Luang Prabang

We caught another hellish nightbus from Huay Xai to Luang Prabang. Hellish because the bus driver, without the slightest exaggeration stopped the bus every 30 minutes to have a fag break, and each time he stopped the bus, switched on all the lights and shouted at everyone that it was a toilet break. 

He also played Laos karaoke videos until 2am, and every now and then even sang along. We did have our own double bed though (yes, this is a coach made up of double beds), accept, Bro and I were put in the front bed, which was a whole foot shorter than the rest of the coach which meant that whilst the lucky little Laotian people got to stretch out their short legs, Bro, his giant European man-legs and I were folded up into this tiny little cavity along with both our camera bags like some sort of human puzzle. But all’s well that ends well, we ended up in Luang Prabang in one piece, and I could think of worse places to find myself with a weird case of Night Bus Hangover.

LP is a lovely old town on the Mekong River, with lots of beautiful old temples, lovely European-style cafes and restaurants (which we largely couldn’t afford, but have enjoyed looking at enviously!), buzzy markets, mouth-watering street-food, and an impressive hilly-green landscape as its backdrop. We stayed here a couple of days and enjoyed ticking off the main tourist spots in the town, soaking up the atmosphere, and exploring the countryside on a motorbike.

Highlights

-Visiting the magnificent Kuang Si waterfalls-perhaps one of the best we’ve seen so far. Endless cascades of aqua blue water, set amongst beautiful forest, with breath-taking views across the countryside. The best bit was escaping the hoards of Asian tourists by climbing to the top (they don’t seem to like exercise), and that was where we found a stunning private utopia of pools, that were just magical.

Steps coming down from the top

The view from the top!

-Visiting the Kuang Si Waterfall Butterfly Park. We stopped by here on our way home as we’d heard good things about it, but as it was already getting cooler the owner explained that we wouldn’t see many butterflies at that time of day, so as a consolation he took us on a private tour of their beautiful garden. The couple who set it up are from the Netherlands, and sold everything 3 years ago to buy the land and start their business. They knew nothing about botany or butterflies, but have grafted hard for 3 years with the help and support of the local community, and a team of volunteer botanists and biologists, to build this incredible butterfly park which is now home to over 100 species of butterfly, and thousands of native plant species.

Bro getting his feet nibbled

The incredibly inspiring Olaf (holding a dead butterfly!)

The aim of their project is to become a nature study centre for Laos children, and they are already starting to bring in groups of school students for free to teach them about the incredible wildlife on their doorstep. They are also trying to work with the local community to teach them how to sustainably slash and burn (rather than use their current unsustainable techniques), and in doing so help them preserve their environment. A very worthy cause, an extremely admirable couple and a beautiful place to visit. They also take volunteers if you’re looking (we’re gutted we didn’t find it sooner!). They always welcome donations, so if you’re feeling particularly charitable this month, do consider them and their worthy cause.

Lowlights

-Getting a puncture. And then getting scammed. We got a puncture just before we reached the falls. We happened to stop right in front of a house with a jolly bunch of men sat outside (and some atrocious karaoke going on inside), so we asked them if they new of anyone who could fix it. They were all smiles and said that if we gave them our key and 100,000 kip, then the father would take it to the village to get it fixed. We were reluctant to hand over keys or money, but appreciated the help, so said it we’d eat at theirs (they had a kind of roadside café), then we’d walk on up the hill on our own until we reached the village. Their English was broken at best, and our Laos is clearly non-existent, so we did our usual pointing at food and holding up two fingers to indicate two meals (which has worked every other time so far), and were presented with a dry piece of chicken each, some dry sticky rice, and a bowl of chilli. Rather disappointed, we ate the chicken, then went to pay, and they said 70,000 kip! About £6!!! Now this doesn’t sound like much, but in Laos terms, this should have been a banquet! But what could we do?...We’d eaten the food, and were on our own with a broken bike, so we coughed up grumpily, feeling more than a little duped.

When we finally made it to the village sweating profusely with our damaged bike, the lovely local mechanic who could speak no English but just smiled lots, and charged us a mere 30,000 kip (under £3) for a new inner tube, and fitting. Bloody legend. Faith restored. 

Legend (Bro took this one)