Luang Prabang - Tat Sae

I had a delicious breakfast at a cafe and then relaxed in my mansion of a room till I met Aaron and Laura. We shared a tuk tuk to Tat Sae waterfalls, 17km out of town. Tat Sae is similar to Kuang Si except the waterfalls are shorter and there are more pools. There was less water in general at Tat Sae, so the falls weren't as impressive. Some of the falls were completely dry but I can imagine in the rainy season it must be fantastic. There was less people here and it's easier to find a secluded place to swim. I walked to all the pools taking pictures and then swam for a bit. I'm happy I came to both waterfalls to compare them.
Back in town we ate at the night market again. I had a delectable grilled fish for $2. We walked around town looking for a bar we couldn't find. Luang Prabang, and I think most of Laos, has a curfew or 11.30. So when I walked back to my guesthouse at 11,the town was almost completely shut down. I stopped in Luang Prabang just to see these 2 waterfalls, and now that I have done that I was ready to leave.
My next destination was Vangvieng, 5 hours south of Luang Prabang. Unfortunately they screw you if you want to go there. A few places told me there was no local bus and I would have to take a more expensive minivan. The catch is you have to pay the full price going to Vientiene, which was 9 hours away while Vangvieng is only 5 hours away. I told the travel agent this doesn't make sense but he said that's how it is. I didn't like this, they are just taking advantage of people going to Vangvieng because they know it's a popular spot. Aaron and Laura bought their ticket at the same place as me so we could travel there together.
While eating breakfast the next morning, I saw Aaron and Laura eating at the same place. I said see you soon because I thought we would be travelling on the same minivan together but when I got to the station, they were no where around. Guess I will see them in Vangvieng.