Waterfall Extravaganza Begins!
31st October 2010
Waterfall #1 – Tad Pau Suam
Apparently driving around in the pitch-dark last night and in blustering winds this morning was not enough adventure for my husband, who as soon as we reached our first waterfall on the tour proceeded to start hopping around on the slippery rocks at the top. We started this morning at the music hall in Laongam with a breakfast of fried egg and sticky rice, thanks to the very crumpled phrase sheet I was still clutching, that was given to us by Mr Ku on our last motor scooter adventure. After breakfast we drove back down the road to the sign for Tad Pau Suam, that we had passed in the fading light yesterday. The wind blew ferociously making the banana trees bend over and other trees branches sway. We drove slowly battling against the wind, our jackets billowing out behind us.
When we reached Tad Pau Suam we pulled into the carpark where a couple of large buses were parked. As we wandered into the grounds we noticed that a lot of work had been done to the area to develop it for tourism. A restaurant and bungalows had been built and tribes had been encouraged to move here and set-up home-stays. This might make it sound like a theme park, but as described in a newspaper article on display it had actually brought about many improvements to the environment. Businessman Wimol Kijbamrung spent over five years developing the area around Tad Pau Suam, Saum meaning “love nest” in Laos. Previously rubbish was strewn around and there was little wildlife as many animals were caught by hungry locals. Even streams had been redirected to enlarge the waterfall. Aaron and I noticed that the restaurant was built so that it didn't obscure the view and bridges and other fixtures were made from wood to harmonise with the surroundings. Unfortunately a week after opening Mr Kijbamrung caught malaria and lost his sight. Although he can't see the fruits of his efforts, the article describes how enjoys the cheerful sounds of the park and has never lost hope.
In front of Tad Pau Suam Aaron and I found a village lady selling baguettes and fruit, so we enjoyed a lovely picnic sitting by the beautiful, cascading waterfall. A great alternative to the overpriced cafe. In the early afternoon we took a short walk around the grounds or in Aaron's case a swing, as he had been inspired by listening to Tarzan on audiobook! On our tour we discovered another, much smaller waterfall (#1.5).
When we left the park we motored the 60km up the road to Tad Lo. On the drive Aaron noticed what looked like a big stick across the road and veered to the right to pass around it. As we glided past he noticed it looked as though it was covered in black shiny scales. When he glanced back over his shoulder he saw a startled cobra raising it's head! By the time we realised what had happened we were already safely speeding away, but we'll keep a close eye on the road ahead.
Waterfall #2 - Tad Lo
Given our experience the night before we began searching for our accommodation early today. After a couple of wrong turns we found a small village dominated by guesthouses, some of them rather westernised, including one with a happy hour! Whilst looking around at the options we drove right up to the waterfall, so of course we stopped for a closer look. I shivered in the chilly dusk air as we gazed out at Tad Lo, a vast falls, spanning a very wide section of the river. The water descends in a spectacular display crashing over many layers of jutting rocks. Tonight Aaron and I managed to secure one of the few cute bungalows overlooking the river. I'm now swaying in a rocking chair on the porch, watching water-buffaloes grazing and wallowing in the river as the sun disappears. Listening to the faint sounds of the river tumbling downstream and the wood creaking.
Waterfall #1 – Tad Pau Suam
Apparently driving around in the pitch-dark last night and in blustering winds this morning was not enough adventure for my husband, who as soon as we reached our first waterfall on the tour proceeded to start hopping around on the slippery rocks at the top. We started this morning at the music hall in Laongam with a breakfast of fried egg and sticky rice, thanks to the very crumpled phrase sheet I was still clutching, that was given to us by Mr Ku on our last motor scooter adventure. After breakfast we drove back down the road to the sign for Tad Pau Suam, that we had passed in the fading light yesterday. The wind blew ferociously making the banana trees bend over and other trees branches sway. We drove slowly battling against the wind, our jackets billowing out behind us.
When we reached Tad Pau Suam we pulled into the carpark where a couple of large buses were parked. As we wandered into the grounds we noticed that a lot of work had been done to the area to develop it for tourism. A restaurant and bungalows had been built and tribes had been encouraged to move here and set-up home-stays. This might make it sound like a theme park, but as described in a newspaper article on display it had actually brought about many improvements to the environment. Businessman Wimol Kijbamrung spent over five years developing the area around Tad Pau Suam, Saum meaning “love nest” in Laos. Previously rubbish was strewn around and there was little wildlife as many animals were caught by hungry locals. Even streams had been redirected to enlarge the waterfall. Aaron and I noticed that the restaurant was built so that it didn't obscure the view and bridges and other fixtures were made from wood to harmonise with the surroundings. Unfortunately a week after opening Mr Kijbamrung caught malaria and lost his sight. Although he can't see the fruits of his efforts, the article describes how enjoys the cheerful sounds of the park and has never lost hope.
In front of Tad Pau Suam Aaron and I found a village lady selling baguettes and fruit, so we enjoyed a lovely picnic sitting by the beautiful, cascading waterfall. A great alternative to the overpriced cafe. In the early afternoon we took a short walk around the grounds or in Aaron's case a swing, as he had been inspired by listening to Tarzan on audiobook! On our tour we discovered another, much smaller waterfall (#1.5).
When we left the park we motored the 60km up the road to Tad Lo. On the drive Aaron noticed what looked like a big stick across the road and veered to the right to pass around it. As we glided past he noticed it looked as though it was covered in black shiny scales. When he glanced back over his shoulder he saw a startled cobra raising it's head! By the time we realised what had happened we were already safely speeding away, but we'll keep a close eye on the road ahead.
Waterfall #2 - Tad Lo
Given our experience the night before we began searching for our accommodation early today. After a couple of wrong turns we found a small village dominated by guesthouses, some of them rather westernised, including one with a happy hour! Whilst looking around at the options we drove right up to the waterfall, so of course we stopped for a closer look. I shivered in the chilly dusk air as we gazed out at Tad Lo, a vast falls, spanning a very wide section of the river. The water descends in a spectacular display crashing over many layers of jutting rocks. Tonight Aaron and I managed to secure one of the few cute bungalows overlooking the river. I'm now swaying in a rocking chair on the porch, watching water-buffaloes grazing and wallowing in the river as the sun disappears. Listening to the faint sounds of the river tumbling downstream and the wood creaking.
Comments
Life is going to seem very quiet for you next year!