Today we are finally going to the Kuangsi Waterfalls. We had wanted to visit last year, but somehow just ran out of time. So this year we booked a half day transit with Tara’s neighbor, Mr. Boung, in his Jitney. We want to leave as early as possible to avoid the crowds, but Mr. Boung drives the Monks back to their monastery after the morning alms giving, so we are on his schedule, and we sure can’t argue with that!
He arrives to pick us up fairly early, around 8:15, hopping in the back of his Jitney and away we go. It’s another gorgeous day, without a cloud in the sky as we traverse the city streets and then head out into the country filled with rice paddies, terraced farmlands and lots and lots of scooters on really badly maintained roads! But Mr. Boung seems to know every pot hole and bump, and he keeps us as comfortable as possible in the back of the open air truck.
We arrive at the entrance to the Falls in a little under an hour. Mr. Boung shows us where to go for entry, and we wave goodbye, telling him we’ll see him in a while. We pay our entrance fee and begin the trek through the forested paths to reach the Falls. But, before we get there, we get to walk through the Bear Sanctuary. Finally! (Remember we didn't have the opportunity to go to the Agra bear sanctuary.) This sanctuary is associated with a charity called “Free the bears.” Apparently bears in SE Asia are captured and “milked” for their bile, which is used in all sorts of medicines here. A grandmother in Australia actually started the charity after she watched a TV program detailing the atrocities performed upon these bears. She started a petition in 1993 that drew thousands of signatures and eventually fostered the first Free the Bears charity, which began in Cambodia in 1995. The movement then spread to India, then to Laos and then to Vietnam. The organization now operates 5 sanctuaries and helps support efforts in India to help stop the abuse, slaughter and trafficking of these poor bears.
The sanctuary here has plenty of room to roam, lots of trees and platforms for the bears to sleep and relax and seems to be a lovely habitat for them. We spend quite some time walking from viewing platform to viewing platform gazing at the snoozing bears. They are so sweet looking and similar to our Asheville bears in size and demeanor. There is also a great bear statue display that visually shows the difference between all the bears worldwide. There is even the North American Black bear (our bears!) that I stand in front of so Ed can snap a picture.
Very cool.
Now, on to the waterfalls. Which are even better than their description! We get to the first pools of water which are aquamarine in color and such a beautiful contrast to the deep green trees and foliage surrounding them. We walk further up the incline and find the first little small falls, cascading peacefully over the rocks into pools. The next set of falls are a bit higher, with rushing water running over craggy rocks. And as a bonus, there is a lovely girl perched on a tree branch over the water, posing for photos in a gorgeous white wrap around bikini. Scenery. You take it as you see it!
As we climb higher through the falls, we pass fig trees, their roots branching out all around their main trunks. Serene ponds of aquamarine water, and rushing falls cascading down more craggy rocks. Truly stunning scenery. We can’t get enough of it, and it there are more and more beautiful vistas everywhere we turn. We had read that there are 2 ways to climb to the top of the falls – the path on the left is less strenuous, so we took that route. If it is less strenuous, then I’d hate to see what the path to the right was like. This one was pretty hard. We climbed up uneven steps and moss covered pathways, winding around the mountain through the forest, until we came to a scenic point with a bench where we could rest. After this point, there were steep stairs up the side of the waterfall that were covered in rushing water. Ok, we’re adventurous, but not that adventurous! we’ve seen what we want to see – and we don’t need to tempt the fates by trying to climb up water slicked stone stairs.
We reverse course, and make our way down the paths to the bottom of the waterfall none the worse for wear. As we are treading our way to the exit, the park is totally filling up. Where just moments ago as we ascended the falls there was no one about, now the falls and pools are filled with people. We have beautiful photos with no one around, now? You couldn't even dream of a photo without other people in it. It so pays to get up and out early.
We make our way through the crowds, back to the bear sanctuary, where I end up buying a Free the Bears hat, which will be my traveling hat from now on. then we find our way out to the car park where Mr. Boung is no where to be found. The other drivers look for him, and one guy in particular goes calling through the local food and drink stands for our driver. Finally, after a couple of minutes he appears – apparently we were faster than what was expected (no surprise to us – we’re the speed tourists!).
On the way back to town, we have the option of stopping at the butterfly farm, but we’re not into that (we’ve read reviews that it is small, expensive and not worth the time), so we ask Boung if instead we can stop at the Laos Buffalo Dairy farm. He obliges and we hang stop at the little roadside stand selling Buffalo ice cream, which is totally delicious. They have ricotta donuts too, but it would have been 15 minutes for the donut, so we declined, although we really should have ordered one and then walked about the property waiting. We didn’t realize we could just wander about – they have a pay tour, so we thought that was the only way to see the place, but there is a cafe and stalls and buffaloes and pigs running about the place, so we probably could have just wandered with our ice cream. The dairy farm is a sustainable farm – they rent out the buffaloes from local farmers, so the farms get a piece of the action and the dairy farm helps protect the buffalo and also breed them to enhance the herds. The dairy farm then sells cheese, ice cream and other products to support the business.Its a great business idea, and we are happy to support them, even if it is only with a purchased cup or 2 of ice cream.
Back in the Jitney we bump our way back to town, to the house and bid farewell to Mr. Boung. It’s lunch time, so we head back to Atsalin for their great crispy yellow noodle dishes. This time I get the chicken, while Ed gets the duck again and we dig into to a wonderfully prepared and filling meal. The rest of the afternoon is spent blogging and reading and just cooling off under the A/C. Dinner tonight is at Soum Noum, a restaurant we’ve passed by a couple of times on our wandering. The reviews sound good, and they have a mix of Western and Asian, as most places do. What has intrigued Ed though is their Pork Belly burger, so that is our goal for the evening!
We arrive, and as per usual, we are one of the first customers. There is another guy sitting outside on the patio, but we decide it is way too loud out there (the speakers blaring music are right next to the table at which we start to sit), so we go “inside” to the covered patio, away from the street and the speakers for a lovely quiet evening meal. Since we are the only customers, we get all the attention we need – ordering our drinks, then Ed orders his Pork Belly burger and I settle on the Mok Kai, a farci chicken wrapped in a banana leaf. What the heck.
The food arrives, and oh boy! That Pork belly burger is something else. It is first of all MONSTROUS, and second of all packed with pork belly, fried egg, lettuce, tomato onion, bun…it is just massive. Ed can’t even get his mouth around the whole thing – he ends up deconstructing the thing just to eat it, but he says it is delicious and well worth the effort. My Mok Kai is tiny, but packed full of flavor. It is some sort of ground chicken, packed with spices and steamed in the banana leaf, giving it tons and tons of flavor. It’s a perfect size for me, and the accompanying sticky rice is all I need for a satisfying meal. We have a little bit of a language issue when I ask for soy sauce for the rice, but the chef comes through (he understands my request) and the meal is excellent all around.
For a night cap, we head back to the Indigo rooftop bar – it’s the best place in town to hang out, watch people with a drink or two. Then a stop at the Dara Market for wine (tomorrow is Macha Bucha day in Thailand – dry day!!! – no booze – so I need to pack my wine for the day), then back to the house to hang out on the patio, and organize our packing for our trip to Chiang Mai tomorrow.
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