Luang Prabang: Kouang Si Waterfalls

The pictures I saw of Kouang Si Waterfalls were some of the main reasons I wanted to go to Luang Prabang.  They didn't disappoint.  Here are some images of them in their glory!  The color is unbelievable.

Luang Prabang: Whiskey Village and Pak Ou Caves

On Thursday, Rach and I decided to take a tour of the Pak Ou Caves.  The tour came in a package with a tour of a 'whiskey village', so before we knew it we were standing in front of this:

I think this is where we were supposed to learn about how whiskey was made, but unfortunately our tour guide had just started 12 days before and didn't seem to know anything about whiskey making.  Oh... and that might be because until 12 days before, he had been a monk.  

So instead of telling us about whiskey, he gave us a sample of rice wine.

And then asked us if we wanted to buy these.

And then took us to a temple.  Which he knew a lot more about.

Monk's robes drying.

To enter any temple (and most buildings), they ask you to remove your shoes.

After our 'tour' of the whiskey village, we were off to the caves.

We crossed the river by boat.

And entered the (very) dark upper caves first.

And then headed down to the lower caves...

To see the hundreds upon hundreds (thousands?) of Buddha statues.

Lots of Buddhas..

And lots...

Beautiful views..

More Buddhas..

And more...

And more.

:)

Not the highlight, and ok to skip... but interesting none the less!

Luang Prabang: Elephant Village Sanctuary

On Tuesday, Rachael and I visited the Elephant Village Sanctuary.  A.MAZ.ING.  We both super SUPER recommend this place.  If you ever go to Luang Prabang, there are many, many elephant companies, but this was hands down the best one we came into contact with, and after talking to many other visitors, everyone we met said the same.  Its a great company with a fantastic cause - truly inspiring, educational, and WAY fun.  The excursions can be booked at the company office on the main street in Luang Prabang.  It cost us $42 each for a half day with the elephants, and included everything - transport, water, elephant ride into the river, fantastic lunch, time to wander around the grounds, a boat trip to a waterfall, etc.  The day we went was raining, but it didn't get in the way of an absolutely phenomenal experience.  Probably both of our favorite adventure of the trip.. and maybe life!

And without more adieu, here's what our day with the elephants looked like!

Here is our friend, in all her glory! (Notice the large deposit on the left she made especially for us)

The fuzzy nature of this picture is because it was pouring rain so I was trying to hold an umbrella AND take a picture AND hold on for dear life as we headed straight down the river embankment.  This was before we had developed our sense of balance and we both saw our lives flash in front of our lives...  meanwhile, our Mahout (elephant driver) was singing away and laughing like it was the most relaxed moment of his life.

Wading into the river... wow.

We climbed up onto a little island in the middle of the river to stop for a photo op.  FYI, our Mahout  got OFF of our elephant to take these pics.

Coolest location for foot photo yet?  Very possibly!

Trekking.. it was about here that our Mahout asked us if we wanted to ride on the NECK of the elephant..  My answer was.....

Why YES I do!! :)

Phenomenal.  I thought this was the coolest thing... but the next thing I knew, the Mahout had crawled back on the elephant, but got into my old seat next to Rachael.  So the next thing I knew...

I was riding the elephant back into the river!  wow. wow. wow.

Here we are coming back into camp.  Rachael and I switched out, and our Mahout stayed happy as a pea in the seat!

After an amazing ride, we got to give our lady some banana treats!  Our gal only liked to be fed in the corner of her mouth, so you had to stick your hand right up in there.

This is my hand INSIDE the elephant's mouth.  A Mahout (not OUR Mahout who would never do such a thing) thought it would be funny to stick in all the way in there.  I may have peed my pants.

But we both survived and stayed friends.

Another elephant asking for more treats.  This one liked to be fed by her trunk.

Well hello!

After our elephant was fed and happy, we headed off for our next adventure for the day - a boat ride on the river!  The scenery was just stunningly gorgeous.  It was almost painful to be seeing it in person - so much to take in - the mountains disappearing into the clouds, the jungle, the river...

Add caption

On the boat!  We had a little family from Australia join us - it was inspiring to see parents who were willing to take them on such an adventure.  Those kids are truly going to grow up with an amazing worldview.

Destination of our boat ride: beautiful cascades.


What a lovely, lovely day.

Luang Prabang: Monk Procession at Dawn

Every morning at dawn, villagers from Luang Prabang gather along the sides of the street to offer alms to the monks.  This woman had a basket of rice to offer.

Every single day, hundreds of monks dressed in saffron-colored robes process through town to collect their daily food.  We were told they don't eat anything beyond what they collect each day.

Sunrise was at about 5:30 am, so we woke up at 5 and quietly walked to a space on the street where we could sit and walk.  It isn't a tourist event - it is real, and it felt a bit strange to be sitting there watching/taking pictures.  But it was truly incredible to witness.  There were several other tourists near us, but almost all of them respected the event, kept their distance and stayed seated.

Men can stand to offer the gifts, but the women kneel.  Everyone wears a scarf draped over their left shoulder.

Beautiful, sacred event - and so special to witness.

Time lapse of one of the groups of monks getting rice from a villager.

Here is a very thoughtful write up of the event by another blogger: 

Siamese Dream: Luang Prabang: monks procession at dawn