Laos - Day 7

Luang Prabang - Tat Kuang Si waterfalls

Our last full day in Laos - and we certainly made the most of it - a trip along the Mekong, swimming in waterfalls, seeing tigers and bears and soaking up the sun.

When we were in Vang Vien we kept bumping into an American couple who live in Hanoi. We even ended up on the same mini bus back to Luang Prabang, so we became quite friendly with them.

In the morning they'd sought us out to see if we wanted to do a day boat trip along the Mekong to the Ta Kuang Si waterfalls, about 30km out of Luang Prabang. So we got ready quickly, had some breakfast and then hot footed it to their hotel.

A short walk to the river, we all piled into a little long boat and before we knew it, we were zooming off along the Mekong. So cool!






The trip was just beautiful - and definitely beat the usual tuk tuk people take to the waterfalls. We'd had enough travel by road. And it was a hot sunny day so it was nice to be gliding along the water.

As we came in to dock at our landing point there were groups of kids playing in the water - such a beautiful sight. Smiling to myself as I watched the children playing on some of the boats, swimming and splashing, and sliding down riverside mud slides, I could hear my aunty's voice sounding out "they're so free". That they were.



And there was the most incredible tree overlooking the river as well. A lot of the Laos artwork being sold in the markets is of the tree of life, and this tree certainly looked like the inspiration for the paintings.



The boat owner took us up to the nearby village and we all piled into a ute for a 10-minute ride to the waterfalls. It was awesome sitting in the back of the ute, and each of us told stories of our own ute memories. Mine was of me and my brother in Laverton (Western Australia) cruising out on the bush tracks, standing up in the back of the ute, holiding on tight, smiling to our hearts delight with the wind in our hair.



Rather than following along the bitchumen road, we made our way through the jungle tracks to the waterfalls. On the way there we passed a bear and tiger sanctuary. The bears were all in the inside cagers as the keepers were clearing out their main area and preparing their food, and I found a place to peer right into their area - it was awesome being so close to the bears and watching them. A couple came right up to me and hung out there for a while, staring at me through the bars and then wandering back to look

Eventually they were let out of the cages so we all watched them play, climb, tumble and eat. I got talking to one of the keepers and decided I might write a story on the sanctuary and chatted to him for a while and took some photos. He asked me if I'd seen the tiger yet, which I hadn't, so he offered to take me there.




Emma and Lauren had already walked up to see the tiger, so they said they'd meet us at the waterfalls. So Kathryn and I followed the keeper up to the enclosure. He then walked over to the main building, unlocked the door and invited us in. We were going to get up close and personal with the tiger! Brilliant.

The cage that opened into the enclosure was in the main building, so there were were standing next to Phet the tiger. He got out some meat and fed her and then got her to sit down, at which point Kathryn and I both sat there patting her through the bars. It was the most exhilarating feeling. And she loved it. She was truly like a big domestic cat, and her eyes reflected that. They were not menacing or scary at all.







Phet was found by the Lao authorities when she was just 5 months old. She and two other male cubs were seized from a poacher who was trying to sell them off to a Chinese buyer on the Laos-Chinese border. Apparently both the male cubs died due to stress, they'd been bought and sold six times before the authorities intercepted, but Phet survived.

So from a young age she'd had people as her family. And you could tell from how relaxed she was with us. She wasn't stressed, aggressive or worried at all - a totally chilled out tiger.

We just couldn't believe our luck. We hung out there for a while, talking to her and watching her. She was so relaxed - and while she could have walked back outside, she decided to sit nearby at the opening of the cage and look out, then look back at us now and then. So Kathryn and I left the enclosure walking on air.

Walking through the jungle towards the water, we were greeted by the most stunning array of different pools and waterfall areas. Although desperate to plunge into the pools of cool water, we kept walking up trying to see the girls and Mischa and Monica.

We got the the main waterfall but couldn't see them anywhere. But what a beautiful place!







We figured they must have walked up the side of the waterfall to the top, so we spent the next 20 minutes walking up one side of the waterfall, where tree roots acted as little steps. It was a hot climb, but we were rewarded by the most stunning view, and we cooled our feet in the water as we made our way across to the other side.




Still no one we knew in sight, we decided to head back down again - and who did we see on our descent but the amazing Sensei. To which we all shyly said hello. :)

We spotted the girls and we all jumped in the water. It was so refreshing. Then along came Mischa and Monica, so we all spent time around the waterfall, soaking up the rays and the beautiful surrounds.




Mischa and I wandered about the area taking photos, and on the way back to where everyone was sitting, Mischa spied a trail of ants. Never before had I seen the beginning of a train - we watched them march with purpose across some rocks to the water.



Before we knew it, it was time to make our way back to the ute, having a couple of more swims on the way.





Stopping off for some fresh juice and a bread roll, before we knew it we were zooming back through the mountains to the boat. But not before some more monk sightings :)




There were a couple of novice monks swimming in the water near our boat, so I took some photos and offered them half my bread roll food in return. They were so excited and after many head bowing thank-yous promptly leapt back into the water with sandwich in hand.




The ride back saw more monks, a big group in a boat, as well as views of water buffalo, and fishers. The river itself had the most amazing whirlpools everywhere, and it was quite fascinating to see the way the man would tell the young boy to move this way and that as they navigated the river.









Despite being ravenous, we spent the evening back in the night markets before devouring another delicious Laotian meal.

Pretty tired from such a big day, Emma and Laura decided to have a couple of quiet coldies on our balcony back at the guesthouse, but Kathryn and I decided to sample the night life once more. It was quite late by this stage, so we found ourselves a tuk tuk and got him to take us straight to the only place open after 11pm, the bowling alley.

As we walked up the stairs we were like "oh my gosh, maybe we're even going to have to bowl. But we found ourselves at a table alongside the alleys and before we knew it a couple of guys came up and asked if they could sit with us.

One was an older lawyer from the UK, who announced to us very quickly he was gay. His mate was a gorgeous Vietnamese born in Laos, who had the most amazing background (educated in Australia, Canada and the US) and lived all over Asia. We all got along like a house on fire.

It was a very funny night. The two guys looked after us and we must have looked like we were all having a lot of fun because others came and joined us including three from Korea, an American who'd been working in Korea and a Canadian.

Travelling is such an amazing experience. You meet so many incredible people who have done some wonderful things in their lives. It's just great to swap stories, chat and even be a little silly.

I feel so blessed to be finally doing what I have wanted to for so long - get out there, see the world, meet many different people and experience... and most of all, enjoy the ride.