While in Luang Prabang we went to an gorgeous waterfall!! Definitely the highlight of my trip in that country! I did my very first cliff jump!! It was a huge feat for me because I am so scared of heights. Luckily, some of the Irish guys talked me into doing it and I went for it! It was pretty fun but I was more grateful for the sense of accomplishment I left the waterfall with!
Here are a few photos of the waterfall:
This is from the bottom looking up to the top of the fall, where you can do the cliff jumping and swim.
This part was fantastic - its the swimming area and the edge to the right is where the waterfall goes, so you can literally swim up to it and look over the crashing fall!!!Next, we headed to Vang Veing, which is known for the party scene that the town offers. I had heard of 'tubing' in V.V. and that it was a must-do while there. I didn't ask too many more questions of it, just figured it was a casual float down the river with a few beers trailing behind us in a cooler, just as we do at home. Well, little did I know that this was not the case!
I head out for the day of tubing with my Irish friends, we get dropped off at the 'start' of the tubing portion, with no tubes in hand. And, oddly enough we're dropped at a bar that has a deck overlooking the river... as well as the 40 foot swing/zip line platform looming over everyone. All the boys were SO excited about doing the swing, so I became their mom, holding all their belongings while they scurried off to the ladder.
I ordered drinks and wondered out to the deck to watch the guys plunge to their deaths (not really). I watched them all go through and to describe the scene a bit better so you can visualize it .....
You walk onto the deck, which is about 5 feet back from the river (which is a murky, muddy, rushing river), you look to the left to see a bar on the side of the river every 100 yards or so. You see half naked people (read: swimsuits) jumping into the quickly moving waters with no tube and half floating/swimming to the next bar. You look above you to see the forty foot platform poking out from the tree that its built up against. You watch these people jump off the platform while holding onto a bar connected to a rope that hangs above them. They leap off the platform, holding onto the bar, and when the rope catches, all of the persons weight is dropped into their arms. The swing out about 50 feet, straight in front if the crowd watching on the deck. After the person swings back and forth a few times they let go and drop into the river. (The extreme people try to do flips or dives off the highest point of the swing.) A few of the audience members have cards to hold up and rate the jumped. After watching this, if you turn to look upstream you will see a beautiful limestone mountain, more of the river, and a rice paddy off in the distance. Its a crazy mix of things to take in all at once, but I completely know why it is so talked about and a 'must do' while in Laos!
So... it's my first day of tubing (I went 3 days) and oddly enough I find myself being talking into doing the swing... ugh... I hear 'remember how easy the cliff jump was? And how great you felt after it?" Yeah, yeah, yeah.... as I slowly walk to the ladder. Step by step I'm thinking 'Don't look down. You can do this. You'll be fine.' Once I get to the top though, I look down. Crap. This is a lot more extreme then the cliff jump! Forty feet up, over a raging river, on some crappy make shift platform! Oh hell no.... I turn around to walk back down. "Molly, no. You can do this. You'll be fine", says my oh so nice friend Peter. I counter with, I believe, a solid flow of curse words and yet again am convinced I can do this.... I step to the edge, grab onto the bar and close my eyes. I jump off to immediately open my eyes and realize what I've just done and instantly let go of the bar! Oops... big mistake. I hadn't even fully swing out yet so my jump essentially turned into a free fall from 40 feet with a slight angle to it. I hit the water somewhat awkwardly but not a full belly flop, luckily!! I popped up out of the water to see all the looks of pity coming toward me, and slowly swim over to the edge of the water and slump my shoulders while walking out... I then go through the crowd, get some encouraging comments to go give it another shot, but at that point I was adamant about never do that again!!
Here is a picture of the group of us at an Irish bar in Vang Vieng. The boys I was with know the owner because he was traveling a year ago, met and fell in love with the daughter of the owner and now he lives here and owns it himself!
I head out for the day of tubing with my Irish friends, we get dropped off at the 'start' of the tubing portion, with no tubes in hand. And, oddly enough we're dropped at a bar that has a deck overlooking the river... as well as the 40 foot swing/zip line platform looming over everyone. All the boys were SO excited about doing the swing, so I became their mom, holding all their belongings while they scurried off to the ladder.
I ordered drinks and wondered out to the deck to watch the guys plunge to their deaths (not really). I watched them all go through and to describe the scene a bit better so you can visualize it .....
You walk onto the deck, which is about 5 feet back from the river (which is a murky, muddy, rushing river), you look to the left to see a bar on the side of the river every 100 yards or so. You see half naked people (read: swimsuits) jumping into the quickly moving waters with no tube and half floating/swimming to the next bar. You look above you to see the forty foot platform poking out from the tree that its built up against. You watch these people jump off the platform while holding onto a bar connected to a rope that hangs above them. They leap off the platform, holding onto the bar, and when the rope catches, all of the persons weight is dropped into their arms. The swing out about 50 feet, straight in front if the crowd watching on the deck. After the person swings back and forth a few times they let go and drop into the river. (The extreme people try to do flips or dives off the highest point of the swing.) A few of the audience members have cards to hold up and rate the jumped. After watching this, if you turn to look upstream you will see a beautiful limestone mountain, more of the river, and a rice paddy off in the distance. Its a crazy mix of things to take in all at once, but I completely know why it is so talked about and a 'must do' while in Laos!
So... it's my first day of tubing (I went 3 days) and oddly enough I find myself being talking into doing the swing... ugh... I hear 'remember how easy the cliff jump was? And how great you felt after it?" Yeah, yeah, yeah.... as I slowly walk to the ladder. Step by step I'm thinking 'Don't look down. You can do this. You'll be fine.' Once I get to the top though, I look down. Crap. This is a lot more extreme then the cliff jump! Forty feet up, over a raging river, on some crappy make shift platform! Oh hell no.... I turn around to walk back down. "Molly, no. You can do this. You'll be fine", says my oh so nice friend Peter. I counter with, I believe, a solid flow of curse words and yet again am convinced I can do this.... I step to the edge, grab onto the bar and close my eyes. I jump off to immediately open my eyes and realize what I've just done and instantly let go of the bar! Oops... big mistake. I hadn't even fully swing out yet so my jump essentially turned into a free fall from 40 feet with a slight angle to it. I hit the water somewhat awkwardly but not a full belly flop, luckily!! I popped up out of the water to see all the looks of pity coming toward me, and slowly swim over to the edge of the water and slump my shoulders while walking out... I then go through the crowd, get some encouraging comments to go give it another shot, but at that point I was adamant about never do that again!!
Here is a picture of the group of us at an Irish bar in Vang Vieng. The boys I was with know the owner because he was traveling a year ago, met and fell in love with the daughter of the owner and now he lives here and owns it himself!
Another shot of something you don't see too often -- novice monks walking to get on a boat and a group of kids bathing in the river.
If you want to see more waterfall pictures you can go to my album online:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2179627&id=25909423&l=df8777097b
And more random Laos photos:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2178499&id=25909423&l=7600fadd2d
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