go along they give from their offerings to needy people along the route.
A disturbing visit to UXO (Unexploded Ordnance Museum). In a lot of countries in this area, a visit to museums and reading up on the history reveals heartache and atrocities of the past wars. What I found disturbing here, is the people of Laos are still living with the war every day. Laos has the unenviable title of being the most heavily bombed country in the world (240 million bombies alone). Tens of millions of unexploded bombs still lie throughout this beautiful country. UXO Lao is clearing the land and educating people what to do if they find one, but with the amount still to be found it is a slow dangerous exercise and explosions happened regularly in the rural areas.
I said goodbye to Nick as he headed back to Thailand and I headed to Cambodia. It was great to have an unexpected travel buddy to explore this amazing country with. It is one to put on your list to visit. My friends, that are sports mad, you will love this place lots of challenges await you!
Thanks, Laos you were everything I hoped you would be.
