Wonderfull waterfalls and wet weather, Luang Probang, Laos

With no other option we escaped a downpour of rain by jumping in an over priced tuk tuk and heading to our new guest house ‘Villa Thony.’ The bed was big and spread with white linen, the bathroom was average and the mans attitude was poor, he acted like we are an inconvenience to check in. Tired and hungry we walked into the city area spilling with western cafes with prices to match! The walk there by the river was peaceful and pretty enough, and the main strip was quite a pretty street, decorated with gift shops, cafes, massage places and tourist booking agents. We found a tasty croissant and coffee before making way to the Vietnamese embassy to apply for visas then home for some chill time! 
Dinner soon called and we were walked the short distance to a sweet hang out decorated in floor cushions and fairy lights. Utopia was a bustling little bar which served burnt bland pizza and cold beer. We met up with a few people we had met on the bus so chatted to them before our heads became heavy and we made tracks home in the dark. 
The next morning the heavy monsoon rain kept us under the sheets until our appetites couldn’t deal with it any longer. A food cart making fresh crepes, saucing them with Nutella and banana filled the gap, then we hitched a minivan to one of the main attractions of Luang Provang, Kuang Si waterfalls. We were dropped at the gate after about a 20 minute drive, paid the entrance fee and walked up to get a glimpse of the adorable moon bear. The sleepy little bears lazed around in the warm afternoon sun doing very little, and so we went in search of the waterfall. 
It was breathtaking, made of up a cascade each level has its own natural swimming hole! The water was a murky magical green and beckoned us in for a refreshing dip. The little nibbling fish kept me on my toes and we ventured further up the falls to find a secret little spot to relax. The tourists all gathered in one picturesque area so we did our best to avoid that area. After a few hours of splashing around we had to join the minivan back to Luang Probang. 

Snacking on a burger and a tart from another French place which was super pricey I then decided on a cheap and cheerful $7 massage from Lotus spa. I was led up stairs to a dark and sticky room and made to lay face down on a sweaty smelling sheet. The massage made amends of my initial impression but the lady trying to overcharge me after left a bad taste in my mouth.
I met Sean across the road enjoying a beer and watching the world pass by we then browsed the night markets. Same same but different; overpriced and unnecessary items, and not sold by the friendliest of people. And so we ate.. It seems that we did not much else in Laos but that, and all of it was pretty tasteless and extortionate prices!  
Our last morning in Laos we woke up to the sound of our alarms due for an early waterfall venture with some bus buddies we had organised. It was just after 7am and we walked to their hostel as arranged, only getting there to find that they had cancelled on us due to a little sprinkle. Dissapointed, wet and tired.. Also refusing at this point to bare the $20 trip just the two of us, we headed to the Pilgrim cafe for some warm coffee and French toast! Finally food that made us smile, we sat in good wifi and wasted time till our Vietnamese visas were ready for pick up. 
After dropping them home and still no word from our ‘bus buddies’ we decided to bite the bullet and head to the other waterfall! We caught the tuk tuk to a riverbank and paid a poler to boat us to the other side. Again the waterfall was gorgeous, and still in the form of a cascade with several pools. Had we have beaten the tourists with the original plan I can imagine it would have been far more blissful but we still enjoyed the natural beauty.

Drizzle became rain after about an hour and drove us back across the river and home. We changed out of our wet clothes and were picked up by a tuk tuk to be driven to our sleeper bus at the main station. Specifically requested that we not be down the bottom, and at the front we jumped on board hopeful. Sean’s face dropped when we found our seats in the same location however the man waved us further in and we luckily scored top ready to ride on into the next leg of our journey; Vietnam.