Bolovan Plateau in Pakse

For $100, our hotel arranged an all-day trip along the Bolovan Plateau, just Nick, me and our Lao van driver. It was awesome. 

The first of the waterfalls we visited was Pha Suam waterfall. What made this waterfall special wasn't the waterfall itself, but the village that had built up a (hopefully) sustainable visitors' area where tourists could purchase skirts and art, take pictures of the locals (for a price), or buy the food sold from little fire-pits along the walk ways. 

Pha Suam waterfall

Also (when we first arrived there, around 9am) there were puppies running all around the village. They were SO cute. When we went back an hour later the puppies were gone! 

They also had tree houses and cabins throughout the jungle area. It didn't look like anyone was staying there, but I would definitely consider it.

When wiping a mosquito off the back of Nick's neck, it exploded, and I got blood all over me. (Mosquitos- and insects/ creepy-crawlies in general- are what I hate most about the jungle)

Sign in the Katoo Village Center museum. To summarize: sleep with a local, pay the government $, have a jail sentence and buy the village a cow.

The next waterfall we visited was Thad Fane, which (I believe) is the most well-known of the waterfalls in Pakse, just because of how incredible it is. We couldn't even see the bottom! There isn't much to do, except stare in awe from the viewpoint, but there WAS an incredibly steep hiking trail that we didn't dare venture (both of us were wearing shorts and there were too many bugs/ snakes to feel comfortable, plus I was still rocking my flip flops).

We then stopped at a coffee plantation, where one of the workers explained the coffee making process. Nothing super surprising, but Nick and I got to eat one of the coffee "fruits" (a red berry-type fruit that surrounds the coffee bean). It was cool.

That Yenng (spelling?) was easily the busiest of the waterfalls, probably because there were so many places to walk around. There was a Buddhist monks' picnic near the top of the waterfall.

Also there were a lot of people at That Yenng that wanted to take pictures with me. Not sure where those pictures go. Do they just post the pictures on Facebook and declare me to be their new friend, though I have no idea who they are? I don't get it. 

It isn't normally part of the tour but there is a really cool Buddha on the top of the mountain across from the Mekong. Nick and I climbed to the top. Then back down. 

On the left a skirt that I bought in Katoo Village (I have no idea how to wear this skirt, but it felt nice to support them). On the right a sihn I bought at That Yenng, which I need for work :)

Overall a lot of hiking, a lot of waterfall viewing, and a lot of fun