11TH FEB 2013: LUANG PRABANG (REST DAY)
The reps from the kayaking tour company fetched me at 9.30am. I met other foreigners in the van and we were driven to Pak Ou, some 30kms away from Luang Prabang. We first stopped at the company’s place to get the kayaks. I told the rep that I want to have a single kayak instead of the double ones.
Upon reaching the Nam Ou river bank, we were given a short briefing about the kayaking procedure. Then I noticed the bridge which looked familiar. Ohhh....it was the same bridge where I stopped for rest yesterday.
The kayaking tour started on the smaller contributory of Mekong River, the Nam Ou. The weather was perfect and the river was beautiful. At certain areas, the current was pretty strong due to some baby rapids and I was kind of struggling to handle the kayak as I paddled alone. I havent been kayaking for quite a while, and havent done any upper limbs exercises (except for pressing the throttle), so after paddling for 30mins, I tired out. However the nice view paid the hard effort. I didnt bother to chase the other kayaks as I busied myself with the cam, and this is what I got.
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| Look at the reflection... |
We stopped a while at a sandy shallow bank which had some cave openings, but we didn’t enter it as nothing of interest is in there, quoted the guide.
We proceeded to the natural wonder of Pak Ou Cave, also known as the Buddha Cave. It was quite a climb of stairs to reach the cave. There was nothing spectacular about the cave or its rock formation, except that this cave housed more than 4000 Buddha replicas being put there by the worshippers. One must bring a torch as the inner side of the cave was pitch dark.
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| Our kayaks down the river bank |
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| Its quite a climb to reach the cave entrance |
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| The cave entrance |
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| View of the jetty from the cave |
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| Pak Ou @ Buddha Cave |
We then had our traditional Lao lunch at a small restaurant facing the river. As I cant eat the chicken, I was given a grilled fish. Mmmm.....yummy....
We continued kayaking on the Mekong River to our final destination, that is the Whisky Village. The current here was stronger as the river was bigger. We arrived Whisky Village after 30mins paddling. What is so special about the whisky from this village? Well, the whisky was made from sticky rice and from the exotic animals. Check it out for yourself.
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| The Whisky Village |
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| Anyone? |
We returned to Luang Prabang around 4pm. I rested for a while and then went to an ancient wat nearby my GH, and to the night market again, just to kill the time.
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| A petrol station in Luang Prabang |
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