We are settling in to life in Luang Prabang.
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| Our bedroom is on the upper right, second floor -with the blue open shutters. Our neighbors, young novices make their way home to the temple across the road from us. Their orange robes brighten the streets. |
The days start with Ben working in the early hours of the morning on his U.N. consultancy contract.
He leaves me sleeping and makes his way to the “best cappuccino in town” at a cafe on the Mekong River, a few blocks away. By the time I wake up, the day is heating up. July is the hottest and most humid time of the year here. I need a cool swim.
So today, all work done, we are ready to set out on a trip to the waterfalls in the nearby mountains to cool off for a few hours.
We jump on a tuk tuk (motorized rickshaw) and enjoy the gorgeous drive up through the mountains, leaving Luang Prabang in the valley in the distance.
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| The surrounding countryside is made up of lush green forested mountains and small villages. |
Before we get to the waterfalls, though, we are going to visit a butterfly farm near the falls.
We are both partial to butterflies. Whenever we hear of a butterfly place, we make an effort to visit. The last one we went to
was near Siem Reap in Cambodia.
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| A black beauty. |
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| When it comes to butterflies, it is all about the flowers as well… and planting the varieties which attract the butterflies. |
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| The Butterfly Farm is a large enclosure made from bamboo, with nets at the top, which they hope to enlarge in years to come. |
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| Love this turquoise and black design against the orange flowers. |
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| Bright yellow body against black wings and white flowers. |
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| Burnt orange on bright orange. |
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| And an affectionate little ginger kitten at the exit. |
After an infusion of bright colors of butterflies, we are ready to discover the Tat Kuang Si waterfalls just a few minutes away.
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| Milky blue pools of water for swimming in. |
The waterfalls are magnificent! A series of tiered pools created by limestone, filled with a milky turquoise water, of surprising brightness. Some of the pools are deeper than others, there are small falls and the main large ones, and some areas are so clear, we can see the small fish nibbling at our toes.
OMG…This is really beautiful. the butterflies!!!!!! the waterfalls…
It is gorgeous! I can’t wait to go back for another swim and dose of the beauty. Even just the ride there was gorgeous!!
What a beautiful and unique place to call home!
Yeah! Right!
This is beginning to look a lot like paradise.
Pretty damn close. SO much beauty!
These look truly amazing and what a contrast to the river in the city. This is a place we still need to explore and seeing your wonderful photos and reading about your time here I wish we could jump of a flight right now.
Yes it is so true… the two bodies of water are so very different. Sometimes after the rains,( it is now the rainy season), the Mekong is a deep deep sienna ochre color.
Yeah, book a flight. Be aware that Nov – Feb is high season and no doubt the lovely now calm and quiet Luang Prabang will be packed with tourists.