March of the elephants...

Hello! Sorry about these blog delays, the Internet in Laos just isn't cooperating! Yesterday was really a special day. So special, that it is the third day in my sponsorship series! Soooooooooo to Morgan and Luc, thank you for all your support, friendship, and help making this day possible!

We began before dawn at 5am when, for the third day in a row, our alarm clock went off. Going to watch the monks leave for to collect alms each morning us a tradition in Luang Prabang that we knew wasn't to be missed. Unfortunately, due to rain and fatigue, the two mornings before it had been just a tad too painful to remove ourselves from bed (yes, even though the beds themselves were painful...) What a sight to see. In Laos, most young men (even many young enough to be called young boys) become monks for some amount of time - it is a bit of a right of passage. At about 5:30am on the dot, the monks begin filling out of the Wats to begin to collect their alms. We were told not to partake unless it was spiritually significant to us, and as we know little about it, we just stood back and watched it happen.


At first it was just a few monks, spaced out, collecting alms.


Before long, they lined the street.

We then went back to bed until our 8:30 pick up to go meet the elephants! Knowing how poorly many elephants are taken care of, we were happy to find "elephant village" a refuge for formerly mistreated and overworked elephants from the logging industry. As elephants are hard to keep up (they eat an average of 250kg and drink 150liters of water per day) they are often overworked to earn their keep. At elephant village they are free to roam the jungle all but 1-4 hrs per day (like a domestic cat, they always come back home), when they give rides to tourists. They don't seem to mind the rides as they are given plenty of bananas and taken care of by their "mahout" (basically their human life partner, we read many endearing stories about the journeys these elephants have faced with their mahout). There is also a full time veterinarian on staff to ensure the health and well being of these magnificent animals.



To get there, we slugged through the muddiest of terrains. We really were on a jungle adventure.


Alex and I riding "Dala" (she had a longer name but...) can you believe I'm just sitting on her head! She kept flapping her ears which freaked me out but we later read is a sign of happiness. Dala loved bananas and would throw her trunk back to ask for more. She cleared us through 3 huge bunches- which cost the last of our Kip! How stinking cute is she though? She is 31 years old. These elephants have a life expectancy of 80-100 years!



We broke for lunch. How incredible is this view of the Laos jungle mountains?


Boarding a "fast boat" to the waterfalls.


Life on the river.


The waterfalls. It was nice to see clear water for the first time in awhile. It was so cold though! We only went in to the waist. There were baby elephants (6 and 7 years old) playing in a nearby pool!

We went home and rested up before a very special dinner at L'Elephant, one of Luang Prabang's most famous and well respected restaurants (French/Lao cuisine). The name felt fitting, and it was our last night in this very special place.

This morning we woke up, had our last breakfast in Laos (we have become verrrrry accustomed our morning banana pancakes - we both are in agreement that we could have one every morning for the rest of our lives), and packed for the next stop on our adventure - HANOI (Vietnam)!

I'll miss peaceful Laos. Both Alex and I hope to get back at some point in our lives. It really is a magical country with so much to offer.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad