Wanting
to beat the crowds of tour groups and day trippers, Ric and I rented mountain
bikes and tackled the 35km trip to Kouang Si Waterfalls, southeast of Luang
Prabang.
We
set off in the cool morning light of 6am, just as the sky was turning from
black to grey. The way to the falls is well signposted and we whizzed out of
town along the main road, which is thankfully well paved.
The
ride took us almost two and a half hours, with leisurely stops to drink water, eat
bananas and gasp for breath along the way. On the way we passed several
villages where the residents were giving alms to the monks, children were
making their long journeys to school and the village men were preparing for
their boat races. It’s amazing how much activity we usually miss by sleeping in
until after eight!
The
route was challenging, certainly for me, with a fair few hills to climb, and I
was glad to have a bike with gears. Cycling through the valleys was very
pleasant, with the Laos
Eventually,
after a fair amount of sweat and almost a couple of tears, we arrived. We
entered the falls and had the place to ourselves. The falls start with a
thundering 60m drop before cascading down through several different levels
where it is possible to swim in the freezing blue water. As we were visiting at
the end of the rainy season the water level was high and the park staff had had
to dam off some areas with tree trunks and sand bags to stop the whole area
from flooding.
Swimming
in the natural swimming pools was wonderfully refreshing after our long bike
ride. Ric had fun climbing up rocks and trees to bomb into the pools whilst I relaxed
in the shade, fighting off man eating fish! The pools are full of little fish
that like to nibble your feet, the same kind they have in the ‘fish massage’
spas. I can’t comprehend why anyone would pay to have those fish eat your skin;
the feeling is like a mild electric shock, horrible!
Next
to the falls is a bear rescue centre. The two bears found in this part of the
world, the Asian Black Bear and the Sun Bear, are at risk from so many threats.
The bears are kept as pets, they are made to dance and are paraded around as tourist
attractions, they are poached by the Chinese for their bile which is used in
traditional Chinese medicine. The local people are also a threat; they believe
that bears bring you strength and we have seen bear paws marinating in rice
whiskey for the local men to drink and become strong. The centre rescues and
rehabilitates the bears in a natural setting, releasing them back in to the
wild when possible.
Once
we were done swimming, exploring and looking at bears, we ate some lunch and
made our way back to town. Whilst Ric powered on to cycle the whole 70km round
trip, I chose not to fry in the midday sun and hitched a ride with an American
couple in a tuk-tuk, bike and all!
It
was definitely worth the early start and the lengthy ride to have the
waterfalls to ourselves, it’s a beautiful spot.
How To Get To…
A
mountain bike costs 50,000kip ($6.25/£4) from Luang Prabang. Follow the signs
heading southeast out of town, and check out this great map.
A
private tuk-tuk will cost you 200,000 ($25/£15) for up to eight people.
Organised
tours are 50,000kip per person but don’t leave until 11am, the busiest time of
day.
