SABAIDI

Sabaidi is the greeting in Laos. Everywhere you go, you hear "sabaideeee". 

We rose before dawn this morning, to walk into town and give food to the monks. They collect offerings of food in exchange for blessings. The locals cook food for them, and we tourists give sticky rice and packaged treats that we bought.

Sitting on the sidewalk patiently waiting for the monks. The sticky rice is in the basket and you just make little balls of it and place it in their metal urns.

Sort of like trick or treating, except this is a daily ritual and the only source of food for the monks.

We had a great afternoon at Tat Kuang Si Falls, such a beautiful spot. Went for a swim and enjoyed a picnic lunch under a tree looking out over one of the pools.

There is also a bear rescue centre at the base of the waterfalls.

The bears here have been rescued from the illegal wildlife trade.

This guy seemed quite content in his hammock.

Enjoyed some free time this evening at the night market and walked around town. 

Considering the fact that Laos was never on our radar, we have loved exploring it and are so pleasantly surprised by how much we have enjoyed it. The people are very friendly, food is fantastic and the natural beauty is everywhere. We would love to come back and spend more time here.

Heading out on a bike ride tomorrow, then off to Vietnam. Stay tuned....