Color Ways

Luang Prabang is famous for the morning monk processional that starts at 5:45 AM daily.  The local people (and many tourists) sit on the sidewalk (heads must be lower than the monks heads, no eye contact, no talking) and place balls of sticky rice in the monk!s bowls as they pass by.  Monks rely completely on food provided by the community.  They do not prepare food for themselves and they only eat breakfast and lunch.

Becoming a novice is the way many poor boys get an education.  They may be novices for a few months to many years.  It is not compulsory and they may leave anytime.  However, it conveys great honor to their families and for many it is the only avenue for an education.

Luang Prabang is unusual as there are hundreds of monks in residence in the many wats.  The growth of tourism means that many visitors tread thoughtlessly on this important rite.  Chinese tourists seem to be the worst, putting their flash cameras right up to the monks and chattering loudly.  There is advice in every hotel and many restaurants about how to act, but some people just don't seem to care.

Our big outing is to the Kuang Si waterfalls.  We take a group mini bus and have a terrifying driver.  It seems sure he will run some poor mini bike into a ditch.  Locals say that in Laos there are no rules of the road.

The waterfall park also houses a Bear Rescue project run by an Austrailian group.  They are rescuing bears from terrible exploitation,such as "bile farms."  Bear bile is a favored "medicine" purported to cure all kinds of ailments.  How it is secured is harrowing.

Bears are kept in cages like this for as long as ten years.  The bile s painfully extracted from their gallbladder by syringe.  When they get too old or frail they are killed.  The bear rescue buys bears or finds them. The rescue facility is large, clean, and the bears seem content.  Moon bears are native to Laos.  They have lots of swings, toys and hammocks to rest in.  We don't see any pacing in their large enclosures, as we sometimes do at zoos.

Like shark fins and elephant tusks, bear bile has a sicko market.

Up a forested trail we come to the pristine aqua blue pools fed by a series of waterfalls.  We have seen such unusual waters in Germany and Costa Rica, too.

The water color is just amazing.  People are jumping in, but bikinis are frowned upon.  Laos is a conservative country.  Did I mention earlier that there is an 11 pm curfew in LP?

The water really is that gorgeous color. And clear!

We hike all the way to the top of the largest fall, which is a steep climb.  It is lush up there, and though we hear the roar of the falls, there is no good view point from up above unless one is to go dangerously close to the edge.  No thanks!

So we find a shady table to continue our card game for a bit.  This park is just an oasis of beauty.

After looping back to the pools below we have worked up enough sweat to enjoy a dip.  The water is chilly, but refreshing, once we get over that first reaction.  When the weather heats up to over 100 degrees, these waterfall pools must be the best place to be in Laos.

Dinner plans tonight are for Dyan Sabye restaurant across the river.  We pay our few kip to cross and our nice ticket lady snaps our picture.  When we return after dark, the bridge will be strung with little white lights.  These bridges are temporary.  They have to be taken down once the rainy season gets going.

Another lovely day in Laos.