Loving Life in Luang Probang

After making many friends on our slow boat to Luang Probang, Tommy and I had a feeling that our time spent in this new, exciting town was going to be filled with shared fun and excitement with not only those we met on the boat, but also with Tommy’s business associate, Ryan that just happened to live in Luang Probang. Carrying our bags through town, we knew to head a ways away from the Mekong River, and into town to an interesting street where everything seemed to come to life a bit more with local flavor and excitement. Ryan had made this recommendation and we were sure glad he did, because on our very first day there we ended up getting introduced to the owner of restaurant/bar called Utopia through Ryan and we had a blast getting a local’s tour of all the main sights to see in town.

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The next day we headed out to the Kuang Si waterfall, where on our way up to the waterfall, we stopped at the Sun Bear sanctuary, where a group of activists protected the Sun bear from poachers who would cut off their paws and use them for holistic medicines and charms. The bears were very unique in color with a sort of white V-neck stripe on their chests. Much different than any bear I had seen before, the Sun bear was very agile and able walk across the smallest of branches and swing nimbly from tire swings and cargo nets, set up for their entertainment.

Continuing onto the falls, Tommy and I stopped a number of times to get pictures of the countless amounts of beautiful, smaller falls that ran right along the trail and eventually decided to jump in and cool off at one of the waterfalls to try and beat the humidity of the dry season in Laos.

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Coming up to a view point on a bridge, where most tourists stopped to take pictures of the main falls, Tommy and I were once again determined to scale the monumental waterfall to get a view of the valley and look down at the staggering falls. Finding somewhat of a path, Tommy and I began our ascent up and up, stopping at various shelves along the actual waterfall where water would collect in pools and then continue on falling down towards the main pool at the bottom. Higher and higher we scaled this goliath waterfall, until finally we reached the top where we looked down hundreds and hundreds of feet at the tiny specs of people that we could see pointing up at us. Standing at the edge of this huge waterfall, Tommy and I were able to capture some great images of the valley that the river ran through, and also get an amazing perspective on the waterfall that most weren’t able to experience. Overwhelmed with how beautiful all of our surroundings were, we tried to take it all in and just enjoy the moment there on top of the falls, but knowing that our tuk tuk driver was waiting for us, we began our descent back down to the trail where we had to stop at a popular water hole, where there was a small waterfall and a rope swing with  visitors swinging into the water.

Not able to pass up the fun, Tommy and I stole the show as we began flipping from the trees and off the waterfalls into the water hole. With a crowd gathering, we then saw some friends from our slow boat and began swinging from the rope swing with them, having a ball as we couldn’t pull ourselves from all the fun and excitement. However with the sun beginning to go down, we all made plans to meet up at Utopia that night and went our separate ways.

Having a blast with all of our friends that night at Utopia, Tommy and I began heading back to our guesthouse late that night when Tommy said he had felt a raindrop hit him on the head. Not believing him, because there hadn’t been a drop of rain in over five months here in Luang Probang, I continued on not thinking much of his comment, but then I felt a raindrop as well and I looked at him with bright eyes thinking that we just might catch the first rain of the season here in Luang Probang. Now I know you might be thinking, “big deal, it’s just rain”, but here in Laos, it is a big deal because not only does the rain clear the sky of all of smoke from the farm burn off and forest fires, but it also allows the opportunity for new growth, crops, and life, so as more and more rain continued to fall, Tommy and I began to get more and more excited as other people came outside their houses to witness the first rain of the season.

Before we knew it, we were caught in a torrential downpour and we began running for the bamboo bridge that crossed a smaller river in town. Dancing around, welcoming the rain, Tommy and I were out on the middle of this bamboo bridge, hooting and hollering, welcoming more and more rain as we began to see the sky light up as streaks of lightning would briefly illuminate our drenched surroundings. We then literally saw the river begin to rise with the astonishing amount of water falling from the sky. As we watched the lighting pass right over our heads, the downpour intensified until in finally moved on, carrying the rumbling of thunder as it made its way through the countryside. Standing there in disbelief, amazement and awe at what we had just experienced, we began laughing and high-fiving at what an incredible encounter we just went through. Making our way back to our guesthouse, we exchanged smiles with a few drenched locals in the streets that were also just as enthusiastic at the first rain of the season as Tommy and I were.

The next day we were fortunate enough to go with Ryan to the other side of the Mekong River, which had no bridge connecting it to Luang Probang. This detachment from Luang Probang put this side of the river literally fifty years behind in just about every aspect. None of the roads were paved, there was no electricity, and the only vehicles they had seemed to be motorbikes and makeshift plows that also acted as wagons to slowly transport people small distances.  Livestock, chickens, water buffalo and other animals wandered freely as we passed them on our motorbikes, driving deeper and deeper into the village. People from the villages would come out of their huts at the sounds of our motorbikes and wave to us excitedly, being that they don’t get too many foreigners on this side of the river. It was quite a treat seeing this way of life on this side of the river, and as we loaded our bikes back onto the transporter boat back towards civilization in Luang Probang, I once again found myself sitting in reflection, amazed at such a different way of life these people live. Probably ninety percent of those villagers hadn’t been more than a hundred kilometers away from their village and some might know nothing more than the village they live in.

On our last day, Tommy and I decided to wake up early to catch the monk procession that takes place daily. Monks solely rely on people’s giving to survive and so each morning, they walk around the town to collect only what they need (Alms) to make it through the day such as rice, vegetables, water, soap etc. It was quite the spectacle at six in the morning to see hundreds of monks flood the streets in their bright orange tapestries, single filed, collecting graciously what they were being offered from their devout fellow Buddhists that gave their daily tithe, if you will. This carried on for about an hour or so, until quietly each monk disappeared from the street, returning back to their monasteries.

With this religious occurrence leaving one last humbling memory from this unique town, Tommy and I were reluctant to go, but knew we had to move onto our next destination in Vang Vieng. As we loaded up onto the bus, we watched the town of Luang Probang fade in the distance as we began yet another crazy bus ride through the hills of Laos eager to start the next adventure in Vang Vieng. 

                                      

Slow Boat he Wrote

Sad to leave those adorable little kids at Mercy Ministries Orphanage, we pressed on to our next destination, which was Luang Probang to meet a business friend of Tommy’s named Ryan that just so happened to be living in Laos and offered to show us around. We heard of a few options of how we might go about getting to Luang Probang, but when we heard about the two day slow boat that went down the Mekong River we jumped on the opportunity immediately and booked our tickets at the Laotian border. A bit apprehensive at first, as over fifty travelers piled onto a long tailed boat that looked slightly less than buoyant with its ancient, thick wooden hull we soon set off with the current and were on our way. Getting further and further way from civilization, we soon began to see small villages scattered along the river’s edge. Small children would run to the banks of the river to wave to our passing boat as we slowly cruised by. Waving back with a huge smile on my face, I began thinking to myself just how secluded these people were. With no access to their villages other than by this river, some have never seen the world beyond the boundaries of their village and shoreline. Their lives consisted of only what they had to do to survive; catching fish, growing whatever crops they could along the shore and using only what natural resources they needed to get by. No eco-footprint whatsoever and one hundred percent sustainable.

Much of the slow boat ride to Luang Probang was spent reflecting on the trip so far and logistically planning out some of the next adventures in Laos and Cambodia. Quite a bit of reading was accomplished and plenty of socializing with other travelers became a must as we spent ten hours that first day on the river. Meeting new people and getting to know the most interesting characters this world holds is something that never gets old to me.

As the sun began to set, we saw the valley the river was running through transform as the sun brilliantly casted shadows and silhouetted various mountains and hills. The glimmer of the sun off of the water dazzled radiantly making it hard to not just stare at and appreciate how beautiful this part of the country truly was.

Arriving in a small stop over village for a night, we all piled off the boat, and stayed at a guesthouse overlooking the river. Surprisingly tired after a full day of doing really not a whole lot, we got to bed early that night, sure to catch the 9am boat the next day that waited for no one.

A bit groggy, Tommy and I made it to the boat and set off for another full day of beautiful scenery, card playing with a group of Brits we met, and of course more reading. Slowing down for a bit was actually quite nice; it gave Tommy and I a chance to re-energize and get prepare for the adventures that were ahead in Luang Probang.

Pulling into the dirt boat slip at around dusk, Tommy and I headed out into the town of Luang Probang with our packs and all of our gear, eager to meet up with Ryan and to see what adventures this new place might hold for us.