Tuesday, December 4, 2007

Kuang Si Waterfall

We started the morning with a late breakfast before we found a tuk tuk to drive us out to Kuang Si waterfall. The falls are about 35km out of town, and the cost to hire a driver for the day is about $15US. The drive to the falls was great - it consisted of an endless series of turns, which turned the 35km drive into an hour ride. While the wind was blowing against my face, I was wishing that I had my motorcycle or at least a motorbike to drive these roads under my own hands. However, Luang Prabang no longer rents motorbikes - something that changed since the last time that I visited the city. James & I must have looked in 8 different travel places/guesthouses to see if we could rent motorbikes.

There were plenty of people at the waterfall, and rightfully so I guess. It is the largest waterfall that I've seen in Laos, and it was well worth a visit. The hills on either side of the waterfall were steep & slick, but it was nice to walk in the water at the top of the falls since the weather was warm. Several streams converged to form the column of waterfall that pounded the rocks below. Our our way back down, the wet clay was treacherous. I slipped & cut my foot, which would be annoying for the next several days.

The park also houses Asian bears & one tiger. The bears & the tiger were all rescued from poachers, and they now live at the park. The bear gall bladder & paws are prized in Chinese medicine, so it was uplifting to see these animals housed in a habitat that was both natural & protected. The tiger was feasting on a goat leg when we walked up to it. The tiger was a bit far away from the fence, and a warning sign had been posted to tourists.

After our visit to the waterfall, I started a new Southeast Asia tradition - daily massages. I have no clue why I didn't seek out a massage earlier - my only excuse is ignorance. My massage was pure bliss - and really cheap. My massage parlor of choice was called Spa Garden - it was located along a quiet lane in the old town of Luang Prabang. I had a Lao body massage two nights, an oil massage another night, and a foot massage another evening. I found that the massage was a good way to break up the day - it was relax me prior to going out to dinner.

As with most of the other nights in L.P., we headed to the night market for dinner.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

hey!
i love reading about your excursions. I went to Thailand, Cambodia, and Laos also back in January of 2007.

I hiked my way to the Kuang Si Waterfall.. and being a city girl and not doing much exercise, it was amazing to climb across the waterfall and climb down it. it was darn steep too!

hopefully I can go back to Laos before it truly turns to Chiang Mai.. I always preferred Laos over Thailand due to the lack of commercialization.. but all in good time, it'll soon end eh?

Jeremy said...

As George Harrison once said, 'all things must pass'. Laos will forever retain the smiles & hospitality of its people, it will just loose the feeling that makes it completely different from home...

I'm looking for the next Laos, so let me know if you find it!