(5-2),美麗新視界-寮國三都(百色、永珍、龍波邦)。 @ My Very Own World

號稱全東南亞最美的夕陽場景-寮國龍坡邦市普西山的湄公河畔。

中南半島戰紀-曼陀羅華所在的彼岸。

(五)、寮國-揭開面目下的驚艷和惆悵。

(5-2),美麗新視界-寮國三都(百色、永珍、龍波邦)。
Beautiful New Vision,the Three Major Cities in Laos,(Pakse,Vientiane,and Luang Prabang)

首都永珍是只要跨越「泰寮友誼橋梁」便能抵達的城市，許多歐美背包客選擇造訪泰國東北，我則是從南部搭了巴士上來 ...

寮國重要的城市都沿著湄公河沿岸興建，也就是都沿著泰、柬邊界，所以當中國掐住湄公河上游(在中國的名稱叫作瀾滄江)建起水壩，而湄公河有"母親之河"之稱，所以當河水流量驟變，帶來的不只是地理上和自然景觀的變化，其中、下游的各國等同源的人文，被變相扼殺，然寮國在政治上是中國的換帖兄弟，發展落後，沒什麼資金開發，這幾年中國的"一帶一路"給于大量貸款的錢，沿岸建設一一興起，人說滄海桑田歷經幾甲子，這邊建設的變遷卻是大起大落一眨眼，路經的城鎮邊緣有著大型建築橋墩，和電纜箱的遺跡，似乎暫時停擺，要建不建的，不知所以，後果尚難以定論...
(我寫這篇的時候已經是2020年，美中貿易戰已經爆發，確定"一帶一路"的資金在這裡要斷流了。)

It's easy to arrive in Vientiane through Thai–Lao Friendship Bridge that traveses River Mekong,which makes many western backpackers choose firstly being in North-eastern Thai.,then make a transfer from there.
As to me,I took a bus from down south,then went up to Vientiane...
Most major cities were built along River Mekong in Laos,which means the larger cities are mainly on the border to Thailand,and Cambodia.
Literally,these cities were seriously influenced by River Mekong(Its upper part in China is called "River Lancang".) ,especially,when China is constructing a dam on the upper the river.

***
River Mekong has a nickname,"The River Mother.",that says so much about its importance to the people in its flowing areas.
Thus,the dam that China is building,changes the current quantity in the river that flows down to the South-Eastern Asia.The sudden changes in river water,which not only brings the changes in its geology and nature,but also is strangling the culture derived from the same source,like a slow murder.

However,Laos has been a traditional ally to China in politics.
Laos has been usually considered poor,and couldn't get much capital to construct.But then,in these few years,China has been lending a great deal of money to Laos,helped it develop under its strategic policy of "One Belt,One Route."

The money pumped into Laos,which brought up a series of construction I have seen lots of construction going on,along the way to the 3 major cities.
In my personal perception,a huge infrastruction would take years to complete,but here,it seems that the world in Laos is changing rapidly in a blink of eyes.

It's not strange to spot a huge foundation of a bridge,or the wiring engineering work of electricity that are still on processing along the way.
Sometimes,I wondered if those engineering work has been halted for some time,for it seemed going on and off all the time.It's hard to tell when they would be finished...

(When I wrote this article,it had been in the year of 2020.The Trade War between USA and China has already broken out for more than 1 year.Now,I am sure the capital flows from "One Belt,One Route" is surely snapped off,or under a serious threat.)

從東德島搭了船和巴士往最近的大城百色來，沿路風塵樸樸，到站下車趕緊找了台車到預定的飯店，沒想到距離不到5分鐘，真不知我在忙什麼?
住了個不錯的飯店，已經在外面流浪很久了，這時難得這麼捨得花，這區還真不錯，附近有市場、有商場、有夜市、有咖啡廳和飯店，還有河邊可散步，有湄公河傍晚和夜景可欣賞。
I took a boat and then transferred to a bus heading to the nearest big city,Pakse,when leaving Don Det Isle.
The bus ran on a regular road and gave a smoothy ride.Soon,I arrived at the main bus station in Pakse.I quickly got off the bus,and hailed a tutu to take me to my hotel,where I had already booked a room.
To my surprise,my hotel was within 5 minutes' ride.
Didn't know what I was panicking for?haha.

It was a nice hotel.I had been loitering for some time in my journey.Now it seemed worthy to spend a little for better comforts.My hotel was in a good area.All these shopping mall,market,night markets,cafe shops,and restaurants could be reached on foot.It was near the River Mekong,which offered a good site to walk on the bank promenade and the night view of the river to appreciate.

隨意逛一下傳統市場，人聲鼎沸，很是熱鬧，沒看上什麼想要買的東西，不過還算很乾淨，另一間大商場在後邊，只不過大約像是20年前的泰國普通商場，出入口還要安檢呢!
賣服飾和雜貨，樓上有餐廳，都很一般般，從後面走出去，
發現一間大的便利商店，就叫做"Friendly"，雖然樣子跟7-11差不多，裡面也好整齊，我覺得很新奇就是，為什麼有點怪，我一開始也說不上來，隔天到市中心熱鬧的地方，逛了大型賣場，才知道，原來東西陳列的太整齊，好像是"預售屋"的感覺，有"樣板"的Feel。
I took a casual walk in the traditional market.It was full of crowds,quite boisterous.But I didn't see anything interesting.It was clean though.
There was a shopping mall right behind the market,and it had even equipped with a checkpoint at the entrance.However,it looked like a regular mall I had seen in Thailand decades ago,which sold clothes,groceries and the like.There were few restaurants upstairs,same as its peers.
I made an exit from its back.

Then,on the opposite of the road,I saw a convenient store,called "Friendly".
It was similar to 7-11.Everything in it was placed neatly.I felt it quite interesting out of my curiosity,and I had sensed something funny out of it,but I couldn't tell what it was at that time.

On the next day,I went to the town's center,where was even more hustle-bustle.I also made a stop at the other big shopping mall,then I suddenly realized why I felt the convenient store weird.It's because everything in there was very orderly put,too neat I say,like being a movie set of "The Stepford Wives",if you get what I mean here.

Their big businesses here are run by the country's powerful men.There's no market competition,so it made me feel like being in a model house,not in a real world.

稍微安排了一下明日的行程，預租了一台摩特車，需要往回走2小時車程，到南邊重要的世界遺產:占巴塞遺址玩，這遺址與柬埔寨吳哥王朝同一時代，其實吳哥北邊還一直出土新的遺跡呢，吳哥王朝範圍是很廣的，連越南也有。
騎的時候路經市中心，離我住的飯店也很近，再過不久就騎上省道高速公路了，我很喜歡這樣逛，沿路很是舒暢，而且Google地圖也很正確，這樣滿方便的。

Roughly arranged my itinerary for tomorrow's play,I rent a motorbike.It would take me 2 hours for
to the important heritage site in the south,Muang Champasak.

The ruins of Park Champasak belongs to the same era of Angko Dynasty,and new found ruins keep popping out.The range of Angko Dynasty is very wide and broad,nowadays,we can even found some as far as in Vietnam.

I went by the city center,where was near my hotel.Before long,I got on a fast-speed road.
I loved to transport this way,it made me feel free.Besides,Google Map gave me a precise route.The convenience was one of the major benefits brought from electronic Applications at this moment.

占巴塞遺址公園都很整齊，買了門票進去後，是可以憑票根免費搭乘園區太陽能動力的接駁車，可是短短步行1小時路程，我喜歡慢慢用走的，景色優美，登上山丘可以登高望遠，山腳下的寺廟遺跡已經破敗，但可以看得出原規模很是宏偉，現在還有工人在維修那個"殼"。

Park Muang Champasak was managed very well.I paid off my admission,with the ticket that allowed me to take a free ride of its electric mini-bus driven by solar power.The connecting bus was great,but I walked,for it was a short distance about 1 hour less to the foot of the hill.I liked to walk slowly and appreciated the views along the way.

I climbed up the hill,from where I saw far in a scenic surroundings.
The huge temple on the foot of the hill had been dilapidated for long,but from the size I could tell its original magnificence.Some workers were doing their job on the site in revamping the "shell" of the temple.

烙印在我悠悠蕩蕩心裡的藍天、青山、和綠水，哪裡會不漂亮...

The floating images that etched on my mind were the blue sky,green mountains,and white water here.There's no dark clouds in my eyes,and the world I was seeing is as beautiful as it has been...always.

回到百色市區，這邊靠近中國，華人以前就有人遷移來居，市裡有一些早期華人協會機構，而佛家寺廟，在這裡佛祖雕像的面目已經改變，不復緬甸的妖嬈，或是泰國華麗，這很有趣的微妙變化。

這裡沒有夜市，但湄公河畔有一間超大型的夜間餐飲美食廣場，採開放性空間經營，我跑到樓上坐，一方面欣賞夜景，一方面樓下有搭建舞台，有現場樂隊表演，場外商家有像台灣的熱炒店，當地人都坐在矮矮的塑膠椅上，很像越南那邊，但是越南人更喜歡低一點的椅子，哈哈。
Pakse...
I returned to Town Pakse after my tour in Champasake.
Laos is one of the closest neighbors to China in South-Eastern Asia.It's been a long history that Chinese moving to reside here.I'd found a few of Chinese social institutes developed at the early time in the nearby area of my hotel.

As to Buddhist temples,I'd found it was also funny that the facial features of Buddhas had been changed here.They didn't look like the ones I'd seen in Myanmar,full of sensual looks,or like the ones in Thailand,decorated with blinky,shiny, and grand costumes.This,in other hand,was an interesting subtle change.

However,Laos culture is heavily influenced by its neighbors,especially in religion.

There was no what we call "Night Market"here,but similar ones.
A giant complex square of food gourmet near by River Mekong,opening at night.It was composed of many stalls from different restaurants,2-story high.

I sat upstairs so that I could appreciate the nightview of Mekong river from high ground.It was equipped with a band,performing a live show.Other stores out of the food gourmet running business as the ones like our restaurants seen in Taiwan,frying dishes as ordered on the spot(sorry,there's no English vocabulary term to describe it here.)

The locals sat on the short plastic stools,like I'd seen in Vietnam.But I thought Vietnamese prefer stools even lower.

有幾間咖啡廳和西式餐廳，這我還真沒先設想到，看樣子這邊社會有在進步，隔天巴士要在晚間7點多才出發，我中午check out 後可麻煩了，還有大半天要去哪裡?結果竟然找到一家青年旅館，印度店員以一天美金6元租給我，我租下休息並洗一下澡，感覺卻很好，也許世界上的青年旅館品質大致都是這樣吧，我不過夜，6元美金用來休息對我就可以了，可是我有先殺價呢，為什麼?我也不知道，哈哈，一時發神經了吧。
I didn't expect to see cafe shops and western restaurants here,to be honest.So it's apparently that Laos,even in a town like Pakse has been gradually evolved forwards.

***********************

永珍 Vientiane...

夜車路過彎彎的道路，沿路高低起伏，佩服有人這樣還真的睡得著，我被安排一人獨佔在最後面，正在高興獨享這麼大的空間，沒想到冷氣會漏水，情緒整晚都不好，到達首都永珍的巴士站後，天都亮了，要找一台載到市區的Tutu車，還得要等人足夠擠滿一台才出發，當然，我現場就拉起生意，自己主動湊齊人數走了(我在發什麼瘋啊?)。
My staggering bus ran on a winding road at night.The road was so rough like sailing on a rugged sea,and I was amazed to see some of the passengers sleep under the circumstance.
I was arranged to occupy the whole space in the back.Just when I was happy about the arrangement,the air-conditioner started to leak water,making me feel so irritated all night.

Finally,it arrived at the bus station in the capital,and it had turned to a bright day now.I needed a ride to the city center.A tutu would be a nice choice,but its seats needed to fully load with people.I didn't want to wait further,so that I began soliciting customers for the driver.I must have been crazy.

司機把我留到最後面才送到，這麼喜歡我?倒是讓我免費環繞市區一大圈。
市區真是舒服，這個地點真不錯，旁邊緊鄰大商場，住在總統府附近，離附近大景點都不遠。
天氣還是很熱，跟上個月在緬甸的攝氏46度感覺起來好一些，那種熱跟台灣的熱又不一樣，那種是呼出來的氣自己都感到灼熱的，但台灣的熱又太不舒服。
這麼長的時間在外面，早就曬黑沒救了，休息一下就忙著出門玩。
市容的發展比不上緬甸的仰光，但是不用擔心，人家也沒多差，放懷大膽遊覽了，總統府前大馬路的銀行外頭，擺著一隻大型白色的凱蒂貓，跟高雄市鹽埕區捷運出口外的馬路上那隻一樣，招著手說:歡迎光臨。
。
The tutu driver made me the last one to get off,guessed he liked me a lot,huh?
Well,I didn't complain about it,for it's like I was treated with a free ride of a city tour.

Ah...,I started feeling better once got into the city,afer a whole night's sleepless ride in a mountainous area.I stayed at a hotel by a shopping mall,and also closed to the Presidential Palace.Its location was within a close range to many tourist spots.

The weather was still ferociously hot,but not as dreadful as it was like 46 degrees Celsius in Myanmar.However,the heat was different from ours in Taiwan.Here it's like blowing boiling heat with your own breath,though it's not as uncomfortably hot as Taiwan's.

I had been staying outdoors for a long time.Thus,I didn't think I could have saved me from being tanned.I took a brief break,then was hurried out to play again.

Even though Vientiane gave me the first impression that its development fell behind Yangon in Myanmar,however,the capital wasn't bad either.I went as free as I'd be in this city.

There's a bank by the the boulevard
in front of the Presidential palace,standing a huge Hello Kitty in front of its doors.It's like the one set in the exit of MRT in Yan Cheng District of my city,soliciting customers,saying,"Welcom.".

順著道路就到沙格廟，廟宇與我們有不同，也有山門、鐘樓、修道院等，我們的與越南較相似，前、中、後院等分佈，這裡卻是裡、外各一圈，正中代表須彌山形佛塔，沙格寺收容了很多以前流散在外的佛像，
有些已經很古，有些殘破，這些都是歷史文物。
宗教是人心的歸所、社會的安定力量，有了信仰，人類的發展才不致離經叛道，動機敗壞，結束參訪後，離晚上還有段時間，就往總統府去，順便逛一下緊鄰的公園，總統府公園又有夜市，夜市附近街道又是各式餐廳、按摩院等等商家，這裡也是外國旅客集中區，我沒想到這裡有這麼多西方人。

I followed the avenue in the front to get to Wat(Temple) Si Saket.Its layout had something different from ours.It had the entrance gate,bell tower,and monastery,etc.Frankyly speaking,our temples are more familiar with Vietnam's.
Both have the front square(or gate),patios.and huge backyards.

Temples here are prone to have enclosed walls that form into inner and outer circles.Nonetheless,all Buddhist temples have a highest tower,that represents Mt.Miru.

All and all,Wat Si Saket took in hundreds of Buddhist statues,believing they were deserted in previous riots and wars.Some of them are ancient,some broken,but they are all artifacts to this country.

Religion is the final harbor of our spiritual mind,also a steady strength to society.With it,the development of human civilization wouldn't be derailed,and compassion and morality wouldn't be rotted by desires and greeds.

Wrapped up my tour at Wat Si Saket,I went to nearby park for a walk before sun down.It was adjacent to the Presidential Palace.
A night market was set by the park leading to a boisterous streets and lanes,where I could find all sorts of restaurants,massage parlors,bars,and the like.This area must be the hub for foreigners to play,and I didn't expect to see so many of them(including me,I always forgot I was a foreigner too.)

總統府旁邊的這個商圈，很明顯可以讓我鬼混一段時間，
我的汗一時止不住，找了間Bar，竟然是一位比利時人開的，而這裡的夜市好整齊...好無聊。
我還是去喝酒惹~哈哈。
The business area closed to the Presidential Palace,where apparently offered me a period of hanging time.However,my perspiration under the sultry weather couldn't stop at this moment,I quickly spotted a bar and entered.To my surprise,it was opened by a Belgium.As to the night market here...well,so neat in layout,but so boring,I'd better keep on having my beer...

首都永珍是很多寺廟的集中地，規模都不小，其中國家重典之地，就屬塔鑾(Pha That Luang)莫屬了，是創建者
昭阿奴翁國王(Chao Anouvong)所建，昭阿奴翁建國的經歷非常的坎坷，自己和弟弟也都住過泰國當人質，塔鸞就是當人質時，依照泰國寺廟形式建立的，寮國這個民族在歷史上，受到周遭國家侵略和互相戰爭的狀況不少，近代在赤共統治下，發展落後、民不聊生與世界主要經濟地區又分隔，只剩中國願意出資建設，然而這個一帶一路的資金卻又包藏禍心，以後子孫會很辛苦，若沒有自由的意志，將無法全力掙脫生命的枷鎖，風吹過紀念國家驕傲的凱旋門(Patuxay Park)，門上精雕細琢的神話傳說生物，似乎也淡淡抹上一層幽幽的惆悵陰影。
The capital was where the most major temples gathered.They were all in huge scale,and the most important temple that couldn't have been thought as the second is Pha That Luang,which was seen as the national emblem.Its establisher was King Chao Anouvong.

King Chao Anouvong had gone through a chronical struggle and predicament in establishing an independent country for his people.His younger brohter and he himeself had been forced to stay in Thailand as hostages after being defeated by Thailand army.During his stay in Thailand as a "guest",he had seen a lot of Thai temples.He duplicated Pha That Luang by the form of Thai temples,after he got back home on the later days.

Laos,in its history,had been caught in wars with its neighbors from time to time.In its modern times,the development has been slowed down under the communist regime,its economy is bad,and almost cut off from major developed countries.Hence,there is only one left to be willing to help construct,China.
But there is a catch in China's "One Belt,One Route" strategy.A huge debt to China will be its next generations' nightmare in near future.
Therefor,without the free will,there will be no way to endeavor fully to escape the shackles of debts in life.

Breeze blew through the monument,Patuxay Gate(Triumph Gate) that commemorates this country's pride.It seemed to me,in front of its huge national debt,that there was a invisible shadow of disconsolation,creeping up those mythological beings and deities that carved on Patuxay Gate.

國族的悲傷代表性建築似乎不少，在離開的最後一天，我來到玉佛寺，這裡的玉佛已經在泰寮戰爭中，被俘擄至曼谷的玉佛寺去，在古時戰爭的東南亞，勝者將戰敗者的信仰中心摧毀或帶走，成為征服者的驕傲證明，很多的遺跡在漫漫歲月中述說著相同的悲哀，比如，泰國曼谷北邊的大城Ayutthaya(阿育陀耶王朝)的四肢不全的佛像遺跡就是明證，記得有次在社群上糾正電視有關佛像斷肢的謬誤說法，結果被酸民寫來臭罵我，錯就錯，寫來罵我幹嘛?也無法改變我說的事實啊。
There wasn't in short of buildings that representing national sadness here.On my last day in Vientiane,I went to visit Temple of Jade Budda.The Jade Budda had gone and captured by Thai army in previous wars.It now is at the temple of Jade Buddha in Bangkok.

In ancient times,the conquerors used to destroy or take away what stood for the defeated's religion,or should I say...the national faith in South-Eastern Asia.Thus,the Jade Buddha became the evidence of the conqueror's pride.It's no rare to see ruins in this area telling the same sorrow.Like the one,Ayutthaya,in the north of Bangkok,Thailand,is teemed with headless or amputated statues,and which is just another demonstration of this theory,telling the same sad story...
I remembered there's one time that I corrected a wrong saying of a TV guest,about the amputated Buddhist statues on a social medium,but I got some haters to write to reproach me.Really,if you were wrong,then it's wrong,that's all.There's no need to scold me,for it won't change the fact I had delivered.

***********************
龍波邦市
Luang Prabang...

飯店有賣巴士票，沒有比較貴，怎麼我都覺得這裡人這麼老實?
東南亞的開發還有很大的空間，即使走得較前面的泰國和越南，在公共交通上，還是有待加強，又是好幾個小時的折騰來到我在寮國的最後一站-龍波邦市。
How come did I get an impression that locals here were somehow honest!I bought a bus ticket heading to Luang Prabang,and it wasn't more expensive than I would get at the bus station directly.
Anyway,it was,again,a long and winding road,and a jumping and staggering ride before reaching my last destination here in Laos.Apparently there was still a huge space to get improved on the infrastructure of public transportation in South-Eastern Asia.It's quite common also to have roads that are bad in Thailand or Vietnam,even though both countries are usually considered to be developed further than their peers here.
My Goodness,again,there were many hours to be on the road.

龍坡邦市很小說，一開始我以為地理上幾乎就是寮國國土的中心，往四周邊境都滿等距的，而且竟然也有機場!後來我是從這裡的機場離開去越南的，所以應該很有發展成行政、交通、商業中心的味道，可是並沒有，這~到底在搞什麼啊!
I felt a little bit surprised to know that Luang Prabang isn't large.At first,I thought it should be a political administration center,for it's almost the same range to reach other major cities from here.Besides,it has equiped with an airport.Later on,after I finished my tour here,I flew to Vietnam from here.Thus,I misundertood that Luang Prabang was the center of political,transportation,and commerce center in the very first beginning of my arrival.
But it was not.So...what the hell!

就一條主要的街道，兩旁商家林立，這邊滿依靠外來的觀光客帶來收入，可是看得出來滿艱困的，飯店主人告訴我，支撐著這麼偌大一間很有壓力，而且中國觀光客最近來的不多了，臉上頓時閃過一絲憂愁，我也只能安慰一下，終究只靠中國觀光客一途，在世界很多地方已經證明，雞蛋只放在一個籃子裡，遲早會發霉的。
The main road with many stores opening on either side,attracting a lot of foreign tourists.Nonetheless,I could tell it was a hard time for local economy.The host of my hotel told me she's been on a great deal of pressure lately,especially she needed to run a hotel with such a scale.When she talked about the situation,that the tourists from China lately had been dwindled,a thin veil of apprehension creeping on her face.I didn't know whatelse to say to comfort her,for it has been proved in many other countries,that depending solely on one source of tourists,say China only,would spoil the existing business.

這條主要街道就有2間大型夜市撐起商業活動，以靠近河邊(湄公河)的舊王宮博物館為主，為數不少的外籍旅客不停穿梭街頭，這邊的房屋很有舊時代的味道，夜晚燈火燦爛，展現出另一種時空感，也就是說，如果忽然拍一些露奶照，人家完全會以為你是外星人，氣質會完全走調那種，哈哈，沒辦法，就不搭咩。
There were 2 main night markets bolstering the retails.One of them ,near the old palace,now the national museum was the key one.Many foreign tourists hang around the street by it.The buildings were old with thick atmosphere of old time motif.

When the night fell,the lights of the stores lit up and shone,which created a sense of a different time.The atmosphere was so nostalgic and didn't fit to take vanguard photos with nude scenes,lol,for others might think you were from other planets.It couldn't help,just not fit to the environment.

除了歷史悠久的香通寺，和宏偉的舊王公博物館外，在街旁有一低矮山丘-普西山(一開始我不知道它的英文名稱，所以有邊讀邊，沒邊讀中間，我就直接從中文念成英文，就叫它"Mt.Pussy"，哈哈，把我外國朋友笑死。)
，算是市區公園，山上可以觀賞日落，而這個日落場景，號稱是全東南亞觀賞最美日落的地點，又要爬山了，頭皮一時發麻，哈哈，因為忽然覺得很懶，只是沒想到沒多久就到山頂了，很矮的山。
There's another tourist spot,a short hill by the street,called Mt.Phou Si(At first,I didn't know its English name.So I pronounced it as "Mt.Pussy",which cracked my friends up,haha.)
It is another important tourist spot except from Xian Thong Temple and the old Palace Museum.
It was considered a municipal park though,where offered people a nice spot to appreciate the famous sunsetting view.The sunsetting sight was admired by many saying it is "the most beautiful site to appreciate the sunsetting in whole South-Eastern Asia."

Gosh! another long stairs ahead to climb.I felt so lazy all of the sudden after spotting it.But to my surprise,it was not high at all.Not long,I had reached the site.It was a very short hike.

來到龍坡邦不能不租個摩特車去關西瀑布(Kuang Si WaterFall Park)，當日來回也適合，這時節天氣太好，我途中路過養麝香貓的咖啡園、大象園、蝴蝶園、黑熊保護園，就可以知道景色很天然，到達後車子就放停車場，買了門票，就慢慢走上去了，這個公園也很漂亮，沿途道路兩旁有各式各樣的植物花卉，要走一段路才會到著名的關西瀑布，這個瀑布太過美麗，可以當作是電腦桌面的那種美，水從山壁垂洩而下，經過層層岩石濺
起水花，棕白色石灰岩在陽光下，使得水池呈現自然的青藍色，超漂亮der。
It was a neccessary to rent a motorbike to tour the famour tourist site,Kuang Si WaterFall Park.It was also quite suitable for one day tour.Weather at this time of a year was absolutely great.I had made a pass along the way by several natural cultivation farms,such as the Civet's Coffee Garden,elephant park,butterfly park,and black bear protection park.

I parked my motorbike to its parking lot when arrived,bought an admission ticket,then slowly walked up.This was a pretty park as well.There were many species of plants and flowers that I didn't know their names when strolling up the trail.

It took a while to get to the prestiged Waterfall Quang Si.
This waterfall was extremely beautiful,so beautiful that you could use the view as the backdrop of your laptop.The water fell up from the cliff that was covered with all sorts of twisted and green tree branches,splashing through a layer and a layer of brownish white rocks and limestones,making the water of the pool underneath looked naturally turquoise blue in the broad day light.It was more than beautiful and beyond words to describe.

瀑布底下被水流經年侵蝕成一池又一池的青藍色顏色的池水，不過這時都已經不讓觀光客進去泡水、游泳，只見一些西方人衣服都脫了卻不能跳進去，空在橋上負氣一番，有點好玩。

The bottom of the fall was rushed by water through years to be turquoise a pool next to another.However,it had made prohibition from jumping in to all tourists.No swimming,and no dipping now,that even some westerners had already stripped,but not able to get in the water.I felt funny seeing them craving for a smooth swim,but unable to.

瀑布旁的山壁有另建一條狹窄的通道，直接可到瀑布上方，但是太靠近瀑布了，以致一大部分的階梯已經被水流不斷沖刷，其實很危險，但我還是冒險上去了，放慢了速度，我還是平安到達，上面根本就是別有天地，沿著河水逐漸散步遠去，因為另一頭有溫泉飯店，滿遠的，道路沒有整修，管理不到位，不然景色是很好的，感覺好像在叢林裡散步一樣，這上頭地勢又平緩，沒出到什麼力氣，再過好一會，又回頭往瀑布的河流另一頭去，河面有小橋可過，也可找平坦的地方登高望下觀賞，這一方向是往瀑布的另一頭下方去，等於剛好繞一圈又回到瀑布下方，很好的小登山活動。
There was a narrow stairs aside,winding up to the top of the fall.But it was close to the fall,so that water kept rushing upon a large part of the stairs.It was kind of dangerous.I couldn't help but slow down my gaits to get to the top.It seemed to me a totally different world unveiled in front of me.A river flowed through the forest on top,which was pierced through by a long trail,a dirt road with green trees on either side.I took a slow walk on one side,where had a spring resort at the end.The road was not well tendered and very far,but it was flat,so I didn't make any obvious effort on it.In a long while,I turned to the other end.There's a bridge across the river.It provided some small platforms for tourists appreciating the view from the top of the fall at this end.The trail at this end led to the bottom of the fall.Thus,it was a round tour that I just made a very good little hiking.

關西瀑布公園加強了龍波邦的觀光資源，我本人覺得王宮附近的市區與越南的會安有得比拚，原則上越南會安鎮比較商業化，而且文化和人潮的確是比較熱鬧，雖然龍坡邦也有名列聯合國教科文遺產活動的僧侶布施習俗，但不是每個人都願意很早起床參加宗教活動的，以後有興趣的人，或者只想花個3、4天度假，其實可以搭機直接來到龍坡邦，體驗異地風情，當然，都要等沒疫情再去玩，這波應該傷人很深。
Park Guang Si Waterfall adds some benefits to the tourism resources in Luang Prabang.Besides,I thought the town center was able to parallel with the streets in Hai An of Vietnam.Though Hai An has more business and cultural activities going on,even the crowds are greater and the sights would be more boisterous.

Nonetheless,Luang Prabang also has a cultural activity that enlisted in the UNESCO,the handouts to the monks,that has been passed down for hundreds of years already.But not every one who comes here would like to get up early to see the religious activity.

But I think to Luang Prabang,it is very suitable for people,who have holidays for only 3 or 4 days.Simply buy an air ticket directly to get to the airport here.Then,you can enjoy exotic atmosphere right away.
Of course,this is not a good timing due to Covid-19.Everything needs to wait till the cure comes out.

終於又來到告別的時候了，飯店載我到機場，四周環境脫離了如夢似幻的地方，回到了現代，而另一頭的機場，則是五光十色的越南峴港...
At last,the time had come for me to say good bye,again.
My hotel offered a free ride to the airport,another benefit I truely enjoyed.
While I was on the car seeing surroundings passing by,I felt getting back to reality from a dream like tour.

And at the other end of the airport,it was the prosperous Da Nang in Vietnam,greeting...