029 – Tat Kuang Si

I wanted to do 2 things here. See the waterfalls and try to get a picture I might hang on a wall. The other thing I wanted to do was try out the zipline because my friend said it was fun.

There is a legend, of course, as to how the falls were named. A ‘wise’ old man went out and dug a hole. Not sure why, but assume it was to find water, because guess what? He found water. Not ordinary water, but breathtakingly beautiful water that caught the attention of a golden deer.
Because golden deer wander around the forest as if they were common stags in Laos. But this golden deer was so enamored with the beautiful water, he took up residence under one of the large rock formations the water cascaded over.
Apparently the deer was there until 2001 when an earthquake knocked down the overhang the deer lived under, so now the evidence backing up the legend is lacking, but a waterfall with a name remains.

Tak (tok, tad) translates to ‘Waterfall.’ Kuang means ‘deer;’ Nam means ‘water’ and Si is ‘to dig,’ Nam Si (or river Si) is the river that feeds these falls. So, literally ‘waterfall deer to dig’. Tells the whole legend in a very non factual way.

Given the deer motif, I was surprised to find a bear sanctuary at the entrance. No idea Bears were native to these parts, but apparently they had 15 on site, of which I saw one paw in the distance.
They did have many statues of bears, so I felt obliged to prove I was there. With the plaster bears.

The falls are 3 tiers of water cascading over limestone rocks. The total height of the waterfall is 60 meters from what I am told. Feels more like 100 or more meters when climbing the last portion, but feelings are not facts. Apparently rolling over the limestone, and the special magical water from the hole the old man dug causes the water to be a very vivid turquoise color which brings many to witness the beauty.

3 indigenous tribes lived in the area. The Hmong, Lao Theung, and Khmu hill tribes had villages around the falls, but they practiced ‘slash and burn’ rice farming which caused a drought severe enough for the Lao government to step in. They relocated the tribes in 1975 and restored the area around the falls to its natural state.

They forgot to restore the road. It is older than dirt and has more potholes than the falls has water droplets. Just saying.

So, the falls are indeed beautiful. I have not personally witnessed a lot of waterfalls in my lifetime, but this is one of the better ones I have seen.

I will pass on a few pieces of advice I did learn from the internet and did not necessarily heed.
First go early. Before the tourists get up. I left at 9, arrived at 10, and my ride was scheduled to take me back at noon. 9 was too late. 2 hours was too little. Schedule your time so you arrive when they open and you need at least 3 hours in my opinion.

Of course, I took tons of pictures and probably could have done the whole experience in 2, but I’m slow.

Don’t waste your time at the lower falls. Go directly to the top, it is the best. Or that was the advice. I agree, the top is stunning, but there was a lot of magic in the lower falls. Except for the tourists.
The lower areas the tourists are encouraged to bathe and frolic. Bathing and frolicking is not allowed in the upper falls, which helps the beauty factor, especially if you are trying to take pictures.
Bath and frolic minded individuals are supposed to observe local dress codes, which means perhaps shirt over swimsuit. Tourists do not read. I include myself in that statement because I walked through the middle of a temple grounds without knowing it, but I also do not wander into waterfalls in a bikini.

Not because I am respectful of the culture, but because I do not want to terrify random children or cause a panicked run down the mountain.

But it did detract from the beauty. At least for pictures. I did want to climb into the water and wade around, but I feared I might not be able to climb out given my recent mobility issues. That and the first thing I witnessed was a pristine aqua pool of water with two bikini clad females wading in. I do not have any pictures of the lower area for that reason.

I suppose your purpose defines your actions, so they went to swim, which looked lovely. I went to take pictures. Both acceptable in this environment. Both detracting from the purpose of the other.

So, I moved up. I deleted about half the pictures I took because of people interference. I got a shot or two, but I never achieved the ‘wow’ picture.

And that is the art of the moment. It just was not the right day for me, but it was still a good day. Until the stairs.

God what is with these cultures and stairs?

After you view the ‘top’ falls, there is a staircase you can climb to get to ‘the view.’ I was told the climb was worth it, and the view extraordinary. Plus that is where the zip line is so I had to climb to get my shenanigans on.

Few things if you visit. It is a metal staircase to the top. I did not know how many stairs, but they put encouragement signs every hundred steps or so.
The climb is not bad overall. The steps are consistent, instead of the 2″ then 10″ variation I have seen to date. There are areas of flat, or bridges along the way so one might rest. And again, ever so nice to know I have traveled 100, 200, 300… steps along the way.

By the by, the step count starts at the metal steps and discounts the climb from the parking lot. I felt cheated. And tired.

But I had a goal. I did stop a few times on the way up to take pictures of the view. Mostly because I thought I was near the top when in reality I was not. That and the whole breathing thing I wanted to continue, so paused to find my breath.

Mostly the climb was overgrown with native vegetation, so views of the scenery were few and far between. I assume that is to help with people who fear heights, or perhaps fear vast landscapes, but the climb up was tedious in the fact it did not offer inspirational scenes. Only black metal stairs and vines.

The top was disappointing. People along the route would encourage me. “Only a little further!” “The view is amazing!”
“Take your shoes off and swim in the waters! They are wonderful!”

I have no idea where these people were, but I must have been on a different mountain.

If you are wondering; 542 steps. Fine. The calorie thing depresses me, but 542 steps is an accomplishment.

If you note in the picture above, the tree house is where the ‘actual’ view is. Everything below is an inspired babbling brook surrounded by vegetation and large fences (true of natural bamboo) which block any view that might be picture worthy.
‘The View,’ as I was led to understand at the initial entry point, was included in the ticket. The guardian of the stairs leading up to the view informed people it was extra.
Strike one.
Strike two was it was another staircase and I was in a mood.
Strike three was the zipline was extra (knew that) but you had to get to the view to take the zip line, or so the group studying the price board with me were informed.

I think it was his first day, or he was an extortionist, and I say that because…
The view was included in the ticket at the bottom, I learned when I got back to the bottom.
The cost he was charging was a legitimate cost which was applied to a coffee or drink when you climbed the stairs to the view. So it was not an extra charge unless you did not buy a beverage. I could have used a beverage, but I also learned that tid bit on the way back down the mountain.
The zip line included admission to the view, but not as he presented the information. He did not make a lot of sales that day. I was not the only one confused by his wording or gestures.

So, I was running late and decided to go back down on the stairs, not the zip line.
I’m okay with that. I have done zip lines.

I was uninspired by the view at the top, even though I never made it to ‘the view.’
Sometimes that happens. You climb a hill and the effort expended does not produce the expected results. Life happens at home or on vacation. I’m okay with that. Kind of pointless not to be since I cannot control outside of my control.
Many probably read that and have a whole list of what they would have done in the same situation. Argued with the guy. Perhaps demanded to go to the top (two women did that. Stomped up the stairs saying it was their right to do so since they paid to enter the park. He did not go after them, but I bet they did not get discounted coffee.)
The point is whatever action you have lined up in your head to tell me how I should have reacted to the situation is only how you, the reader, and your lifetime of experiences might react to that situation.
I may be trying to change my ways, or break out of my shell, or whatever this trip is about, but I have almost 55 years of life experiences that have built who I am and how I react, and 55 years of training is not going to flip on a dime.

Yeah, okay, I will give you PMS. But generally speaking, we are all consistent creatures of habit.

I don’t go for the fight. I follow rules. I avoid conflict search for neutral ground to stand on and yes, I accept things, perhaps too many things it is true. I could have simply shelled out the cash because in reality it was not much and been done with the whole drama.
But I didn’t. I grumbled for a moment about the cost, the ‘sucking every dime’ factor of it, but it was a dime. I was tired, and late to get back for my ride. And in all honesty, as I said, I’ve done zip lines. It was not the right moment for me to do another.
So, I left the drama, the anger, the grumbling behind and simply walked back down the hill. And I’m okay with that.
I just let the imperfection of the moment go and moved on. Because the imperfect part of that moment was me. I was tired. I was cranky and hot. I wanted something I was not willing to give a little extra for. The mountain, the water, and even the ticket man did nothing to me. My feelings and perspective did.
I guarantee the old man, the golden deer, the river or any other part of the environment I entered today, did not take notice nor time to obsess over my choices or even presence. I was a nameless human tourist witnessing the goddess nature doing her thing. And that… made this an imperfectly good day.