The Land of a Million Elephants

We think we've found Nirvana here in Luang Prabang!   After a short 'jumbo' ride from the boat (jumbo is the Lao name for tuk-tuk), we've arrived at the Thong Bay Guesthouse, just on the fringes of this UNESCO world heritage town.   But 'guesthouse' doesn't at all do justice to this beautiful haven of peace and quiet.   It's a cluster of palm-thatched, wood/bamboo/ratan bungalows, each with its own verandah at the front, and most overlooking either the Mekong river, or a beautifully-kept lawned garden, complete with palm-trees, huge ferns, small lily-pond, old decorative ox-cart and simply masses of gorgeous orchids of every colour and variety.   Breakfast is served to each indidual bungalow by a team of slender, silk-clad, Lao waitresses, and we sit or kneel each morning to eat at a low rattan table overlooking this beauty all around us, whilst small and large butterflies flutter and float quietly all around the orchids.   What a peaceful and civilised way to start each day!

Laos was once known as the Ancent Kingdom of Lane Xang - Land of a Million Elephants - but was renamed as the Lao People's Democratic Republic in 1975.   So much less poetic, don't you think - though probably a little more accurate nowadays, given that there's only about a hundred thousand elephants left.   And yesterday we had a ride on one of these gorgeous creatures at the Tad Sae waterfalls - an absolutely gorgeous and spectacular set of falls ,surrounded by beautiful forest-land.   The falls are really extensive and multi-layered, with many of the layers ending in a beautiful turquoise-green pool in which we swam.   We also took (or the mahoot took) our elephant into one of the pools for a cool-down as part of our walk.
Magic!  It was quite a naughty elephant, though (encouraged by its mahoot to entertain us really).   It went up to where a Lao family was picnicking on a raised wooden raft overlooking the pool, and proceeded to snatch up in its trunk some of the food they'd so beautifully arranged on a  picnic rug.   The four teenage girls of the family were almost hysterical with laughter - not so sure about their mother, though!   We were assured by our Intrepid guide that walking and swimming with these elephants is okay, and part of Laos' eco-tourism trade:  I just hope they're right (though they did refuse to take us to a similar place in Thailand, as they were no longer happy with the way the elephants were being treated).   Doubtless some of my colleagues in the RSPCA back home will tell me otherwise - are you there, Karen, or even Henry out in Africa now?

Just referring back to these beautiful falls, though, I think Andy entertained some of the visitors almost as much as the elephant had!   Above the pool in which we were swimming, there was a cycle-tyre dangling on the end of a rope from an overhanging branch.   On several occasions, Andy climbed up the tree to this tyre, and swung on it, over and into the pool - occasionally slipping off the tyre in a really rather comical and ungainly way - more Charlie Chaplin than Johnny Weismuller (for those of you old enough to remember these two stars of the silver screen)!   These same teenage girls I've already mentioned were, once again, almost hysterical with laughter.   Unfortunately, being in the pool myself at this, time, I didn't manage to get any photos of this acrobatic display ...!

The previous day - our first day here - we'd visited some more famous, but equally spectacular falls, the Kuang Si falls, where we were also able to swim.   I'm begining to run out of superlatives to express just how beautiful this whole area is!   We'd also visited the Traditional Arts and Ethnology Museum here in Luang Prabang, where we learned more about some of the 40 ethnic minority groups in the country, their fantastic handicrafts, baskets, woven silks, embroidery, silver-jewellery, and celebration rites.   Some truly stunning work which left most of us feeling really rather inadequate.   Each evening, there is also an extensive night-market in the town itself, where many of these handicrafts - and loads of other beautiful things, including some gorgeous hand-painted paper lamps - as well as lots of gorgeous street-food - are for sale.   Sandra - you'd certainly be in nirvana here!

We have found the Lao people to be truly friendly, happy, peaceful, serene and even demure (a word I've not used in a long time, but it really seems to fit.)   Raising one's voice is one of many acts (like wearing revealing clothing, touching people's heads, putting your feet up on furniture, kissing or other acts of affection in public), which would immediately deem you coarse or uncouth here.   Even the traffic has a calm serenity about it, with everyone waltzing gracefully around other road users.  The jumbos are a little noisy, but the many motor bikes and scooters here simply purr along, rather than roar, and drivers display utmost patience with other road-users and pedestrians alike.   We've not heard a single horn, nor seen anyone cut someone else up on the road.   Yesterday evening, Andy and I had stepped off a kerb to look down a lane of market-stalls, and became vagely aware of a white van sitting behind us.   We thought initially it had simply drawn into the kerb to park, and it was several minutes later before we realised that the driver was simply sitting there waiting for us to finish what we were doing before he continued his journey into the market.   Can you imagine white-van man doing that in England?   Yesterday afternoon we managed to visit Big Brother Mouse, a Laos children's book publishing organisation (thanks for the referall, Jo, Ronda and David), which works with a Laos literacy project to educate children, particularly village children.   Check out their website, it's a fantastic project.   They also have a daily drop-in Centre here in Luang Prabang, where older children can come to learn and practise English.   It's one of a number of organisations we might well do some volunteer work with, and it was good to meet up with a couple of the Laos staff there.

By the way, folks, thanks for all your messages - on the blog, on e-mail, text and Skype.   It's really great to hear from you all, and I'm sorry if we don't get time to react to each of you individually - but do keep them coming.  We have to agree with a comment from our computer-guru, Mike, who had a Skype text-conversation with Andy two evenings ago, that, despite several years now of international telephone calls, and, more recently, the advent of texting and the Internet, it somehow feels little short of a miracle that Mike and Andy were having a comtemporaneous text-conversation, with Mike sitting at home in Chiddingly, and Andy sitting on a verandah in Luang Prabang overlooking the mighty Mekong!   (Incidentally, mum and dad, do let us know when you have your microphone installed, and we can talk to each other.   The alternative, which we did with our friend Jo, whom we'll be seeing in Vientiane on Thursday, is that we can talk to you, and you can type your responses in the text-box at the bottom of the Skype page.   Worked pretty well with Jo.)

Right, off now for the 45-minute flight to Vientiane.

A 'Jumbo'

Several Views of Thong Bay Guesthouse and Gardens

It's Always Elephant Feeding T|ime!

Tad Sae Waterfalls