Some of the best travel memories are
created spontaneously - like the time I shared an impromptu meal with villagers
near Luang Prabang and the school teacher got drunk.
I had been to Kuang Si Falls - a
beautiful 3-tier waterfall set in a tropical forest. Here, water tumbles in
narrow streams down limestone cliffs, clad in thick jungle. You can swim in
the turquoise pools, admiring the views from the edge.
On the way back, a small road-side
hamlet caught my eye. I walked over and gestured I was hungry. In
no time I was served a plate of steaming rice and vegetables. Some of the
people sat down with me to a great meal but any communication was limited to
hand-signals and smiles.
Then the schoolmaster arrived and sat
down to interpret between the villagers and myself. It was great as I
learned a lot about village life. Soon, however, the teacher produced
a bottle of laolao, a Laotian rice whiskey. He offered me some but had the bulk of the bottle to himself. He was soon having a great time all by himself.
I tried to keep the conversation
going but the teacher stopped translating as he got busy singing songs and
dancing a Laotian twerk, all the while brandishing his bottle of laolao.
Laos is one of those countries that seem to generate lots of adventurous moments, especially in the south. Often forgotten by travelers, it is an area of ancient
Khmer ruins, beautiful waterfalls and tranquil villages. I did not have
other encounters with headmasters, but I distinctly remember a chicken
crapping all over my backpack and seeing a dog getting run over by a bus.
All par for the course of adventure
travel in Laos. And I loved the place.
The highlights of my adventure travels in
Laos were:
- Luang Prabang's temples and markets
- Pak Ou Caves
- Kuang Si Falls
- Exploring the countryside around Vang Vieng
- Taking a boat trip on the Mekong near the Cambodian border, checking out villages and dolphins
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