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Andy and Lesley were the only other two of our group to continue on to Laos and we caught up with them at breakfast, having last seen them at Hanoi airport yesterday. We drove for about 2 kms, then set off for a bit of exercise - climbing the 300 steps to the temple at the top of Phousi Hill.
This Buddhist temple is in the grounds of the National Museum and opposite the steps to Mt Phousi
Only another 298 steps to go...
Marigolds are used to decorate Buddhist monuments
About half way up we started to see the Mekong River through the trees
Mt Phousi rises 100m (330') in the middle of the old part of Luang Prabang. It's bordered on one side by the Mekong River (above), and on the other by the Nam Khan River (below) as it joins the Mekong.
Inside the temple at the top
Peaceful view out to the river
Having walked up one side, we descended on the other side; a much steeper but more interesting descent as there are more Buddhas and a Buddhist temple on this side.
More statues
The plaque on the right indicates it was opened on 15th Oct, 2006, or 2549 in the Buddhist calendar
Large or skinny, sitting or standing
Once upon a time, this was the entrance to a hermit's cave. He must have been very supple or I'm getting old.
Buddha and disciples
Having had our cardio-vascular workout for the morning (well done, Sue!), we got back into our van with our guide, Pan, and driver and set off for the Kuang Si Waterfall. On the way we stopped at a H'mong village to admire some handicraft work. These are similar to the mountain people that we came across in Northern Vietnam.
<sigh> You can only bring home so many handmade craft items...
Grandmother & granddaughter
The next stop was just before we got to the entrance to the National Park. Lots of stalls selling food, drink and the usual touristy trinkets.
Park entrance just around the corner
Skewers of chicken, fish and duck(?) over coals. The pink tassles above were attached to an electric motor and rotated above the food as a way of keeping the flies off. Seemed to work, too.
The path to the top of the waterfall passes by the Bear Rescue Centre. This centre was set up to rescue Moon Bears (Asiatic Black Bears) from their use in the illegal wildlife trade, Indian 'Dancing' bears, as well as being confined in small cages and 'milked' for their bile which is used in some traditional Asian medicines. This was all started by a lady in Perth, Western Australia in 1993. There have now been more than 60 bear rescues in Laos. More Info: Free The Bears
On our way up hill, as well as the bears, we saw lots of tropical flowers, spiders and deer.
Heliconia sp
No idea what species, but beautiful marking on its back
This deer family posed for us for ages. Didn't seem scared of humans at all...
Finally, the waterfalls. These are spring fed and fall over calcium deposits, giving the water a milky look. They continue downstream over cascades and into pools where you can swim. It's very popular judging by the numbers swimming there (and the fact that it's generally hot and sticky).
After lunch outside the park, we went back to our hotel for a quiet afternoon, then out for dinner.
Luang Prabang's Main street. Delightfully low key after Vietnam.
The most up-market tuk-tuk we could find.
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