We met Noy when we downloaded “Loca” the Laotian ridesharing app. No “Grab” here. It’s a bit buggy, but it’s very affordable, and has worked well for us.
As the salesperson many Lao are, he suggested we hire him to take us to a few of the Luang Prabang sights. At $50, this was cheaper than most of the tours, so we agreed to go the next day. We woke up a bit under the weather from colds, but decided to go anyhow.
The Kuang Si Waterfall is about an hour from the center of town, and I must say, the Laotian roads are harsh. Noy has a very nice Camry, but it is stop and go to avoid the serious potholes.
We arrived at the entry point for the waterfalls, and were surrounded by Chinese tourists. This wasn’t even the height of it, according to Noy, that happens between Thursday and Sunday. Now that the Chinese can take the newish high speed train from China, Lao has become a very popular destination for Chinese tourists.
The “Pre” Waterfalls
Noy took us to a spot that most of the tourists don’t get to, a different set of waterfalls. There was seating for hundreds there. Apparently many Chinese tours stop here for lunch.
Tat Kuang Si Bear Rescue Centre, Free the Bears
As one walks into the Kuang SSi Waterfalls, one passes through the bear rescue center. The Tat Kuang Si Bear Rescue Centre is a sanctuary opened in 2003 by Australian non-profit wildlife charity Free the Bears, caring for moon bears rescued from the illegal wildlife trade & bear bile farms. Most of the bears were taken as cubs after poachers killed their mothers. They are humanized & there is a lack of protected forest suitable for release, so they’ll require lifelong care at the sanctuary, up to 35 years.
The Waterfall
This is one of the highlights of Luang Prabang. One can swim in the pools, but we were warned that they are quite cold. As we are both fighting colds, we chose to stay warm. The Chinese tourists were here in force, and they are fairly aggressive in pushing for their perfect photo/video.
Butterflies
We stopped at a butterfly shelter on the way back. It was no Ecuadorean cloud forest, but we did get to have our feet feasted on by fish. BTW, the butterfly that looks like a Monarch is called a Royal here.
Colds
By the time we finished, we both realized we were fighting colds. Noy stopped at a pharmacy on our way back and we got some drugs. We then chose to hunker down for a bit, to try to recover.
You guys really are troopers! Thanks for continuing to share all this amazing scenery, as well as your impressions. I’m loving being an armchair tourist!