Waterfalls

Who gets up at 4:47 am on vacation? I guess we do. Here's proof we actually beat the sun up today. 

Our host told us about the Alms offering and that it's a recommended thing to check out. We read up a little bit about it and it's the ceremony that the monks take every morning. People, both tourists and locals, line the streets to give their offering to the monks. I believe it was a tradition as the city would provide for the monks as they did not have income. Now it has become more of a tourist attraction. 

Even though I am a tourist at this ceremony, it kind of annoyed how touristy this has become. I felt bad for the monks in a way because they become this object to view. Again, I know I'm the tourist, but they were up in their faces with the cameras. 

At any rate, it was a very unique experience to see and I'm glad we went. The monk lifestyle is interesting. 

After the alms offering we needed some food ourselves so we headed to the morning market. I'll let the pictures do the talking but we decided not to eat at the market. 

(Some creepy crawly bug still alive)

(Whole fish, fish head, chopped up fish)

(We saw this lady chopping up the chickens later on)

(Child playing with a real knife)

(Cute kitten)

There were definitely some cool foods, clothes, and trinkets, but with food poisoning still on our minds we played it safe and went to a cafe we've walked by a few times. A lot of places here seem to have more Western style breakfasts. I'm not sure if it's because of the European influence or if they are trying to cater to tourists desires, but I don't complain when I can order banana mango French toast. 

The bread here is delicious and it always comes in small loaves like a French baguette. I'm never against noodles and Asian food, but it is nice to get some good bread and sandwiches occasionally. 

After breakfast we headed off to get our moped for the day. We have come to the conclusion it's the best way to see things. It's way better than taking a tuk tuk because you have control to stop whenever you want, and you can see everywhere. 

We headed to the Kuang Si waterfalls. We read that it's a very touristy and busy, but when we got there it was still pretty slow. It was fairly cloudy and only about 75 degrees out, but I still expected people to go. These falls are like nothing I've ever seen. Literally nowhere. 

The water was a bright blue-green and wasn't too cold so we decided to jump in. It's a normal activity for tourists, but they recommend covering shoulders as a sign of respect for. There were a couple other people there that obviously didn't read this before they got there, by at least we were respectful. They probably thought we were both weirdos for wearing shirts while swimming. 

After taking a million photos we stopped by the bear sanctuary on the way out of the park. Although it's sad to see the bears stuck in a small space, it's a form of protection. The bears in Laos have been violently poached for the belief that their bile has medical benefits. They've been poached to the degree that they were endangered and needed protection beyond laws. I don't get people. At least the bears are alive but it's too bad humans have forced them into protection. Either way, it was a fun educational experience!

Quick side note: this is a national park and it cost us $2.50 each to get in...

After the park we meandered our way back to town, stopping occasionally to take some pictures of the towns and the views/Buffaloes. They look like cows, but all of them have horns on them. 

When we got back we stopped at a market with sandwiches (classic me) and fruit shakes. We played some cribbage and hung out for a bit before going for a run. This is our second run of the trip and it feels so good to exercise. It's nice to veg all the time but my body get restless. It was warmer today, but still a nice short run. 

After the run we grabbed a few more postcards and headed to a wine bar. Being the Wisconsinite I am, and being deprived of cheese, I had to get the cheese platter. 

I think Alex had three pieces of the cheese. We hung out here for a bit playing cribbage, chatting with the couple next to us from Pennsylvania, and writing. The couple next to us took the slow boat from Chiang Mai to Laos and told us how terrible their experience was. We were thinking of taking that boat, but decided against it due to the length of the trip (two whole days of traveling). Thank god! 

Although I filled up on cheese and bread, we headed to Tamarind for dinner. It was a wonderful restaurant with a mixture of different Laotian dishes. We split a taster platter for an appetizer, and each had a small plate. 

After a long day and a couple glasses of wine, it was lights out time. What an amazing day though! That's why we take days of rest, so we can do cool things like this.

"Travel far enough, you meet yourself"

- David Mitchell