Sackarinh G-house, Luang Prabang, Day 4

Early start today, and it seems we stopped drinking at the right time as we both feel fresh and ready for the day ahead. The minibus picks us up at nine, and Amy manages to fit in an omlette and rice before we go. I opt for a free banana from the hotel, and live to regret it when it is a while until we eat again.
The bus pulls up only slightly late (which is practically early out here) and we are of course the last ones to board, meaning we are shuffled to the uncomfortable and stomach churning back seats. We have now realised being at the back of a mini bus means you get swung around and bumped about a lot more then the front, and with the way they drive and the state of the roads out here, that is rather dangerous.
The drive to Kuang Si takes around an hour, and despite Amy feeling slightly ill, we make it without giving the people in front of us a nasty surprise. The views on the way are great as expected when you climb uphill out here, but we are glad when we climb out.
The waterfalls are at the end of a short trek through the jungle, and the first stop after we are ushered in by the driver, is a small bear sanctuary. Poorly and endangered bears (of the moon and sun species) are housed in a giant pen, and looked after by the workers. It is great to watch them as they doze the day away in the tyres or beds that are put out for them, or playfully wrestle and fight with each other. Apart from the biggest spider I have ever seen casually chilling on a web near to the viewing platform (it is a bright yellow colour that looks very nasty) it is a very enjoyable half an hour.
We didn't come here to see bears though, and as we walk further into the park that houses the water, we soon see the main event. The blue lagoons in Vang Vieng weren't the most inspiring things, but the ones here really make up for it. A short read of some of the informative signs tells me that the water is so blue due to the limestone that runs off the rocks and into the water reflects off the sun (I think). Whatever it is, the end result is a turquoise blue substance that doesn't look real at first glance.
The smaller waterfalls that flow into some of the lagoons that are occupied by a few brave souls who have fought off the chilly morning air and jumped in are very cool, and the way they form ridges in the water that makes it look like individual pools is great. We carry on walking, spending a few minutes at each stop and debating whether to jump in or not.
When we reach the end point (or so we think) we encounter the big boy that we all came to see. It is a huge waterfall and is probably the best we have seen in the whole trip. With the massive flow of water coming through it and the bright blue pool at the bottom, it is an amazing sight.
We notice signs pointing to the side of the water and follow them onto a trail that leads up the side of the falls and over the top of it. We were hoping for a view from above of the falls, but unfortunately trees block the view. We do get some great views of the surrounding countryside though, and a few more lagoons to look at. We meet an English woman who we chat to for a bit, before heading down the very slippy slope back to the fall. We have some time left before our bus leaves, so we casually stroll towards the car park, spending some more time with bears and lagoons, before it is one o clock, and we are left wondering where the past three hours have gone!
The drive back doesn't seem as bad as the way out, and we eventually get to have dinner.
When we get back into the hotel we decide to rest for a while, before heading back out to walk around the night market, that we haven't explored fully yet, mostly due to my hatred of them. Its not that I don't like what they sell, it is that they are always so busy and stressful that I would rather pay more in a shop. The thought of the food at the end gets me through it though, and we have a fried vegetable and cashew nut dish that is awesome!
We head back through the market and take a look at the other side, before getting back to the room and relaxing after another long but very good day in Luang Prabang. As time flew at the waterfall, we can't believe we only have one day left here, after booking five nights. The time has flown by! Czytaj więcej