Our first destination this morning is the Tham Ting and Tham Teung caves on the banks of the Mekong river. Getting there by boat against a strong current would take too long, so to save time we drove on unpaved roads to a little village on the shores of the river to meet up with our boat and make our way to the caves. The village has no paved roads but is quite popular with locals and Laotian tourists to shop for tourist items. Beyond the usual woven items, it is most noted for its rice whiskey. Several shopkeepers eagerly brought out shot glasses, encouraging us to taste their exceptional product…but at 8:30 in the morning? The bottles of whiskey for sale all contained either a cobra or a huge tarantula. I suppose that after a hard night of drinking, you should indulge in a ‘bite of the cobra’ to cure a hangover. While tempted to buy a bottle to bring home as a novelty, we couldn’t figure out how we could clear airport security.
Whiskey village
Typical home in the Whiskey village.
The morning ‘pick me up’
The still to make the rice whiskey.
Boarding our little boat, we motored along the winding river, while our ‘captain’ skillfully avoiding the many rocks and obstacles. The scenery was spectacular with everything lush green after the recently ending monsoon season. A half hour later we arrived at the caves, formed in the limestone cliffs after centuries of erosion by springs of run-off. The caves are home to more than 4,000 Buddha statues. Some were placed here by pilgrims, while others were deposited by local villagers. Destroying Buddha statues is not respectful, so these caves became the final resting place – all sorts of materials, sizes, and positions. The boat ride back to Luang Prabang was very serene and relaxing–a great time to catch a few winks.
Catching the boat to reach the Buddha caves.
Scenery on our way to the caves.
We’re here! The Buddha caves.
The prayer altar.
Buddhas in every nook and cranny.
Ready to leave the caves.
After lunch in town we headed for the Kuang Si waterfall with a stop at an Asiatic black bear rescue park. The bears, which are endangered, are about the size of an American black bear. A couple of juveniles put on quite a show in reaching for what looked like a sweet potato treat. The reduction in their natural habitat, as well as killings by poachers who harvest certain body parts for medical benefits, have taken a toll.
Asiatic bears in the rescue center.
One of the lower falls.
A beautiful, peaceful setting to watch and listen.
The main upper fall.
The waterfalls are beautiful and get ever larger as you walk several hundred meters upstream. While the height and grandeur is not as spectacular as others in the world, the cascading down several tiers, through the trees and bushes, makes them look magical – almost surreal. The water is clouded and cold. The cloudiness is the result of limestone and mineral particles which make it somewhat gritty. It reminded us of the color of the water coming off glaciers in Glacier National Park in Montana. While a few visitors opted to take a dip, we decided that a handful of water was all we needed to get a sense.
Butterfly catching a late afternoon snack.
Butterflies enjoying a good time together.
Our final stop as we began to head back to town was the Kuang Si Butterfly Park, a very nice and large park. It was late in the day and past the normal feeding habitude – morning until about noon – so we only found just a few, albeit large and strikingly beautiful butterflies.
As we were driving back to our hotel, our guide Oudone reflected on the state of the country today. Laos is now part of a regional trade organization that includes Vietnam and Thailand. This association has greatly benefitted the country by making trade and travel between member nations very easy. Laos had been closely tied to Vietnam for many decades. The opening of the Australian-funded three-quarter-mile-long bridge over the Mekong River in 1994 between Laos and Thailand has resulted in close economic links to the booming Thai economy. The success was the impetus to add a second bridge in 2007. Despite some issues with governance, Oudone’s love and pride of his country is apparent. His life, his family’s life, and most Laotians are very content and optimistic with their homeland’s future. He believes that the country will continue to creep more towards a democracy as time goes on.
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