Luang Prabang, Laos: 29 – 30th Nov 09

For the past 2 days we’ve hung out at the mahout camp nursing sore legs and buttocks. We agreed fairly early on that sitting on the elephant’s necks was just too much like hard work so stuck to the chairs. We had about 5 or 6 elephant rides through the jungle altogether, which were very pleasant. We also spent a lot of time on the veranda of our bungalow watching the river, and the elephants pass by. Neither one of us feel like qualified mahouts, but hey ho!

This afternoon we left the camp and travelled to the Kuang Si waterfall, a one hour drive from Luang Prabang. We’ve seen a few waterfalls during our travels – but this was definitely one of the prettiest – it fell from a high cliff in the jungle and then carried on through lots of pools, with smaller falls. The pools were aquamarine because of the minerals – a strange sight!

Adjacent to the falls was a small bear rescue center, with an enclosure full of ‘Moon’ bears. They get their name from the white flash they have on their chests – all of their other hair is jet black. They used to be common throughout Asia but are now farmed for their bile which is used in Chinese medicines, eugh.

On the way back to Luang Prabang we stopped at a Hmong tribe village. We’d seen the Hmong people in Sa Pa, but it was nice to see a village in the sunshine instead of the clouds. The village was very pretty with kids playing everywhere – and a little girl having a bath in a bucket!

We’re now back in Luang Prabang, staying in a guest house in the center – we’ll spend the evening here and tomorrow join a boat for a three day cruise up the Mekong to the Thai border!