Whenever I visit a new place, I always make a point of checking out the best city views it has to offer. In the case of Luang Prabang, you don’t need to look any further than Mount Phu Si, which is located right in the middle of town. Just by walking on the streets you can get a feel of how lush and green Luang Prabang is, but from above? The views are even more impressive, with the outlines of mountains blending into the city’s background.
How gorgeous is that view! We tried to time our visit just before sunset but alas, the clouds meant that it ended up being pretty overcast that day. It was still worth climbing the mammoth flight of stairs at the entrance, though.
On the way down you’ll find a large collection of Buddha statues, as well as (supposedly) an imprint of Buddha’s footprint! I failed to get any good photos of it, but honestly? It looks suspiciously like a giant bear paw to me…
On another day we made a little trip to Tad Sae Waterfall, which is about twenty minutes from the main city by car. Now I’ve been on quite a few hikes in my lifetime, but this place was just stunning. You have to ride a questionable motorboat to actually get there, but once you arrive the sound of the waterfalls is almost deafening. Not to mention, the clear blue water and rainforest surrounding you kinda made it feel like a little oasis.
A lot of people were having fun in the water, but sadly I forgot to pack my swimmers! You can ride elephants there as well, but I chose to opt out just because the whole thing makes me feel icky. I actually rode an elephant on my first trip to Thailand, but now that I’m old enough to research and make my own decisions I’d rather avoid it altogether. I’m pretty sure there are a few ethical elephant sanctuaries in both Laos and Thailand, just be sure to do your research first.
More to come from my trip soon! Unfortunately I totally underestimated just how many pictures I took, so it looks like I’ve got a lot of editing ahead of me. Anyway, this is going to sound completely out of the blue but I’m heading off to Hawaii for Christmas! I’ve been so rubbish at keeping my blog updated that I completely forgot to mention it. My parents thought it was about time we visit our cousins who live there, so that’s where I’ll be in the coming weeks. In the meantime, I hope everyone has a merry Christmas and enjoys the holiday season. I’ll be back before you know it!
