Luang Prabang, Luang Prabang Province, LaosDay two in Luang Prabang today involved waterfalls, bears, and an unexpected detour. All in all, it wasn't the best day, mostly due to me being both klutzy and stupid. But, don't panic mom: It all turns out okay, and now you all get to read about it.
More banana pancakes
We woke up at a much more sensible hour this morning, after falling asleep early last night. Breakfast was more banana pancakes (Ryan opted for them too, this time) on our hotel balcony. I could get used to this.
It was laundry day again today, so we sorted our bags of laundry and dropped them at reception. They assured us they'd have everything back to us, washed, dried, and folded, all for under a fiver. So convenient.
To the Falls!
Yesterday when we were taking the hotel shuttle into town, I'd asked the owner about organizing a taxi to the Kung Si Waterfalls today. As it happened, several other people taking the shuttle were looking to go to the Falls today too (it's kinda the most popular attraction around here). So we teamed up in that easy way that happens on the road and agreed to share a minivan to save costs. Far easier than booking a tour, especially since we'd all be leaving from the same place.
So, at around 9am, eight of us -- two Londoners, four Parisiens, and us -- boarded a minivan for the nearly hour-long drive to the Falls. I slept through much of the ride, waking up just a few minutes before we arrived at the national park.
The minivan driver parked in the lower parking lot, said something in rapid Lao that none of us caught except that he was holding up one finger, so we all assumed he meant to be back at the van at 1pm. We grabbed our bags and water, and off we went.
After buying our entrance tickets (25,000 Kip for foreigners as of December 2022, or about $2 CAD), we boarded the electric golf-cart like tuk-tuks for the ride up to the Falls. The whole national park is car-free, hence the electric shuttles for tourists. Very cool system. The tuk-tuk dropped us off at the entrance where signs pointed either left for the main falls, or right to walk the full trail and see all of them. Almost everyone went right.
Don't feed the bears
Close to the entrance of the park, there's a small bear sanctuary that houses a couple dozen rescued Asian bears. It's been set up by Australian conservation organization Free The Bear to help rescue and protect these endangered bears from poachers, and give them a safe place to play and exist. The bear sanctuary has been strategically placed at the entrance to this popular tourist attraction to raise awareness and, of course, sell merchandise and solicit donations for the project.
We wandered through for a few minutes, watching the bears who were mostly sleeping, though a few were awake and playing. It felt a little like going to the zoo, though I get that it's important work to help conserve them.
Lower falls and sparkling turquoise pools
From there, the trail took us up to pool after pool of waterfalls. They started small at the base and grew bigger with each tier that we climbed. I hadn't been expecting them to be so big, or so picturesque. I've seen a lot of waterfalls on my travels, notably in Iceland where it felt like they were as common as temples are in Luang Prabang. And of course I live a few hours from Niagara Falls, the most famous in the world. So I'm hard to impress when it comes to waterfalls.
Now, Kung Si Falls ain't no Niagara, that's for sure. The actual main falls are fairly small, and it's dry season so they're not at full water level right now. But the way the turquoise blue pools flow into each other is quite magical in its own right, like something out of a fairytale. We walked up slowly, taking photos as we went, and enjoying the views. I was glad we'd gone early, ahead of the big tour groups who would arrive an hour or two later, since we got pretty good access to most viewpoints without having to battle too much human traffic.
Hike to the upper falls, and an ill-advised swim
The trail from the bottom of the main falls to the top took about twenty minutes, hiking straight up. It started off with some rocky, slippery steps, quickly turning into essentially just a hands-and-feet scramble and an effort not to fall. We both managed it okay, though I'd definitely broken a sweat by the top.
From the top, the Falls look far more calm and serene. There are a couple of pools that gradually trickle to the edge, and you can't really see where the water descends. The views are much better from below.
But hey, once we were up there, we figured we might as well take advantage. The top of the Falls has a pool where you can go for a swim, with a rope swing and some people hanging out in the water. We had swimsuits and towels with us, and the day had gotten hotter by then, so we figured, why not.
There wasn't really anywhere to leave our bags or to change, so Ryan and I decided to take turns swimming and guarding our things. I was already wearing my swimsuit (Ryan would've had to change into his), so it was easiest if I went first.
I got into the water -- chilly at first, but warmed up -- and it was nice and refreshing at first. I found that it was shallow enough to stand in some places, deeper in others, and full of rocks and fallen tree branches. Since the water was a bit murky, it was difficult to see where those were, which meant I kept accidentally bumping into them as I moved around.
I cooled off for a few minutes, came around to the side where the picnic tables were, and tried to climb out, but the rocks were too slippery to get a good grip. So I decided to swim back to the other side by the rope swing where I'd gotten in. Unfortunately, this is also where I ran into a tree branch and some rocks in the water, kicking them a bit too hard when I didn't see where they were. When I climbed out of the water, I had a golf ball-sized bump on one knee, and a cut on my toe that was bleeding a bit. Ouch. Double ouch.
Without much to treat the wound (my first aid kit was back at the hotel; like I said, I was an idiot), I poured some bottled water on the cut and tried to clean it as best I could with a towel. I fished a band-aid out from my purse, wrapped the toe as best I could, and tried to prevent more dirt from getting in it.
My immediate problem was getting back down; I could barely walk, let alone manage to hike down the steep, slippery trail we'd just climbed up. There wasn't really anyone to ask for help up at the top of the waterfall, so Ryan considered trying to hike down on his own to see if he could find a park ranger or something. But then a local guy saw me trying to bandage my foot, came over, and said there was a long road around and he had a scooter, and offered to drive us both on the back of it.
I know I said no more motorbikes after Pak Beng. But this was a bit of a no-choice situation. We loaded on, me in the middle, Ryan sitting behind me trying to keep me from falling off because I couldn't really hold on with my legs. The ride was harrowing, but we made it down. The very kind local handed me off to one of the electric golf cart drivers. We paid him for his trouble, of course, though he definitely didn't ask for anything and was clearly just trying to be helpful. People around here have been overwhelmingly kind to us, even when we tourists clearly don't deserve it, coming to visit their country and then having the bad grace to bang ourselves up in the process.
Back at the parking area, we found our minivan from this morning and I waited in the van while Ryan went to a cafe and found a bag of ice for my knee. The others from our hotel came back a little while later, one of them also hobbling on a bad knee (albeit from the hike, not from the swim). The minivan driver drove us back to Luang Prabang.
A bit of an unadvertised detour
Back at the hotel, I hobbled to the room with Ryan's help and assessed the damage. I probably just banged myself up and I could move the knee so it probably didn't need x-rays, just ice and time to heal. The cut on my toe worried me a bit more, not that it was that bad, but it happened in very non-sterile conditions. Back at the hotel, I cleaned it the best I could with more bottled water and some polysporin from my first aid kit, but it was still bleeding and had definitely gotten dirty in the mud and on the rocks.
So, okay, best to get that checked out. A stop at the local hospital was definitely not in my Luang Prabang sightseeing top ten list, but it seemed prudent to get it over with.
This is where I get to tell you how amazing the people here in Laos have been so far. When the guesthouse owner saw me limp up, she offered to drive us to the hospital for medical attention. Actually, she drove us not to the main hospital, but to a small private clinic around the corner from it, where all the staff spoke English. We told her we'd be fine to call a taxi to get back, but she insisted on staying with us the entire time and giving us a ride back when we were done. Totally above and beyond kindness.
The clinic was small but efficient. Like everywhere in Laos, they had us take off our shoes to enter, and the doctors and nurses were all wearing masks. I was seen almost instantly, first by a triage nurse who had me fill out a single form and took my passport details, blood pressure, and date of birth, and then by a doctor minutes later.
They checked my cut, ascertained it wasn't deep, and cleaned it, disinfected it, and wrapped it with a bandage. Basic first aid stuff, but it was good to confirm that it wasn't any more serious than that. Then, since I was dumb and hadn't had a booster in over twenty five years, they gave me a tetanus shot. (Yeah, I know, bad Sari, not being up to date on my travel vaccinations). The nurse giving the vaccine was far more understanding about my needle phobia than any healthcare professional back home has ever been, too. So while it was definitely not a fun day for me, at least it was over quick.
They sent me off with some Paracetamol-Ibuprofin combo, some spare gauze and bandages, and instructions to keep the cut clean and dry. They even threw in some Vitamin C, to what end I'm not sure, but hey, I appreciated the gesture.
Oh yeah, and the total cost for all this? 250,000 Kip. That's about $20 Canadian.
Back home, this whole thing would've taken hours or days at an ER. Getting a tetanus booster would've required chasing down a prescription from a doctor and then trying to get a CLSC nurse to administer it. Going to a private clinic would've cost hundreds of dollars. And forget the Tylenol or Advil 'cause the pharmacies are all out of stock.
And they call Laos the developing country. Go figure.
Night market part 2, and some ice cream
Back at the hotel, we rested for a while. Ryan showered and sorted our now-clean laundry while I alternated the ice packs between my knee and my now-sore arm. I mentally kicked myself for being a klutz and a bit of a dumbass. My advice? If you come to Luang Prabang, go see Kung Si Falls, absolutely. But maybe skip the swimming.
Around dinnertime, both of us were feeling hungry, since we hadn't really had lunch. I was feeling a bit better, so we caught the hotel shuttle back into town to pay a second visit to the night market. Because no matter how the day has been, a trip to the night market is always a good idea.
We went to a vegetarian stall where I ordered a delicious tofu laab -- I finally got to have laab! -- and Ryan had a mushroom and rice dish. We split a plate of veggie spring rolls, and washed it all down with another Beerlao. I should mention that I'm enjoying Lao food a lot. Everyone raves about Thai food, and don't get me wrong, Thai food is amazing. But I'm enjoying that the food here in Northern Laos seems to be much less about overpowering you with spiciness, and more about subtle flavours and a mix of herbs and textures. The whole meal cost under $10 for both of us. Did I mention I love night markets?
Then, because it's our last night in Luang Prabang, and because I'd had a crappy day where I had to face my needle phobia head on, I decided I deserved an ice cream. Specifically, some rolled ice cream, the type that's famous all over Asia. I've had it a bunch of times before; it's always fun to watch it being made. Ryan had never had the experience. I ordered chocolate and Ryan got lime and it definitely hit the spot.
A good time or a good story
We didn't stay in town long, just long enough for dinner, before heading back on the next shuttle. I might've otherwise enjoyed hanging out longer in LP, walking around a bit, maybe getting a drink or browsing the markets a little longer. But hobbling around as I was with a sore knee, sore foot, and sore arm, I wasn't up for much. And Ryan had been running around all day trying to help me out, so he was pretty tired too.
As they say, everything when you travel either makes for a good time
while it's happening, or a good story to tell later. This kinda fell
into the latter camp. But it all worked out okay. I'm not seriously hurt, and I'll be back on my feet for the next leg of our journey tomorrow as we use our hard-won train tickets to head south.
Laos, you're alright.
Other Mom
2022-12-28
Your smiles get bigger each day!
MOM
2022-12-28
Oh……the joys and harrowing challenges of travel ( and swimming in weird bodies of water ) BUT…..you did what you needed to, got some nice local help….faced your fears and got some ice cream for being good.!!! BRAVO ( Oyyyy)
Joanne
2022-12-29
Amazing how well that all went! And now you have that tetanus shot for the ne g 10 years, a bonus!