A Day of Waterfalls (and a Wat)

A visit to the wat
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As I held my head under the shower fixture I watched the ceiling. Nearly a dozen grayish geckos had positioned themselves next to the ceiling light. With a quick flick of the tongue they devoured their insect prey. I was entranced, though the victors were always the geckos. I finished my shower and started walking back to my room. An orange and white calico kitty ran across my path, in her mouth – a gecko! Okay, maybe the victor isn’t always the same …

Tonight I’m at a very quaint Chiang Khan guest house. The wooden building is right next to the Mekong, and our corner room gives us such an amazing view. I’m exhausted from a day of hiking, visiting waterfuls, and a wat.

The Laos Forest Wat
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We left Nong Khai early in the morning, heading West next to the Mekong. Luckily I had no classes scheduled today, and I’ll just be missing 2 tomorrow. Our first stop was a wat right next to the river. It was so tranquil nestled in the woods. Across the river we could see Laos, and a forest monastery with “Naga” water snake decorations leading from the river to the wat. We poked around for a bit, took some pictures, and then packed back into the car.

The road was winding as we headed to a nearby waterfall. To get to the falls we hiked thru the woods for a ways, and waded thru a shallow stream. The falls were very nice (pics included), but the area was full of H.S. kids! Considering most of the kids were drinking beer – I don’t think it was a school trip ;) Anyway, thunder crashed in the distance and we decided to leave before it started raining. Of course, not before I managed to slip and fall on my butt in a shallow part of the falls, so I also had to change clothes before leaving.

Naga! (A typical decoration on buildings bordering the Mekong - it is a monster that suposedly lives in the river)
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The next waterfall is called Thon Thip Falls. The falls were 2-tiered with a swimming area between the tiers. A young girls soccer team, was playing in the water. We hung out for awhile and splashed around, much to the amusement of the giggling soccer team, before leaving for Chiang Khan.

As I write, I’m waiting for Lee, her mom, and Julia to return. They are at an internet café, while I opted for a shower and some writing time. While they’ve been out it has started to pour! Lightening flashes light up the sky, which I can see from the room’s two windows. The room is lit by a small light with a whicker covering, giving the room a warm glow. I feel quite cozy watching the storm from inside – for once!