Good morning from Hanoi Vietnam!
Yesterday we said farewell to Luang Prabang and Laos. It was a short visit but a full and fantastic one. Gail and Darlene decided to spend their final few hours enjoying the tranquility of the literal oasis our Villa Oasis hotel was while Lynda and I opted for a trip to the waterfall. Our waterfall excursion was to be in a tuk tuk with Mr Pouh but in the end Mr Pouh decided we’d be more comfortable with his friend Pan in his brand new air conditioned mini van. Mr Pouh was right! The day was smoking hot and humid so we appreciated every second we spent in that van. It takes about an hour to drive to the falls and along the way we passed an elephant sanctuary where we were able to stop for a few minutes and feed the elephants. One of them was an albino! She is the only one in Laos and is protected and cared for by the government. She is definitely the first albino elephant I’ve ever seen. She’s not really white...just a kind of pink colour but much much lighter than any of the others. I’m always amazed at the way the skin of an elephant feels....it is so tough and so soft at the same time. We fed the elephants some sugar cane and some squash (which is their absolute favourite!) before heading out again. Most of the elephants in this camp are kept here as they’ve become problem animals for the surrounding farmers. They destroy gardens and entire crops and so the camp is a way for them to be kept fed without compromising the local economy. Today we were happy to be able to make our little contribution to their longevity. (Did you know an elephant will live to be 80-100 years old?!)
The Kuang Si waterfalls really are unique and spectacular in their own way. They are a series of aqua coloured pools that cascade down into the next amidst the mystery of the jungle canopy. From where Pan parked our van we had to walk up a short road past many vendors and restaurants before paying to enter the park. From there it was another short walk (maybe 5 minutes) through the much cooler air under the trees. En route we passed a bear sanctuary! Who’d have thought we’d see bears here? But there they were snoozing away on their platforms in their fenced off area! We discovered that these are Asiatic Black Bears (they look pretty much the same as ours) that have been rescued by the Lao government from illegal wildlife trade. This sanctuary is an Australian initiative that is entirely self funded.
Swimming is allowed in some of the pools of the Kuang Si falls but most people were just taking advantage of breathing in the beauty of this place. It’s beauty was in part due to the contrast of the tranquility of the calm azure pools and cascading thunder of the falling water as it pounded its way through the rocks to the next level of pools. Lynda and I were both reminded of another adventure we’d had a few years ago in Chiapas Mexico when we visited Agua Azul. This place looked quite similar, especially in the unforgettable colour of the water.
On our way back to Luang Prabang our van rounded a corner only to be met by a herd of wild water buffalo! They completely blocked the road and before we were able to be on our way again...we’d had a good chance to have an up close look at all of them!
It truly was a wildlife kind of day as we also came across a massive snake on the road! It was not all in a straight line so difficult to estimate total length but our best guess is that it was well in excess of 4 feet! Pan didn’t have much English but what he did have was enough for us to understand that this snake would bite and kill us if given the opportunity! Gads...we are grateful for this car!
Back at Villa Oasis we found Darlene and Gail all relaxed and ready for lunch so we were off again. During our time here we’d located a little place that serves the best French fries ever and so that is what we planned on having for our “last meal”.
Back at the airport we discovered that the departure lounge had a wonderful foot massage spa and so Gail was introduced to her first ever massage experience. She is officially now a convert. My suspicion is that if we ever lose her....we’ll be able to find her in a massage place from this point onward. LOL. :-)
Our flight from Luang Prabang to Hanoi left soooo early! In fact, I was walking out of the massage place as they were calling us to board! Yikes! It was just a 45 minute flight and we’d left so early that by the time we landed in Hanoi it was the same time we were supposed to be departing Luang Prabang! That was a first for me! I guess that all passengers had checked in and so they decided to just leave early. Go figure!
Taxi from airport to our hotel in the heart of the old quarter took an hour and some of it was through CRAZY traffic! Our driver spoke no English until at one point when we almost hit a motorbike (or maybe it almost hit us...) I said “oh shit!” and our driver understood that as he laughed and laughed which left us all laughing too. We passed by a massive flower market that had caused a traffic jam because today is some special Vietnamese holiday where flowers are part of the celebration. We crossed the bridge into Hanoi and were impressed by the light show that this bridge is. The massive arches that you drive under are all different colours and constantly changing. It is soooo beautiful! We all agreed it is way better than the light show in Hong Kong!
Arriving at our hotel was a bit of a gong show though and the hotel desk clerk Yan (Ian) deserves a medal. There had been a mix up with our room bookings and so neither of our rooms had twin beds...just a double. In the end, we’d all been ungraded and additional beds had been brought in to keep us happy for tonight. Tomorrow, one room would be changed to a better room with better beds. Darlene and Gail chose the room that would be moved tomorrow and so their “extra” bed was brought in on the back of a motor bike from somewhere down the road. It was a twin size bed but the mattress was like one off a futon....really really thin! We’ve been measuring beds by the standard set on the train and after one night sleep on this bed Darlene said....it only beat the train because the room wasn’t rocking and rolling all night long!
This morning’s breakfast made up for everything though as we had both a buffet and a menu to order from. Everyone left there with full tummy’s and ready to face the day. I’ve spent the morning getting caught up on this blog while the others started to explore the area around our hotel. They’ve all just come back from their adventures now and Gail is showing off her purchases. Wahoo! There is lots to do around us - they’ve found a great restaurant for later and there are motor bike tours and cooking classes and well.....we’re going to have a great couple of days. :-)
OMG....lunch at ERA restaurant just around the corner from us was unforgettable and a perfect way to kick off the eatfest that I suspect the next few weeks will turn into! LOL. One of the staff from our hotel led us to the ERA and he was also our 10% off coupon as guests of the hotel. Our lunch started out with a complimentary appetizer from the chef and then our mains were delish and then just when we thought it couldn’t get any better....it did! The chef once again sent out a complimentary dessert for each of us. It was jicama that had been covered in jelly of some kind and then that was floating in a cold sweet coconut soup and topped with roasted peanuts. It was AMAZING! While we were at the restaurant we also signed up for their cooking class. We booked a private session for the four of us for the day after we get back from our boat in Halong Bay. I can already imagine how much fun we will have and how delicious it will be.
After our delicious lunch we wandered down the street far enough to find a little spot to sit on the edge of the road and have a coffee. The coffee wasn’t that great but it was super neat to bump into two women who are just finishing up a month here. The reason it was super neat was because they are from Kitimat and both of them know my daughter in law, Monique! What a small world! Gotta love the synchronicity of travel!!!
Once we’d all taken a few minutes to rest our tired feet back at the hotel we were off again in search of the night market and the lake. Once again...we are LUCKY! Today is Friday and every weekend they close several of the streets to traffic which makes it a whole bunch easier to walk around. Now don’t think that it is too easy though because even though the streets are closed to traffic....motor bikes still pretty much go where they want to so really you’re still dodging vehicular traffic as well as traffic of the human kind. And yes....there are LOTS of people!!!
We spent a little time at a coffee shop in front of the beautifully lit Japanese bridge on the lake and it was here that I had my first egg coffee. It wasn’t quite as delicious as I thought it might be but it was good enough to make me want to try it again when I see it on the menu. Egg coffee is the egg yolk blended with sugar to make a thick cream coloured “syrup”. That syrup is laced over top of a small cup of very strong black coffee. When you get it you mix it up until the syrup basically disappears. The syrup smooths out the strong coffee and sweetens it just enough. Darlene opted for coconut coffee (iced) which was the MOST delicious and Gail went for the strawberry ice cream. Lynda went way out of the box and chose avocado ice cream which was also yummy!
While we were sitting there a circle formed in the wide roadway right in front of us. It was then filled with entertainment for the next hour of so and we had a front row seat. Yes, we were lucky once again. :-)
By the time we were ready to move along we found ourselves back in the night market where Gail bartered her way into a couple more small purchases. She is becoming quite the wheeler dealer! From there it was back to the room for Darlene and Gail and off to Beer Corner for Lynda and Lorrie.
Beer Corner is something to see! It is PACKED with people! Those who are having a beer are sitting on tiny stools in front of little beer houses and surrounding restaurants and street vendors are making a killing by delivering food to the seated patrons. We had our one beer and decided to call it a night. It has been another full day....a great day....and tomorrow will be here before we know it.
Till then,
Darlorlyngai
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