10th November 2009 - Luang Prabang

on the 10th of november i moved to thanaboun guesthouse to make way for some tourist who had previously booked a room at the sopha guesthouse. the new room at sisavangvong street cost 5 USD less, at $15 USD. i did some quick math in m head and figured i really do not have a large amount left to spend, not that i ever had a large amount to start of with. having checked in i booked a seat in a minimus to kwangsi waterfalls, a 30 minute ride from the hotel. this set me back by 60 000 kips, about 6 USD. at 1:20pm as instructed i turned up and was shown into the minibus with 3 other tourists, some cat from san francisco, and two chicks from denmark. we traded traveler stories and after coursing a few winding roads flanked by breath taking misty mountains, we arrived at the waterfall.
zephyr, the dude from cali, told us he knew of a little spot away from the crowd that was a hike away. going with the flow we all agreed to head up to his 'oasis like spot', realizing quickly that we had to take a ridiculously dangerous route up the mountain. the gradient was unforgiving and nearly every other rock was covered in slippery moss. some rocks gave way altogether when you stood on them. a few parts we found ourselves walking sideways adjacent to the pounding currents of the waterfall on a half meter slippery path wit a sheer vertical drop at least 60 meters down on the other side. i was not going to be the motherly naggy fun spoiler, if it was any fun at all, so i just trekked on. an arduous twenty minutes later we found the spot, and no one was in sight. we quickly dumped our bags on the wet muddy rocks and stripped our clothes off, walking into the curtains of cold rushing water. i had planned to smoke up here but i figured i would probably fall off and die if i attempted to get down high. we swam around and occasionally took a break from the pounding water in the small rocky caverns. i ran my fingers along the rocks where the water has been coursing for an infinite unknown number of years and found they were as smooth as pearls.
after an hour in our little private corner of kwang si waterfall we went down where most of the tourists were and swam in the faintly milky blue water stained by the minerals and calcium from the rocks. i watched as guys showed off their balls and jumps off a clumsily made swing on an old tree which ha a thick slippery branch stretching over the water. one guy with dread locks took a huge leap off the tree clutching tightly onto the frayed green rope. at the apex of his swing, instead of letting go to everyone's horror he continued to hang on tightly. retracing the path he had sailed through, crashing into the rough jagged stump of the tree with his ribs. everyone went 'ouchhhhhhhhhhhhh' together.
we left not long after that and our little group went our separate ways one we were dropped off at the tour agency. i took a shower and then bought myself a birthday dinner of lasanga, which came with a generous serving of salad on the side, from a swedish bakery for 29 000kip.
i went to bed early after a few beers realizing in the quiet of the night that a water pipe which led to a large angry pump was in the ceiling above me, making constant vibrations and groans every three seconds rhythmically, constantly, without fail.
no wonder my room was so cheap.