Slow boats, bad bikes and amazing waterfalls

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After a fairly restless night, I was up early and decided to some exercises out the front of the guesthouse with a view of the Mekong winding away from me. The Sun slowly crept up above the hills and a cool morning soon began to warm up. After a light breakfast we packed up and headed back down to the pier to catch the boat which we were told would be at 8:30. The day before, 2 boats had brought us all down from the border but now the boatmen seemed
to think that we would be able to cram everyone onto 1. Fortunately we were one of the first on as other people had been told the boat left at 10. We managed to get seats near the back again but this time there was much less leg room. People kept on coming on with their hugebackpacks and the boat began to list to starboard quite badly. The seats ran out and people were sitting up in the bowsnear the driver.....still they kept coming, bags piled high
in every nook and cranny. Eventually, ater about an hour, sense prevailed and the boatmen decided they would have to lay on a second vessle. Lots of passengers moved over and then I noticed that they had started throwing backpacks across the gap at the back of the boats, which was about 8 feet across. It wasnt long before one of the locals dropped someone's sleeping bag bag into the Mekong and it began floating off. Fortunately they managed to grab it but I'm sure the owner would have been none too happy to find their sleeping bag soaking wet and smelling of river water when they picked it up at the end of the day.

Eventually at around 10 we got going and pulled back out into the river for another long day of drifting downstream and watching the world go by. Because the seat I had was quite cramped and didnt offer much of a view, I spent most of the day sat on the wooden side of the boat, listening to some music and enjoying the scenery, which rarely changed from rolling hills covered in jungle, with the odd towering limestone karst providing some alternative viewing.
The general mood on the boat seemed to have changed from the day before where everyone was excited and taking photos. Now they were mostly asleep or reading, probably having decided that they just wanted to get to Luang Prabang and had had enough of the scenery and the boat. Personally I was quite content, other than the lack of a cushion to sit on the thin wooden side of the boat.

As the day grew on, people got more restless and they was almost a collective sigh of relief as the town of Luang Prabang came into view and we pulled up alongside the pier. I had a fantastic two days and couldn't think of a better way of seeing a country than drifting down its main river. I think to really appreciate it you need plenty of patience, a love of landscapes and a strong bottom for sitting in potentially uncomfortable spots! The hordes filed out onto the pier and Charlotte, the English girl from the border bus and the two German girls headed for a nearby guesthouse, which was going to cost us a mighty 500k kip each per night. The guesthouse, Sokh Dee, was perfectly nice, clean and had a hot shower. As I walked in I got a tap on the shoulder and turned to see Nathan, from Chiang Mai, stood
facing me. He had arrived the day before and had spent the day wondering the town and its temples.

The town of Luang Prabang was clearly an old French colonial town, with mixed architecture and restaraunts serving all kinds of food from across the globe. I soon discovered they do excellent coffee too. Sat at the junction of the Mekong and a smaller tributary, the town is dominated by a temple sat high on a hill in its centre.

We all headed for dinner, which we grabbed in a little alleyway cafe and enjoyed a first cold Beer Lao of the day. After dinner we walked through the town's night market, which was definitely the best I have seen in Asia and would be the kind of place you could fully decorate your house if you wanted to do it in an Asian style. The were fabrics of all colours and styles, lamps, bowls and hundreds of other things. The stall that caught my eye though was the one selling what looked like homemade spirits. This is nothing unusual in itself but the bottles had either a small cobra or a scorpion in them. I have heard of drinks with a bit of a bite but that just seemed over the top! At the end of the market was a cake stall so I treated myself to an enormous slab of chocolate brownie covered in crunchy peanut butter. I can also highly recommend the oreo milkshakes they have on offer.

We headed round to 'bar street' where their are a number of chill out bars with relaxing garden areas, sofas and floor seats. Nathan and CHarlotte headed off after a beer so I went and joined the Dutch girls from the border bus, Ann-Sophie and Cecilie. They were just sampling some Boom Boom Berry cocktails.

We talked about things to do the next day and agreed to rent bicycles and ride the 32km to the Kuang Si waterfalls, as this would be both cheaper and more interesting than getting a tuk tuk. We met at 9:30 in the morning, grabbed some breakfast and found a mountain bike rental place. Amazingly, the girls had never been on mountain bikes as they just cycle on little town bikes in Copenhagen due to the flat land. We paid our 50,000 kip for the day's rental and set out. Once out of town the road quietened and the ride was really enjoyable. Whenever we passed any children they would run alongside us and try and get a high 5 as we rode past, before cheering and running off giggling.

The bike, despite being well used, appeared to be coping ok until we got to the 29km mark where, as I changed gear on a hill, the chain snapped and I was left freewheeling. After 15 minutes trying to fix the link and smash it back in place, I gave up and, covered in bike grease and dirt (the pink vest had taken an absolute hammering), decided to try and run the rest of the way while the girls took my bike. I managed about 1km before I nearly collapsed with exhaustion to the backpack, the heat and most of all, the fact I am well out of shape at the moment!

Fortunately a tuk tuk came past and I managed to ge tthe bike on the roof and he gave me a lift to the park entrance. He agreed he would wait around for me and the girls and take all three of us back to town with our bikes.

By the time we got there, the girls were shattered and I was definitely ready for a swim so we ignored the bear sanctuary and headed straight for the waterfalls. When I saw them I was reminded instantly of the falls at Erawan National Park near Kanchanaburi in Thailand. The water was the same milky blue and there were a large number of tiers working back up the hillside. We found the first swimming spot and I dived straight in, the cold water feeling fantastic after the exertion of the bike ride, the repairs and the run. After a good swim and a go on the rope swing, we carried on up the hills, stopping to take plenty of photos along the way. The highest tier was definitely the most spectacular, with very high falls surrounded by lush jungle canopy. The view was definitely like something out of some kind of lost in time film, it was absolutely stunning. The walkway took us right to the top but unfortunately we couldnt
get in for a swim so had to make do with enjoying the view and taking more photos before we headed back down
to the entrance. Despite the problems with the bike, the falls were well worth any hassle and I would definitely recommend that anyone who visits LLuang Prabang should head out to them.....maybe just get a tuk tuk though!

We made it back to town without incident and I got on the offensive when we got back to the shop, demanding a
refund due to the poor quality equipment. The owner wanted me to pay $100 dollars for a new chain and for someone to fit it. He had my passport....I was worried and needed to keep on the offensive. After a while we agreed that he would return my passport and no money would change hands. Given that it was only £4 for the rental, I was just relieved to have it back without being done for repairs.

After a snooze and a shower, Charlotte and I headed into town to meet Sam, Laura and Anna for a drink and dinner
but first, Anne-Sophie, Cecilie and I had to get our tickets for the minivan to Vang Viang the next morning. This done, I met with the others and had a fantastic meal in one of the many little resaturants in the town. It was sad to leave those guys as they have been excellent travel compannions for the last 5 days. Who knows, maybe one day I can go visit them in Yosemite as it is a place I have always wanted to get to....maybe do a parks and Vegas trip next year!!

After packing my bags up again, I settled down for some sleep, feeling pretty tired after the long day. Luang Prabang is a really nice little town and I would have happily spent much longer staying there and exploring the surroundings but unfortunately time is against me and I need to keep moving. Next up is Vang Vieng. Am excited as I have heard that I might be able to do a 2 day kayak trip all the way from there to Viantiene which is about 180km by road....will let you know whether I manage it!

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Photos

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Morning on the Mekong

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Never mind snakes on planes, now they are in my whisky

Photo 7
35c and cycling, mentalist

Photo 10
Kuang Si waterfalls, impressive!