Tonight is my last night in Luang Prabang. I am glad that I came back. The trip 5 years ago was too fast and it has been nice to have some time to relax and enjoy the surroundings.
Yesterday I cycled out to Kuang Si falls and Bear Rescue. The falls were really amazing, the color was a lot bluer and greener than I was expecting. The ride out was finally some rolling hills and not only up, so I was able to make so good time without devastating myself on the ride. So now I have crossed the 600k mark on my odometer, only another couple thousand to go... I think I am going to be taking advantage of the ease of putting the bike on the bus.
At the entrance to the park there is a small bear rescue, but it seems that the bears, like the pandas in Chengdu dont do much besides sleep.
Once into the falls there are several pools for swimming and the water was a welcome cool after the hot the ride. One girl that I had been traveling with was somewhat afraid of leeches, so I tried to make her feel better by telling about my trek in the north. Several years ago I was trekking in Luang Nam Tha and there were leeches everywhere. So small that they would go right through you shoes and socks. But they were small and painless so it really wasnt bad, just had to check every couple hours. But now its pretty dry, it shouldnt be a problem. That story didnt help. After swimming for a while and getting ready to leave she mentioned that there didnt seem to be any leeches and it was nice. I made a quick, mock check of my feet and legs and sure enough in the middle of my foot was one small black leech sucking away. Of the 5 people or so that we were with, I was the only one with one small sucker on my foot. The irony was not lost. After popping it off and washing my feet, it was time to cycle back to town.
After walking back to my bike I went to change my shoes and tiny little bit had not stopped bleeding, the whole of my foot was covered in blood. All the tuk-tuk drivers were sitting around waiting for fares and were surprised. After a few seconds and quick wipe with my towel and all that was left was a tiny little pin prick. Damn anti-coagulates (spelling?).
We all met up again for dinner. Two Israelis, a Dutch and an American walk into an Indian restuarant in Laos...seems like a set up for a good joke...we had a good dinner. Later drinks and late night bowling. I got up a little late this morning and missed the only bus to Phonsavan, to be fair if I had gotten up when I had planned I woudl have missed it anyway. So one more night and then out tomorrow. A day or two in Phonsavan and then on to Pakse to try and meet up with Pablo and Kristin. Another 20 hours of buses, but then I can relax a while and the land should be flat. Maybe I can start to think about cycling again. Or maybe I should start running to get ready for the race in Malasia... or not.
Yesterday I cycled out to Kuang Si falls and Bear Rescue. The falls were really amazing, the color was a lot bluer and greener than I was expecting. The ride out was finally some rolling hills and not only up, so I was able to make so good time without devastating myself on the ride. So now I have crossed the 600k mark on my odometer, only another couple thousand to go... I think I am going to be taking advantage of the ease of putting the bike on the bus.
At the entrance to the park there is a small bear rescue, but it seems that the bears, like the pandas in Chengdu dont do much besides sleep.
Once into the falls there are several pools for swimming and the water was a welcome cool after the hot the ride. One girl that I had been traveling with was somewhat afraid of leeches, so I tried to make her feel better by telling about my trek in the north. Several years ago I was trekking in Luang Nam Tha and there were leeches everywhere. So small that they would go right through you shoes and socks. But they were small and painless so it really wasnt bad, just had to check every couple hours. But now its pretty dry, it shouldnt be a problem. That story didnt help. After swimming for a while and getting ready to leave she mentioned that there didnt seem to be any leeches and it was nice. I made a quick, mock check of my feet and legs and sure enough in the middle of my foot was one small black leech sucking away. Of the 5 people or so that we were with, I was the only one with one small sucker on my foot. The irony was not lost. After popping it off and washing my feet, it was time to cycle back to town.
After walking back to my bike I went to change my shoes and tiny little bit had not stopped bleeding, the whole of my foot was covered in blood. All the tuk-tuk drivers were sitting around waiting for fares and were surprised. After a few seconds and quick wipe with my towel and all that was left was a tiny little pin prick. Damn anti-coagulates (spelling?).
We all met up again for dinner. Two Israelis, a Dutch and an American walk into an Indian restuarant in Laos...seems like a set up for a good joke...we had a good dinner. Later drinks and late night bowling. I got up a little late this morning and missed the only bus to Phonsavan, to be fair if I had gotten up when I had planned I woudl have missed it anyway. So one more night and then out tomorrow. A day or two in Phonsavan and then on to Pakse to try and meet up with Pablo and Kristin. Another 20 hours of buses, but then I can relax a while and the land should be flat. Maybe I can start to think about cycling again. Or maybe I should start running to get ready for the race in Malasia... or not.
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