Luang Prabang Part Two

Disclaimer: I posted two blogs today during "afternoon avoid the heat siesta"see the next blog.Back in Luang Prabang we decided to go out to the famed waterfall. On the hike in there is a Moon Bear sanctuary. These bears are saved from a life of living in a tiny cage and having bile painfully removed from their gallbladders (used for medicinal purposes...which actually is completely worthless!) They now play, swim and rock in huge leather hammocks!

Kouang Si waterfall....so beautiful. What you can't see in this photo is all the people...locals and tourists alike. There is even a rope swing. We marched past all that and hiked to the very top! The falls are huge....multiple levels.

At the VERY top (very much like climbing Multnomah falls, except for rickety wooden steps, slippery mud and steep enough to make you want to crawl) we noticed a pool. We had to climb up a waterfall to get there, but it was worth it. We were able to take a quick dip before sliding our way back down the mountain to get our minibus back to town.

The next morning we went to the Elephant Sanctuary! (Can you see me smiling! I love elephants!) These elephants have been saved from a life in the logging industry. During the night they live up in the jungle...their mahouts (trainers) get them each morning and ride for 2 hours down to the camp. They give "rides" in the morning, then bath in the river and head home.

We hopped onto our elephant "chair" and rode through the jungle and down to the river. These elephants can understand up to 150 words. They express emotions and can even cry.

At the river our mahout traded places with me for the rest of the ride. Took a while for me to get balanced. Whenever she reached down for food (which was often....she reminded me of my sister's horse, Sunny) I would have to brace myself. Above, she is snarfing up water.

Such a great day! We rode for an hour, then went back to the lodge and ate lunch looking out over the river. Tomorrow we leave Laos for Vietnam!

Nong Khiaw

The slow boat brought us to Nong Khiaw...a small village set on the river. We stayed at the "fancy" place...we had a bungalow made with bamboo walls. Only a ceiling fan (no A/C in this town!) and a mosquito net to cover the bed (which blocked the air from the fan!). It was a lot like camping...lot's of bugs and you wake with the sun. You flushed the toilet with a scoop full of water.

View of the town from our lodge. The bridge is quite modern...but the village is simple. Most bathing and washing of clothes is done right under the bridge. There are a few restaurants...we found ourselves frequenting the Indian place....more vegetarian options.

On our walk around town I spotted this little girl. She was very excited to see me, and was yelling "Sabai-dii!" until I brought out the camera. It made her shy....but I love this photo!

In the morning we decided to walk to a local cave. We followed the Lonely Planet directions...walk for 40 minutes..you will see a large limestone cave...go up the trail. Easy. Nope. We walked right past the cave and kept going for over an hour. Mind you...no one walks far in Laos. Way toooo hot. They ride bikes or scooters. They look ut us like we are crazy. The reason we missed the trail? Well...look at the picture above. See a trail? The jungle grows at an amazing rate. To hike you need a machete. Thanks Lonely Planet.

After hacking our way through the jungle (later learning of all the poisonous snakes and scorpions) we found the cave! Phatoke Cave is where the communist guerrillas were hiding during the Indochinese war. It now only holds buddha's.

At our lodge we met Nick...he and his girlfriend moved here 6 months ago from the UK. He is a climbing guide with loads of experience. They are hoping to put Nong Khiaw on the climbing map...the limestone cliffs are incredible. We hiked up a mountain in the fiery sun...I don't think I've ever been so hot in my life...and all this between 8-9am. We finally reached their "platform" and collapsed.

Our first climb was very difficult...I manged to cut a finger on one of my first holds...not a good start to the day. Our second climb was to be on the wall in the picture above. I decided to laze on the platform and chill while they set up.

Note Dean at the very top and center of this photo! You can see an arm and a leg. Crazy high.

I didn't get quite so high...in fact I may be clinging for my life here. I told him to take pictures fast.

A couple moves later I did manage to fall. I kept this one off Facebook...but I'll share it with my blog readers. Just don't laugh. Tooo hard.

After climbing two routes we RACED down the mountain and had minutes to rinse off (filthy!) and grab our packs. Our "minibus" was posted to leave at 2pm, but the ticket man said 1pm. So annoying...so very Laos. They say a time...and it could be hours later. That is exactly what happened. We sat in the sun, dying of heatstroke for about 45 minutes waiting. Dean was seeing spots and I was comatose leaning on a post. We couldn't even eat for hours. Our "air conditioned" mini-bus showed up..loaded our packs..and then drove away. I nearly had a heart attack. Turns out he was going to pick up the chickens they put on the roof in the photo above. Then there was the 9 OTHER people that managed to squeeze into the minivan with us. The windows did not open (except for the front seat) and he did not turn on the A/C. The little boy in the backseat kept throwing up...the kid next to me kept sleeping on my shoulder...we hit a dog (won't go into details...I sat rigid for about an hour after with Dean looking at me in horror)....saw a car crash (the way they drive how have we not seen more?) we nearly missed hitting a young girl laying in the middle of the street (what?)..we were tortured with the Laos version of the band "In Sync" played at full volume...I could keep going...but you get the point. We were happy to be back in Luang Prabang and our beloved A/C....;)

Slow Boat

So...everyone tells you "take the slow boat! It is beautiful...!" So true. What they forget (kind of like after having a baby) is that it is also painful. You sit on a hard wooden chair made for a pre-schooler...for eight hours! See proof above. This wasn't even the boat we were on the entire time...just the one that transported us to it! Our boat was even worse....I sat on a lifejacket that looked like it had sunk to the bottom of the ocean and been trampled on by a herd of horses (ie..covered in slime and flat as a pancake).

Okay...so yes, it is very pretty! We also met a great couple from Switzerland...Bart and Marianne. We chatted away with them, which really helped the time pass.

You would think that a long skinny "slow boat" made out of flimsy wood would do best going down a nice deep easy to navigate river. Oh no! We hit every obstacle possible! Above we grounded as the water was low. All the men (ha ha...not the ladies!) had to get out and push. We later encountered rapids....good times.

Out boat....the driver is at the back of the boat (they siphoned gas in as needed...which was cool considering that it was kept in gas cans...and the dreadlock dudes at the back kept smoking cigarettes) We sat on the teeny tiny little wooden chairs above.

Water buffalo...if I were to be an animal in Laos...this is it. They literally live under water... usually only their noses and horns can be seen. In this hot climate they are in heaven!

We encountered all kinds of people and boats as we cruised along....people fishing with nets (never actually saw them catch anything..but big "A" for effort!). Twice our driver yelled "Pa!" and his son climbed up on to the flimsy roof and ran over our heads (scary) to grab a net and pick up a big dead (floating on the surface and smelly)...fish. Dinner anyone?

As we got closer to Nong Khiaw the jungle grew thicker...and the limestone cliffs grew tall! We saw emerald colored birds, and flocks of butterflies.

Dredging for gold. So here we are....Laos has a poverty level of 40%...passing huts and naked children, when we come upon this. Not just one.....MANY. They are literally digging the river up. In Nong Khiaw we learned that the Vietnamese talked many of the villagers into going in on one of these operations. They had to front a million kip...which is a lot of money. Then the Vietnamese left the country...with their money. Rough.

Little naked village kids. So cute! They yell out "Sabai-dii!" which means "hello!" Our swiss friends gave them big pieces of chalk...they looked at it with awe. They look at us with such big eyes!

Butt has sores on it at this point...but yes, it is pretty! Almost there....

Petroglyphs....red hands and a bull. The crazy thing is that this is on a limestone cliff about 30 feet above the water. Our guess was that at some point, the river level was higher? Either that or the villagers could fly.....! We arrived at Nong Khiaw....not your typical tourist spot...the adventure continues!

Luang Prabang Part One

Luang Prabang wins for favorite city in Laos...which just proves that Dean and I are getting old (since we did not pick the party town- Vang Vieng!) It is set at the confluence of the Nam Khan and the Mekong River. The town is full of color.....tree's full of flowers, the burnt sienna robes of the monks and the gold and scarlet wats. There is a defininite French influence...cafes, bakeries and French provincial architecture. Above is an Inn/restaurant down the street from our guesthouse.

Our first morning we took a long walk. The wats here are incredible...meticulously cared for. The best thing for a young village boy is to become a monk. They are given a good education. School is not provided here....you must pay for it.

We wandered into the fresh produce market....it went for blocks! It is not polite to take photo's without asking...so we couldn't "snap away"...but it was soooo hard not to! We saw all kinds of crazy things....one stand had a "leg and hoof"...I think it once belonged to a cow?

Fish on a stick anyone? We have become vegetarians on this leg of the trip. I have seen way to much meat sitting in the sun with flies buzzing around it. It is never refrigerated...usually it is kept in a glass case....keeping it nice and warm...yummy. The dietitian in me sometimes wants to scream....;)

In the evening we headed up to Phu Si...which is a 100m high hill with a temple at the top. It is at the center of town...and the sunset view is legendary. The climb up is sweat inducing....as it says on the staircase...only 190 more steps to go! This 90+ degree heat is turning us into blobs.

The view from the top, the Nam Khan river side....the hills are gorgeous. Smoke from the burning fields (slash and burn agriculture) can make the valley very hazy....but it also makes for a pretty sunset!

The other side....view of the Mekong River. Lot's of slow boats cruising up and down.

After dinner we wandered through the Handicraft night market. Here you will find silk scarves and wall hangings, silver, bags, bamboo lamps, etc. One of the more peaceful markets in Laos so far. We are leaving Luang Prubang to catch the only "slow boat" to Nong Khiaw...so there will be a Luang Prabang Part two! Much more to explore!

VIP Bus

We took the "VIP" bus to Luang Prabang..later learning we should have taken the "mini-bus". It all started with a 45 minute tour of town in a rickety old HOT bus with windows that barely opened, picking up every backpacker in town. After we had hit every single guest house...we went to the bus station (should have just walked there to begin with) to get on the VIP bus. The picture above does not do it justice. The A/C was turned on maybe twice...the rest of the time the wind whipped through my hair, as we had to keep the window wide open! The seats are a sticky form of "pleather" that your bum soon adheres to. On our ride we picked up various guests....a village women with a baby strapped to her chest, two Laos soldiers with semi-automatic rifles (which bounced off one of the bus seats as they made their way down the aisle and caused wide eyed tourists..!) and a huge bag or rice.

The positive parts of the trip were the magnificent views! We went over the mountains...slowly and painfully...but beautiful.

We passed numerous small villages, fields, rice paddies, water buffalo, herds of wandering cattle (often in front of the bus!)....the bus horn honked CONSTANTLY. It was like no horn you've ever heard before. So much for taking a nap...well...I did...I took Dramamine (for motion sickness) and was in my usual Dramamine-induced coma. I slept like a baby until I hit my head on the metal bar of the window.

The houses are incredibly basic up in the mountains...thatched roofed huts. There was one water pipe in each village, and usually about 5 children getting bathed in it.

Our view as we began our descent into Luang Prubang about 8 hours later. Dark green jungle, scarlet flowers and palm trees. We may stay awhile.....

Vang Vieng

We took a VIP bus (ha ha...) to Vang Vieng which is next to the Nam Song river and surrounded by dramatic limestone cliffs. This is the view from our patio. Our hotel was beautiful..however, the "third worldness" still exists..we had some sewage work going on (smelly), power outages and a bathtub that never drained. Vang Vieng is a double edged sword...beautiful landscapes with outdoor activities...but you also have to factor in the backpacker party scene. Half the restaurants play Friends or Family Guy reruns for the stoned or hungover kids to lay around and watch. The town definitely caters to partying.

Don Khang (aka the Island) which you get to by crossing the most rickety little wooden bridges you've ever seen. The island is covered with bars...Sunset Bar, Lucky Bar, Bucket Bar....We were happy to be staying down river...the music was LOUD.

A photo of one of the rickety bridges taken from the other rickety bridge at sunset.....

Tubing. Almost mandatory in Vang Vieng. You rent an inflated tractor tire tube and eventually float the river for 3.5km back to town. What gets in your way is the multiple bars with free shots, cold beer, buckets of alcohol (literally), and all kinds of "happy" shakes.

The long poles are connected to swings and zip lines...all free as long as you buy a drink. As you float along the locals throw water bottles attached to ropes at you...if you want to go to their bar you drag yourself in. The bars also try and out-do each other with music, it is incredibly loud.

The last bar had the slide...note the big white slide in the center of the picture. Note how it doesn't get all that close to the water. If you took it wrong you ended up with welts all over your back. Luckily Dean and I did some studying. Perfect landings! We timed it right and made it all the way back to town (not at all common for people not to make the 6pm deadline!)

The next day we decided to check out the caves. You could take a tour..but we decided to do it the Lonely Planet way...and go it alone. Our ride above...Dean's ability to ride motorbikes comes into play again!

First stop...the Organic Mulberry Farm. This farm makes mulberry tea/wine/shakes/pancakes.. Yum! They also make their own goat cheese.

We used a basic map to get out to the caves...traveling down bumpy dirt roads to a "toll bridge" that consisted of a few wooden planks strung across a fast river. On the other side we met "Dean" (although I would guess it is spelled differently!) He became our shadow until we realized that he wanted to be our "guide". Fine by us....the trail through the rice paddies were not exactly clearly marked. Here I am trying desperately to keep up with the spry teenager.

As we approached the caves we came to a shelter in which two old men were sitting. They were surrounded by butterflies! We were soon crawling with them. They provided us with flashlights (much better than the tiny maglights we travel with!) We went through three different caves....the first was around 3km long! Lucky for us our non-english speaking guide was able to say a few terms such as "watch head" and "slippery". It was not easy to walk through.

The second cave was a climb up into the jungle. It was filled with incredible stalactites.

The last cave has a river running through it. You get outfitted with a headlamp that is powered by a 12 volt motorcycle battery that you wear hanging around your neck. (Dean loved it) Then you pull yourself along a fixed rope for about 500 meters. It was fun AND refreshing! Next up..Luang Prubang...and a long bus ride to get there!