a joyful reunion

We explored Luang Prabang a little more thoroughly yesterday, and ended up taking a mini (and I mean mini) van crammed with 15 people out to yet another waterfall. This one was called Kuang Si Falls, and was a bit more grande than the other spot we visited. It was a bit of a longer journey full of beautiful hills and motion sickness. Once we got there it was fantastic, as the picture will show.

We drove back, and visited a Hmong village, which is a native Lao tribe. It was pretty dismal, and the 'village' wasn't more than children selling trinkets, and when that didn't work, begging for money. It was pretty drab and heartbreaking.

Things took a turn for the better when we got back into town. We ran into our Israeli friends who we lost track of in Vientiane. It was joyful indeed, and we all went out to dinner and hit the town. Ohad had been promising us a wedding cake since the first night we met, and he made true on his promise. We ended up playing cards with Ohad, Ilad, Gavin (the irish), and Sam (the aussie).

This morning we woke up early and got some tasty spring rolls and pad thai. Then we walked to the Luang Prabang Red Cross and donated blood. It costs a Lao person twenty to forty dollars to buy blood if there is not any donated, and for many this is unaffordable and unrealistic for them to pay, and many die. It was a small cost to pay, but the soda was tasty and so were the cookies.



A wedding cake from our Israeli friend.



Kuang Si Falls.



From beer lao tanktop: the israeli, the irish, the israeli, the american, the aussie.



It is this pretty everywhere.



There is a temple on a hill.