A amazing experience I got to do in Luang Prabang was yoga at Ock Pop Tok Yoga, which is on the Mekong River. We did yoga as the sun was setting, with a beautiful view of the river. It’s a great place to go on a yoga retreat and I wish I had more time to spend there as the place was magical. I could make a vacation just out of the yoga studio!
Another beautiful place outside Luang Prabang is the Kuang Si Falls. It is a three tier fall and we walked to the top to see as much as we could. There are parts of the falls where you can swim so we did just that. If you are in your bikini you will be photographed by tourists, so be prepared for that…it was a strange experience.
Vang Vieng was our next stop touring Laos. You will notice the hammer and sickle all over there as you can see in the photo I took on the bus ride. It is a communist country and people have a curfew, so places close early so people can make it home on time. Vang Vieng was a rest stop in that we had no planned activities, but complete free time to do whatever we wanted. I wanted to walk around and then relax by the pool. The trip was so “go go” that it was nice to read and relax. The view from the hotel was nice, you can see mountains in the background; it was just beautiful. I also witnessed a couple caught up in herd of cattle, which was pretty funny, and something I didn’t see every day.
We decided to go for a hot air balloon the next morning before leaving. I have never done it, and thought I should try it out. It was a scary and hilarious experience…I’m so glad I survived. A group of us went, and were all crammed into one balloon. I was praying that my hair would not burn off since I was standing so close to the flame that propelled the balloon…it was so hot. I kept trying to move, but we were squeezed in like sardines so there was nowhere to go; plus there was no one that would switch places. I kept moving my head over the edge of the basket.
We took some great photos as the view was incredible. You can see how amazing the landscape is there! The best part was the landing though. We were all falling on top of each other, bouncing back and forth…I could not stop laughing…the men that were stopping the balloon even started laughing. It was definitely an experience. If you are a person that likes to play it safe, don’t go on the hot air balloon…we were living dangerously…But it definitely makes a great story, and was a bonding experience for us all.
