why I love Laos...

besides the monks, temples and buddhas (oh my), i love th e lao way of life. the owner of our guest house is from laos, by way of madison, wisconsin. He says that Lao PDR actually stands for Lao "please don't rush". so true. I really love the atmposphere here--everyone is so laid back, and despite my east coast roots, i think i am adapting very well. the real focus of this blog entry, however, is the waterfall that we visited today. first we saw some gorgeous temples, and then we were off to the Kwang si waterfalls this afternoon. this place is AMAZING. picturesque, idyllic setting with waterfalls cascading down into soft, green pools of water. we hiked in flip flops, beer in hand, to the top of the falls. the "stairs" along the route were pits dug into the clay by the river as it overflows it's banks in rainy season. i love that you can hike this route and swim in these pools, and there are no guardrails or restrictions. there was one area that was considered a "do not swimming area" because it was right next to a giant drop, but that was it. free reign to damage yourself at will. so refreshing. after the long, slick hike the pools were refreshing. we plunged into the deep, green water and ate up every second of it.