Kuang Si

Kuang Si Falls is one out of two waterfall outside Luang Prabang, and among the most popular attraction among tourists. Since neither my new friend Peter nor I had been there we decided that the waterfall would be our destination for the day. The Kuang Si waterfall is about 35 km away which might not seem as much in the western world but by Lao road it is much longer. We rent a scooter and bring some sandwiches for lunch and start our journey. The first part of the trip the road is paved but after a couple of kilometers the road consist mostly of hard dirt. The road is beautiful however. We are surrounded by green forests and hills and fields. Sometimes we pass through a little village were the locals are sitting in the shade and smile at us when we pass by. After almost an hour we arrive to the waterfall where we park our scooter and enter the area. First we pass an exhibit with Lao bears. We agree that even if they're adorably cute we feel bad for them as they don't have very much space. Finally we get to the waterfall. Kuang Si is one big fall at the top which then go into several small pools where one can take a swim. We walk our way up to the mighty major fall and then visit several of the pools and their blue, clear, cold water. We have a perfect time, arriving an hour before the rush hour start and have the falls for ourselves for while, only sharing it with some few others. After 2-3 hours we decide that we're done for the day and start to head back. After been driving for only 5-10 minutes the gas runs out. Luckily we just passed one of those small villages and we walk back, asking if any one sells gas. Every village has a little stash with bottles of gas which you can buy for just couple of dollars. We fill her up (because our scooter is definitely a she) and return back to Luang Prabang. One of the best moments of our trip was when we turned off the engine and just rolled down a hill, just absorbing a stunning setting without the noise from the scooter ruining it.