Luang Prabang is still fresh in my mind even if it has been almost two months now since we went there. When I reminisce about our trip, what comes to mind other than its beautiful Buddhist temples is the dramatic sunset view of the Mekong River. We stayed in Luang Prabang for four days at the Thongbay Guesthouse.
During the day, we would borrow their bicycles to cycle around the city, and before sunset we would hop on their shuttle service to the city center where D and I would look for a spot to watch the sunset. The captivating view of the sunset at Mekong River never gets old. And as we were on vacation, it wouldn’t be complete without a glass of Lao Beer on hand.
After sunset, D and I would stroll through the night market. I liked how the vendors did not do any hard selling, and the atmosphere in the market calm and respectful. The items were mostly repetitive, however we were able to get ourselves some cool souvenirs like handmade notebooks and postcards, shirts, a painting and keychains made from aluminum bomb casings.
D and I visited two museums in Luang Prabang. The first one was the Traditional Arts and Ethnology Centre. This small museum gave us a good introduction to Laos’ people, culture, crafts, clothing, instruments and music. It has a souvenir shop and a cafe, and I read they also provide workshops at a schedule.
The second museum we went to was the UXO Lao Visitor Center. I learned that Laos was heavily bombed between 1964-1973. Our visit here gave awareness about the UXO challenge and efforts to date.
What I think was the best memory from that trip was our daytour to Kuang Si Waterfall. I learned about the waterfalls in Laos from folks I met at a hostel in Cairns in 2011. I asked them what they liked best from their backpacking tour and unanimously they raved about Laos and its waterfalls. So for years while I pined about going to Laos, I listed this as a must do when we get the chance to go. It was the manager of the hotel we stayed at who recommended we go to the Kuang Si Waterfall. He helped us get a tuktuk so that D and I could hopefully get there early before the big groups arrive. Our tuktuk driver picked us up at nine o’clock and we drove for about forty minutes onto the falls. I enjoyed looking at the lush green forests and mountains, and some carabaos that caused a bit of ‘traffic’ for us along the way.
Before getting to the falls we passed through a small town with food stalls and souvenir shops near the entrance. There was also a bear sanctuary a few hundred meters from the falls, the Tat Kuang Si Bear Rescue Center. We saw a few bears lazing around and a couple playing by a pond.
We walked under a canopy of trees, and because it was December the temperature at the time was cooler. I got excited as soon as I had a glimpse of the blue waters. It looked so clear and enticing! The view kept getting better and better as we neared the highest peak of the falls – the grand finale, I’d say. As soon as I saw it, I was just mesmerized and speechless.
Writing this I wish I have a time machine to bring me back to Luang Prabang. I hope we can go there again in the future.
Living Free and Making a Difference 