The happenings of Tuesday April 8, 2025 through Wednesday April 9, 2025 in Luang Prabang, Laos
We woke up early and headed straight for Kuang Si Waterfalls, hoping to arrive before the crowds. Eitan was still in pain, and getting him out the door was difficult, but he pushed through. In retrospect, I’m sure he was also starving. He hadn’t eaten much in days. The drive wound through rural villages and past an elephant camp, and by the time we reached the falls, the quiet morning felt like a gift. Thankfully, vendors were selling fresh mango, and Eitan devoured one immediately. His energy returned almost instantly, which surprised no one.
Kuang Si is breathtaking: tiered cascades of azure water spilling into incredibly blue pools. Serene and beautiful. At least until all the tourists arrive.
The hike begins by winding through the Bear Sanctuary. It was impossible not to feel both sad and grateful for the bears who had been rescued from terrible conditions. The boys spent a long time watching them play before we continued on our way.
During the drive, Chaim and I had been researching and discussing, along with my medical professional family members, whether the boys could swim. The water looked clean, but all of them, especially Eitan, had open wounds. The last thing we needed was to add problematic parasites to our adventure. We finally settled on a compromise: they could take off their shoes and socks and climb a bit in the shallow water, but no full swimming to keep their open wounds out of the water.
As you might imagine, this decision did not go over well. But, Chaim and I remained firm.
The pools were cool, clear, and stunning. Watching other people swim made it even harder for the boys to accept our rule. They were convinced we were being overprotective. Maybe we were, but every parent knows their own threshold for risk, and we had reached ours.
We picnicked at the lower pool and then hiked up to the middle falls. We skipped the top; the boys were already hot and dreaming of ice cream, and Chaim needed to return home in time for a full workday. Even so, I would absolutely visit again.
On our way out, we admired the flowers and glimpsed the back of the Bear Sanctuary before making our way to ice cream and slushies. Then we headed home.
Back at the villa, the boys did some schoolwork and rested while Chaim worked. At 5:45 PM, we got ready for dinner at Chabad. Because they were already cleaning for Pesach, there wasn’t much on the menu, but everything was delicious, superbly so. Eitan was so hungry he ate an entire schnitzel, which is noteworthy for a child who loudly and often declares how much he dislikes chicken. Thank God for Chabad!
After dinner, Chaim returned to work while the boys and I wandered through the night market. As we meandered, Amichai shared that he really liked Luang Prabang. Calm, not crowded. Similar to Hoi An. It was beautiful to hear him articulate this discovery. He now has such a firm grasp on the kind of environment that makes him feel most at ease.
Before bed, we packed up as much as we could for our morning departure to Thailand, leaving behind whatever chametz/unleavened bread we didn’t want to bring. The boys struggled to listen, so I called a family meeting to reset expectations. Matanel took it especially seriously, adorably so. I ended up sleeping next to him again so that Amichai and Eitan could have the coolest room.
The next morning, I was awake by 4:45 AM, unable to sleep. I read quietly until Matanel woke up around 5:00, hot, itchy, and hungry. He helped himself to some milk and fell back asleep an hour later. We finished packing, and Chaim grabbed bagels and doughnuts from a nearby shop for breakfast. Then we left for the airport, so early that we arrived before the check-in gate even opened. The boys used the time to journal and work on school assignments.
Only after clearing immigration did we realize that we had left Matanel’s Kindle at our villa. I spent the rest of our time in the airport coordinating with our host about shipping it. He wouldn’t be back in Luang Prabang for a week, and between that delay, the shipping time, and our travel schedule, our only option was to have it sent somewhere between Siem Reap and Japan. Since we’d only be in Siem Reap for three days, we decided it should go to Japan. I knew that Chabads around the world are incredibly helpful with shipping and storage for travelers, so I reached out to the rabbi in Kobe. He immediately agreed to receive the package and hold it until we arrived three weeks later. Another reason to be grateful for Chabad.
As we boarded our flight, I kept thinking about how much of this trip hinges on simple judgment calls: when to push forward, when to hold back, when to say yes, and when to set a boundary even if no one likes it.
Kuang Si showed us that beauty and frustration often travel together, and that travel with kids is less about perfect plans and more about constant recalibration. Between waterfalls we couldn’t swim in, dinner we desperately needed, and a Kindle making its way across Asia, it was one more reminder that flexibility isn’t just helpful on a trip like this. It’s the whole skill set.
