Climbing the Falls

Trip Start Mar 21, 2005
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Trip End Ongoing


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Flag of Lao Peoples Dem Rep  ,
Wednesday, December 28, 2005

Just outside Luang Prabang, the Tat Kuang Si waterfall flows over a high limestone cliff through bamboo forests and tall jungle. This was our destination today and we bargained with a tuk-tuk driver after a bowl of fresh noodle soup. Three others joined Lucie and me: Juliette from France, Stephen from Quebec, and Ran from Israel. Along the way, we passed small villages, rice fields, and miles of forest, stopping often to quench Ran's insatiable thirst for photographing everything.

Our tuk-tuk joined a baker's dozen of other vehicles in the parking lot, we paid our entrance fee, and hiked past a handful of vendors selling coconuts, grilled meats, and drinks. We had packed a lunch so continued to the falls, backlit by the high noon December sun.

The water cascaded down a series of limestone cliffs for several hundred feet. The rich limestone waters were a milky aqua color, soft to the touch, and refreshingly smooth to drink. Mists from the waterfall danced though the air as irridescent ruby damselflies fluttered their black wings.

I think we may have found paradise.

Lucie and I climbed to the top of the falls and ate lunch in the jungle, sitting on a log in the middle of a pool of water that fed the falls. We ate our baguettes, soft cheese, tuna, and bananas, looking around. The ecosystem was bustling and we tried to think of a good food chain scenario: "the spider ate the butterfly then the fish ate the spider (and the waterboatman). The fish then fell down the falls and was a good meal for Lucie, who was then eaten by a tiger. The tiger then died, was eaten by worms and maggots, which another fish then ate."

"And on and on," we said.

After lunch, we hiked down to the lower pools for a swim. The water was cool at first, but quickly felt refreshing as the sun lowered behind the waterfalls above.

Later, we walked the night market back in Luang Prabang and ate at our favorite market shops--grilled Mekong fish, steamed pumpkin, rice, veggies, and more. I had a couple of beers with Andrew from Hong Kong, who we met on the bus ride to Luang Prabang a couple of days earlier. He was traveling for a couple of weeks vacation. We talked about China and politics, among other things, as we toasted to Beerlao.

And on and on...
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