Laos Waterfalls and the Mighty Mekong River

31.03.2019

Five of us braved the cold water to truly experience the Tat Kuang Si Waterfalls; we may be smiling but small fish are biting at our feet

Thirty kilometers southwest of Luang Prabang is the highlight of the region - Tat Kuang Si Waterfalls; it reminded me of a small version of Plitvice National Park in Croatia

This is about the most scenic view on our 2 day Mekong trip; most of the time we were passing through wooded hills with occasional shacks where people might be farming a small parcel along the shore and maybe raising cattle

Across from our hotel in Pakbeng there was an elephant sanctuary; we saw elephants come down at sunset and then again at sunrise

Our tour group has gotten along great together; we will add 6 more to the group once we get to Hanoi, Vietnam

The muddy Mekong had periodic rapids but, surprisingly, had tons of volcanic rocks scattered so our pilot had to know the river well; locals did their laundry in the river and I suspect some got their drinking water from it too

Some of the pools at Tat Kuang Si are sacred with swimming not allowed; the falls flow year round with less water from March to May and high water volume from June to October

Virtually all longboats making the 2 day journey from Chiang Kuong, Thailand to Luong Prabang, Laos have to stop overnight in Pakbeng; there is no navigating the river at night

Asiatic moon bears live at a rescue center near the Tat Kuang Si Waterfalls; the bears have been confiscated from poachers who sell them for their precious bile

The many-tiered waterfalls of Tat Kuong Si tumble over limestone formations into a series of cool, swimmable turquoise pools; the winding road to the falls was full of potholes and jarring

Our tour included a brief visit to the Traditional Arts and Ethnology Center; the focus was on the different dialects/groups in different parts of the country

The visit to Tat Kuang Si was included in our tour (admission is normally $2.50); it has been the highlight of our tour so far!

Our tour stopped by Ock Pop Tok to learn about how locals make traditional Laotian textiles; visitors can take courses on bamboo weaving or dyeing and weaving your own scarf and textiles

The daily night market in Luang Prabang is one of the most popular activities in town; the city only has 55000 residents but is extremely popular with tourists

The Pak Ou Cave near Luong Prabang is also known as the Buddha Cave because locals would pray before undertaking a boat journey on the Mekong

Longboats are the primary mode of transportation along the Mekong; we traveled hundreds of kilometers down the river and there was not one road crossing of the river (although the Chinese are building a rail crossing)

See if you can decipher Laotian symbols; the gym was an open-air storefront but several people were in there biking, on the treadmill and lifting weights

The Tat Kuang Si Waterfalls are a must see for anyone visiting Luang Prabang so every tour group stops here; our trip included an excellent (I was told) lunch with a local family

At Ock Pop Tok our guide explained how natural sources were used to die the silk; the facility is in a beautiful location on the banks of the Mekong

At the Ethnology Museum they had a homemade rat trap; it illustrates how practical and resourceful locals are when they don't have access or funds for the modern day equivalents

Luang Prabang is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and rose to prominence as the capital of the first Lao kingdom from 1353 until the 1975 revolution which brought an end to the monarchy

On the journey to the Tat Kuang Si Waterfalls we saw terraced rice fields, small vegetable gardens and commercial timber parcels; most of the locals depend on tourism with lots of food options and souvenir shops at the entrance to the falls

We stopped in Pakbeng for the night on our two day journey down the 2700 mile Mekong River; behind Jonathan is virtually the entire town which was mainly small guesthouses, used clothing stores and street food vendors