Every morning at dawn about 200 monks take a walk around town and partake in an alms giving ceremony. This involves residents of Luang Prabang lining the streets and offering sticky rice and the monks walking around in groups of about 10 to 15 each carrying a large bowl into which is placed the rice offering.
We weren’t sure how to go about watching this but we literally just had to walk into the centre of the town and hang about and the monks would suddenly appear walking at quite a brisk pace and we would hug the walls trying to respect the reverence of the occasion while also trying to take some sneaky photos. We were told that while it was fine to watch tourists were not supposed to participate in the ceremony and it was quite cool to see the naturalness of the occasion.
It was all over almost as quickly as it began and we headed back to our guesthouse to have breakfast and rent a scooter. It really is the best way of seeing everything in these parts. We had noticed lots and lots of tours being offered as we walked around and we noticed that they all went to visit a cave in the morning and then spent the afternoon visiting some waterfalls. It seemed pretty obvious to us that the way to avoid the crowds was simply to do it the opposite way around.
30 km of scootering through beautiful countryside found us arriving at a more or less deserted Tat Kuang Si waterfalls. These falls cascade over many small limestone terraces and the first thing you couldn’t help but notice was the brilliant chalky turquoise colour of the water. We hiked up the side of the many falls soaking in the views as we went until we arrived at the huge falls at the top which were spectacular. As we descended back we picked one of the natural pools to relax in and have a cooling swim. We pretty much had the place to ourselves, it was just fantastic.
While the journey back was through some beautiful scenery the comfort level of two people on a small scooter meant that our bums were pretty sore so we took a break to go for a quick hike to see the grave of Henri Mohout who was the man who first discovered Angkor Wat and died of malaria while continuing his explorations through this area. I wouldn’t say it was the most spectacular of sights but was set in a jungle and it felt fitting to see it in the context of our trip. Plus we both needed a break from sitting on the scooter as we had another 60 km of driving to do in the afternoon.
The quest for the afternoon was to head north towards the Pam Ou Caves which involves riding about 30 km north before catching a boat across the Mekong. It all started in a pretty straightforward manner but then about 7km short of our destination the road deteriorated dramatically. It was very bumpy and we were avoiding potholes galore. Just as we got close the end the road turned into a complete quagmire and Sarah had to set off to try and find a route for me to be able to get the scooter through. Four sets of muddy feet and a very muddy scooter later and we had arrived. We were a little concerned that we had signed something to say we wouldn’t take the scooters off road so had a quick check, but no we were well within our rights taking them off roading. Although it has to be said that visions as to what constitutes a road might differ largely from a Laotian view!
After a quick walk through a village we approached the banks of the Mekong where a man got up from his siesta to lead us into a boat and take us across the river. The scenery was just spectacular and the man fought the strong current with amazing skill and we pulled up against a makeshift pontoon and climbed up into the caves.
The Pam Ou Caves are famous because they are filled with lots of small statues of Buddha which have been donated by devout followers. We have to admit we were a little underwhelmed by the caves themselves but we smiled as it was certainly the journey not the destination which we will remember on this day.
We jumped back on the bike and this time Sarah decided to attempt a “better” route through the mud field. Unfortunately this left me bogged completely and had to call out to get Sarah back to help push me out. By this stage we had mud everywhere and the bike looked as though it had been on a serious adventure!!! Still we got home without any upsets and while our love of scooters is still strong I don’t think we will be doing any long trips, even just 120km with breaks was enough.
We felt we deserved a drink at this point so found a bar where we could enjoy a cold drink and watch the world go by. For dinner we headed back to the night market where we had some delicious Mekong fish barbecued on a stick and some succulent pork all cooked over coals.
Could the day get any better? Yes we passed a place offering massages for $10 so finished our day off perfectly!
We will certainly miss Luang Prabang the vibe of the place was just so laid back. There is so much to see and the locals are so welcoming and friendly that the place will always have fond spot in our heart. T
The monks of Luand Prabang being given their daily food.
The Tat Kuang Si waterfalls. The cascades continued down for about 500m.
The main waterfall at the top.
Spectacular to be able to enjoy all this with almost no one else around.
The water was pretty cold but so refreshing!
Such a strange colour to the water and quite disconcerting not being able to see where your feet are.
The countryside in Laos is just breathtaking.
Making excuses to stop to stretch the legs and we come across this temple with great views over Luang Prabang.
We presume his grave is here as it is literally the point where he died of malaria. Plenty of mosquitoes about!
Waiting on the banks of the Mekong for our crossing.
The Pam Ou Caves set dead ahead.
Some of the multitude of statues in the caves. We were probably more interested in the beauty of the surrounding countryside.
The view back to the village where we caught the boat. From this direction the water looks blue!
Sarah finding routes along the road.
Dinner time at the markets in Luang Prabang. Delicious!
