First things first, whilst the three of us got our beauty sleep, Beth took one for the team and got up at 5am to see the monks collect their Alms. This is where monks walk through the village to collect their daily meal from devotees. The picture below was taken from a distance in order to remain respectful of this spiritual ceremony.
After breakfast we went back to the waterfalls as there was so much we didn’t see the first time! A group of us from the hostel hired a private van to get there so that we could stay as long as we wanted (daily tours only let you stay 2 hours) and allow more time for swimming. It cost 50K Laos Kip per person which works out about £4.
The currency can seem like a lot when you hear something costs Ten Thousand Kip (like a bottle of water), but really that is 86p. It’s a cheap country to visit!
11,622 kip = £1
1 million kip = £86
I remember feeling quite sad when our jungle leader and Laotian Kee highlighted that we can come here and live like millionaires but he would probably never have enough money for a trip to Europe. However, despite a large portion of the population not having a lot of money, they are noticeably very happy and chilled people that take life at a nice pace, so much that the Lao People’s Democratic Party is otherwise known as ‘Lao: Please Don’t Rush’ – amazing.
After our waterfall excursion we found a nice restaurant (as opposed to street food) and enjoyed pad Laos. An early night is essential as we are going on our two day elephant experience at the Elephant Conservation Centre. We will NOT be riding or bathing the elephants, but instead learn about them, speak to the mahouts, and observe them being happy and free.
Ciao for now!
