In the evenings, part of this main street is blocked off and full of locals selling goods for us tourists. There were elephant pants, brightly colored embroidered pieces, jewelry, items made from old bombs, wooden bowls and all sorts of treasures looking for tourists to take them home. Jessica and I must be incredibly lucky people because each time we looked to purchase something, they offered us a cheaper price saying, "lucky number customer." We'll be buying lottery tickets soon. I'm certain they didn't say this to everybody, right?
We decided to go out of the city to the waterfalls for part of the day and opted to go early on our own, not in a tour, to avoid some of the crowds and it was a grand decision. Our photographs of the cascading waterfalls barely have anyone in them! The falls ran over rocks and pooled into sea-green collections before spilling over to the next one.
The tallest waterfall of all could have rivaled a business building with white water rushing down. Of course we chose the path that led up to the top of the waterfall, not wanting to miss anything, especially not a view! While the view of the surrounding area was lovely, standing right on top of the falls did not actually allow for views of the falls themselves. Thankfully, we found a way down that included more wooden steps as opposed to the muddy rocky climb on the other side.
The pools collected water and eager swimmers that had arrived by the time we came back to level ground, but we, too joined in on the chilly swim. The water was cool, refreshing, clean and full of hungry little fish. It was almost like our fish spa experience in Chiang Mai, but these hungry guys were larger and had a harder bite. One of them even seems to have left a bit of a mark! Nevertheless, swimming in waterfall pools was a treat!
The park also hosts an Asian bear sanctuary. Like the elephants we saw a few weeks ago, these bears were rescued from poachers and street performers, but as such could not be released into the wild. Instead, they are given a place, free from the threat of poachers, to live out their days. The young ones enjoyed playing with the large rubber balls and the older ones enjoyed lounging in the hammocks.
As we had enjoyed our Thai massages so much, we decided we should give equal opportunities to Laos massages, and while we are at it, why not a pedicure? A luxury, sure. Nothing we needed, but when you are 33 and you're traveling and an hour and a half in a spa, plus a tip is only $15, well, you take advantage of that.
One thing I wanted to do in Asia was to take a yoga class. At home, each Wednesday morning, a small group of teachers meet in the gym for yoga with Mollie, our cheerful, thoughtful and caring yoga instructor. It's a highlight of my week, and I wanted to try that in a part of the world closer to its origin. A funky bar a few minutes walk from our hotel, Utopia, also hosts yoga in the mornings. We sat on purple yoga mats overlooking the tributary as our instructor led us through a challenging, invigorating class, all in English. She did a beautiful job of helping newcomers to the practice as well as reminding us to listen to our bodies and only go as far as our bodies would allow us. I had never had the desire to do hot yoga before, but as the class was outdoors, in the humidity, I feel quite confident I experienced one today. The sweat dripped from my forehead and ran down my back, but I was still very thankful for the opportunity.
We strolled through the morning market, a place for locals rather than tourists, a place where locals buy their fruits, vegetables, fish and meats.
The walk to the end of the "peninsula" was an easy walk. Boat rides were offered, quiet restaurants hang over the side of the river, and exotic trees created a pleasant covering.
The old Palace in the center of town is now a museum, and we wandered barefoot through the palace, admiring the gold leaf furniture, murals painted on the walls, and acknowledging stark differences between this and other palaces we've visited. We climbed the hill at the center of the old town that had great views of the surrounding city, mountains beyond, and the Mekong below.
One program I had read about before arriving was Big Brother Mouse, and I should have done more research ahead of time, as I would have loved to participate. The program's goal is to get Laos children reading. They publish books, visit villages to deliver books and offer opportunities for locals to learn English. During certain hours of the day, the "school" is open for travelers to stop in and visit with local children, just to help them learn and practice the language. Travelers can also go visit hill tribes with the organization and deliver books. Although we were unable to do either of the above because of timing, we were able to visit the facility where children built trains of Jenga blocks, laughing together and books were available for purchase as well as a box for donations.
Our food in Luang Prabang was quite tasty. Breakfast came, complete with croissants, and as breads have not been all that common in our travels so far, they were quite the treat! Pastries, fruit shakes, and a banana-peanut butter-chocolate shake provided many of our day time meals. Laos, Thai and French fusion foods made for great dinners. The spring rolls made with a zesty sausage and the French bread accompanied by green pepper humus were some favorites.
We've enjoyed this little town, this quiet city that seems practically empty during the day, but somehow lights up at night. It's been a great way to enjoy Laos as well as relax a bit.
No comments:
Post a Comment