The 40mile cycle in search of a stunning waterfall...was it worth it?

Asia » Laos » West » Luang Prabang
July 24th 2015

Published: October 8th 2015

Luang Prabang: A town that almost all travellers in Laos pass through, sometimes the only place in Laos some travellers on a 3/4 week South East Asia tour visit. Attracted by the Mekong riverside location, the abundance of golden glittering temples, the saffron cladded monks that causally roam the streets and the many activities on offer here; Luang Prabang is generally a place in South East Asia ... Read Full Entry

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CrispyLife

mikesrtw

Hi we're Chris and P. We have quit our jobs and sold our house to follow our dream of travelling around the world for 12 months!!! Let’s jump back about 2 years - We're driving to P's friend’s house for an evening meal when she turns and says "I've been thinking..." And what a thought that was indeed. That thought turned into buying a dilapidated property and spending a total of 2 years 'doing it up' ourselves coupled with a new job and a wedding thrown into the mix for good measure. We even questioned ourselves at times on whether travelling would actually become a reality or be j... full info

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8th October 2015

denidax
Deni, Dax and Ella

I love this photo
Very nice picture, I like the colours and the peace it transmits; it's one of those worth printing.

9th October 2015

mikesrtw
CrispyLife

Young monk photo
Thank you! Its one of our favourites too. We will certainly print this one?.

8th October 2015

nancic123
Nanci and David Curry

The Big Question...
Was it worth it? We ask ourselves this question almost every time we take a long bus journey or carry our bags instead of paying for help. The answer is usually yes, I think. It's because you remember the experience later more vividly than if you just take the easy way. However sometimes sitting back and letting someone else do all the work feels sooooo wonderful! You brought back nice memories of our time in Luang Prabang. We skipped both the falls and the elephant experiences that most people were doing while we were there. We did take a boat across the river to a small town with no tourists. Two small boys became our tour guides and took us up to an ancient Wat that doesn't get visited often by tourists. It was a long way on muddy roads, but we still remember it as if it was just yesterday. An example of the effort is usually worth it. Thanks for taking us along on your adventures!

9th October 2015

mikesrtw
CrispyLife

The Big Question
Thank you for following. Its great that our blog brought back memories for you. Wow so you took a small boat trip. We considered such a trip but never followed it up. Sounds like you had a wonderful adventure. Memories that will last a lifetime ☺

8th October 2015

taracloud
Tara Cloud

Perfection, but....
Gorgeous waterfalls, that most amazing veggie buffet--how to choose?, and photogenic novice monks--the place sounds fantastic. However, in this very Buddhist country, it's interesting that they offer elephant rides, which I've read aren't much fun for the elephants, have bears in cages and bludgeon a fish to death rather than going for a less painful throat slit. Also bizarre that the monks were forced to do the alms ceremony for tourists. I guess no place is perfect, but this does sound pretty great! Congrats on the bike ride, you intrepid adventurers!

9th October 2015

mikesrtw
CrispyLife

Perfection but...
You summed up our experience really well. Overall we enjoyed our stay. We on one hand thought it had integrated tourism well but there was more than met the eye. The monk culture was no longer what it started out to be, now enforced and leading to the adults monks passing on their duties to the younger monks in training. It is very upsetting when you think of the devastating effects that tourism has. Yes we heard good things about the elephant camps and wanted to take part in the bathing and feeding (something that we later did in India) as opposed to the riding. The problem is so many people love elephants, as afterall they are amazing creatures. What they do not know about is the cruelty and suffering each one goes through to successfully be able to offer a ride and the continual pain they experience as the wooden benches used on them eventually break the elephants back. Something I only recently learned myself which led me to raise questions about the moral foundation these camps say they have. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this! ?

9th October 2015

RENanDREW
Ren & Andrew

Elusive Laos...
We seriously need to get ourselves over to Laos soon. Thanks for sharing your travels with us in such detail, I really do feel like I'm there with you. Love your non-intrusive monk photos :)

9th October 2015

RENanDREW
Ren & Andrew

Chucked it!
Almost looks like P has had enough and chucked her bike down and stormed off in a huff! ;)

9th October 2015

mikesrtw
CrispyLife

Chucked it.
Lol. I think by this point I did have enough. It was near the end of the bike ride. Stopped here for some views and a rest whilst waiting for Chris to finish pacing the uphill climb. We really enjoyed Laos even though I would say we did't really explore it to its full potential. By this point we were ready to move on. No thank you. I think it's great that your passion for travel takes you on a journey with us across the world ?

11th October 2015

D MJ Binkley
Dave and Merry Jo Binkley

Monks
Great collection.

11th October 2015

mikesrtw
CrispyLife

Monks
Thank you. There were too many photos we liked to just choose one and putting them together surprisingly worked well. ?

12th October 2015

AnnaW travels
Anna Warzala

40 mile cycle...
Wow! You never cease to amaze me with your ambitious adventures! I do remember the tuk-tuk drive to the falls but what I remember even more was how our good old tuk-tuk struggled up these hills! It did cross our minds to cycle to the falls at first also, but taking into account the 100% humidity and random showers throughout our stay there, we chose the easier option in the end... Really impressed guys! What an achievement! Definitely something to remember for years to come... Love the shots of the monks! :)

13th October 2015

mikesrtw
CrispyLife

cycle
Yes, one will will always remember. Can't believe you too remember those hills, they were super steep at times weren't they. I take my hat off to people who cycle across the world. Thats incredible.

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The 40mile cycle in search of a stunning waterfall...was it worth it?

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