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As soon as we stepped off the bus in Luang Prabang, we knew that we were going to like this part of Northern Laos. The town has beautiful french colonial buildings and with two rivers streaming alongside the centre, it is very picturesque to go for a stroll along the river banks. There are a lot of pagodas in Luang Prabang and our favorite was Wat Thong which was very distinct from other temples that we have seen as it had mirror art on all sides of the building, which decipher local worship and a stunning reflective structure of an elephant. Saffron fills the streets as monks wandered through the town to collect alms and move from temple to temple. Like most of Laos, Luang Prabang has a laidback feel to it so we cycled along the river and through the narrow roads stopping for snacks and coffee far too many times.
At night, the old quarter is closed to traffic as there is a Hmong market. The Hmong are a tribal minority group in Laos so we enjoyed shopping for handmade souvenirs underneath the lanterns lighting up the stalls. Further north of Luang Prabang is the infamous 'Golden Triangle'
, which in the past was the centre of Opium production and trade so we found that there was lots of opium pots on sale that people used to use to smoke hash. We got one to take home and burn incense (honest!).
We went to Tat Kuang Si, which is a waterfall that cascades over into levels of limestone menthol pools. Instead of being sane and relaxing by the pools, we decided to walk up to the top of the waterfall, in flip flops. It was tricky but we were rewarded with stunning views and the strangely tranquil pools that drip down the cliff face. We wandered back down and enjoyed having a swim in the cool pools while Adam recreated Vang Vieng with a couple of high swings. As we walked back through the park, we passed by the Sun Bears enclosure. Rescued from poachers and loss of habitat, the Sun Bears are really cute and we caught a couple lazing away the afternoon in their giant hammocks. We also made a stop at Pak Ou Caves, which are crammed with every type of buddha image you can imagine. It was fairly interesting but the view from
the top made it worth the journey.
As a joint early birthday treat, we decided to spend a day at an Elephant Camp. Luckily we were the only ones on the tour so had the camp to ourselves. During the trek, our elephant had a rebellious moment and decided to ignore the trainers and make a new pathway through brambles. Afterwards, we had an early lunch and spent time feeding the elephants bananas and watermelon. The trunk is really strong and so when you place food on to it, the elephant grips it from you. It was amazing to be so close to these magnificent creatures and we found that we could spend hours just admiring them and stroking them. Soon it was time to learn how to ride an elephant properly. We went through the basic steps of Mahout Training, finding out key words to make the elephant go forward, backwards, stop, turn left and right, drink water and 'shower' (squirt water over itself to cool down). At first, it was a bit scary riding on the elephant bareback but once you relax, it feels very safe. We learnt how to climb up on an elephant safely and
how to use your body as well as words to command the directions. It was thrilling when the elephant responded to you and soon we got the hang of it. Afterwards, it was the highlight of our trip to the elephant camp. We walked the elephant down to the Mekong River where we bathed with it. It was really funny as the elephant kept 'showering' herself but getting us wet in the process. We swam around her and splashed water on bits the elephant had missed to cool her down. It was magical to be swimming up close to the gentle giant and just to lay your head on her to feel her breathing. As the sun begun to set behind us, it was time to say goodbye but not without a backward look as it was an experience that we will never forget.
We knew we had to get a move on to North Thailand as our flight to Burma was fast approaching. It was a lovely way to finish our time in Laos, a country which really surprised us with the warm of the local people and unspoilt natural beauty. It is a place that we know
we will be coming back to again as we run out of time to do a trek but heard it was gorgeous in the North.
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