That time we missed the main event.

Bears and falling water.

Although I kind of wish I was finished writing about Thailand and Laos, I have quite a few stories, photos, and novelty snacks left to share. The plan is to power through and get it all up in the next week or two. Plenty of exciting things were happening during my last few weeks in UAE that I am eager to share.

But back to Laos…

On our last afternoon in Luang Prabang we took a tuk tuk out to Kuang Si Waterfall. The weather was warm and we were looking forward to a nice and refreshing swim.

We disembarked the tuk tuk and walked the rest of the way to the falls with a quick stop at Tat Kuang Si Rescue Center. The rescue center is a sanctuary for bears that have been confiscated by local authorities. Most of the bears are Asiatic Black Bears. Unfortunately for these guys, they are a key ingredient in traditional medicines. In 2003 the center was founded to protect the bears and educate the public about their plight.

After visiting the bears, we headed towards the falls, ready for a swim. Conveniently, a rope swing hangs from a tree that looks like it was grown for such a purpose. Mike took a few swings from the tree and a few jumps from the waterfall. I jumped once and spent the rest of my time trying to keep the fish from nibbling at my scabs. (Remember how I fell in Thailand?) Needless to say, that was pretty gross and generally unpleasant.

At one point I asked Mike and another traveler we were with if we should continue up the trail to see what might be around the corner. The other traveler, an incredibly interesting woman, assured us that we’d seen everything there was to see. Well… later that evening when I purchased a few postcards it was obvious that we missed the big falls. Oops!

After returning from Kuang Si, Mike was feeling a bit ill so we took it easy. I went into town for one last trip to the market and then called it a night. The next morning we took an early flight back to Bangkok.

xo, jill