#tadsaewaterfall

In celebration of Sasha’s birthday, we visited an elephant camp just outside of town. Overlooking the Nam Khan River, the camp offers visitors the chance to get up close and personal with elephants rescued from work in the logging industry in Laos and Myanmar (all females, as rescued males tend to act too erratically). A day’s visit allowed us to feed, ride and bathe them by the river.

Although it’s billed as a sanctuary and, indeed, the animals appear to be very well cared for (plenty to eat, only work mornings, and an on-site clinic for routine check-ups and maintenance), we still cringed at the riding aspect of the day. As strong as these creatures are, it surely can’t be comfortable or easy to lug up to 3 adults on one’s back. Opinions on this vary from one sanctuary to another, but our first experience was one in Chiang Mai which strictly opposed the practice. 

Below, after a morning feeding and walk atop the mommies, we boated across river to a smaller, less-public camp to meet a couple calves, who were feisty, friendly and really adorable.

A birthday “cake” of apples and pears for Sasha and bathtime in the river with our hosts. Sasha’s was particularly cheeky, constantly spraying her with trunkfuls of water. Gaia’s was fussy but calm (apparently she will refuse to step foot in the water unless her friend - another elephant in the group - accompanies her).

Following the afternoon bath, we bid adieu to the elephants, and hopped in longboats upriver to a natural springs area named Tad Sae, a waterfalls area with formations that look otherworldly - smooth rounded tiered rock that trickle level by level into wide even wading pools. From the bottom, one can climb easily up the falls into a more wooded section of the park, only knee-deep in crystal clear water. Very peaceful, and very alien. 

Back in town for the evening, we set out on foot for a lovely dinner at a restaurant comprised of small bungalows and patios scattered down a hillside overlooking the river. To get there, we crossed this rickety bridge on foot, as Fra continued to meet her fear of heights head on(!), with a brief stop at a local market for a particular ingredient.

A vital component of any respectable green curry dish is kaffir leaves. For whatever reason, they’re tough to find in HK, and Fra was on a mission...

Meanwhile, while Francesca sniffed out the green market, Sasha and I were drawn to the gorier sections. Above, sash laments the imminent demise of some frogs, and I tried my hardest to identify all the different corpses on display (bats and rats among others).

Here is the restaurant mentioned above, which specializes in hot plate cooking over bins of roasting coal brought to the table. The ambiance of the riverside setting offered the perfect way to stretch out and relax after a busy day.

Technically, our night was over following our post-dinner stroll back to the inn. However, we woke well before dawn to join others along the main street for morning offerings to the monks. Each day, the town’s monks (of various orders and temples) make their way through the streets with baskets, collecting cooked rice and other foodstuffs from Luang Prabang’s citizens - their only sustenance for the day, shared equally among the groups regardless of how much each monk collects. The kids really got a kick out of it.

Below, two workers from our inn, who cooked the rice and woke us in time to join them (the fellow on the right being a former monk himself).