Laos: 24th-30th June.

The next 2 days were spent on a slow boat, drifting south on the mighty Mekong River to Luang Prabang. After border formalities we piled onboard and sat down onto seating that seemed as if it had been lifted out of an aeroplane! On our first day we stopped to visit a hill tribe community, which felt slightly awkward, but the children were lovely and eager to have their picture taken.

Late in the afternoon there was huge thunderstorms so we moored ashore with the plastic shutters down to wait it out while singing Queen with full ferocity. A funny memory- apparently, Matt saw lightening struck the mud just a few metres away, apparent by the scream he made! That evening we stopped in the small town of Pak Beng in nice, clean accommodation even though the generator cut out daily between 10.30pm and 6.30pm the following day that made for a considerably hot nights sleep due to the lack of air con/fans. For dinner we feasted on Lao beer and sesame covered seaweed, a local delicacies even if ants covered the table. Jess wasn’t feeling too well so headed to bed early. The next day we re-boarded our boat and cruised down to Pak Ou caves filled with thousands of Buddha carvings and images. On the way we saw a wild elephant by the side of the river complete with tusks, which was very exciting. Early evening we arrived into Luang Prabang the former Royal capital of Laos. That evening we decided what we wanted to do throughout our stay in Luang Prabang which was made a little tricky by Yin (the crappest tour guide ever) who was incredibly impatient and rude because he wanted to leave us to eat, oh yes, this was the start of some startling behavioural performances which would continue throughout the trip. On the 26th June, we parted ways for the day. Armelle got up early for a half a day of elephant riding and half a day of kayaking. The elephants were lovely but the kayaking was possible the best thing Armelle did in Southeast Asia. Paddling through the Mekong Valley was simple beautiful with the occasional water buffalo and fisherman startled by our presence. On a couple of times we came face to face with groups of giggling children who seemed to be convinced that it was their mission in life to capsize the kayaks! The day ended with an incredible rainstorm, which required much leaping out of kayaks and running across a huge bridge bare foot.

Meanwhile, Jess had an equally rememberable time, and headed on a handy crafts tour and renting out a bike with the boys to explore the French colonial town. To Jesses embarrassment the boys we on a mission to buy monk robes and insisted that they would wear their purchases on the plane on the way home. Jess decided to wait outside the shop while they were being instructed how to assemble the outfit.

That evening we had a girly group dinner accompanied by a couple of stray cats! We then browsed the local night market, which was fantastic, and full of tasteful handicrafts from wall hangings to wallets- oh how we wish that these rare treats of high quality goods were evident in all markets in SE Asia! On our last full day in the area before flying south to Vientiane, we hopped on a ‘jumbo’ to Kuang Si falls where pale turquoise waters cascade over the limestone formations. After clambering halfway up the falls for a photography session, we headed to one of the pools at the base for a refreshing dip, and boy, was it cold! A couple of local kids showed off their Tarzan impersonations in front of an applauding crowd. At the entrance to the falls was a sanctuary for black bears that had been rescued from cruel homes. They seemed to be having a wail of a time play fighting even though you cannot help but feel that they would be better off in the wild. In the afternoon, we climbed to the top of Mount Phoussi, which provides fantastic views over the town and valley. The remainder of the afternoon was spent on the internet (somewhat of an unreliable connection due to regular power cuts) and ended the day with a lovely bbq where we were staying- a perfect staggering distance to bed! The next morning we paid a speedy visit to the Royal Palace Museum, which has remained, untouched since the royal family departed in 1975. It was time to say goodbye to our Lao guide, Chan, who we had all taken a shine to. We then took a short flight to Vientiane after an unexplained delay. Vientiane is possibly the most laid back, relaxed and slow paced capital city to exist on planet earth. Due to the love of markets, a group of us hastily walked into town with the excitement of potential bargains in our minds! However, the market was a bit of a let down as mainly sold household goods and clothes of the latest Lao fashion. To make the most of being in that end of town, we headed to the arc de triumph replica. This was the most hilarious monument ever to be seen. Constructed out of unused concrete from the local airport, the plaque outside had no shame in calling it a monster of concrete. That evening we dinner at a local outdoors restaurant, close to the river. The next day was Buddha park day and what fun we had! A lengthy tuk tuk ride away from the capital, nestled into the side of a river was the sculpture park. The park is filled with mutated Buddha statues- fancy putting a snake’s head and horses legs on a Buddha and hey presto- we have a statue. Sam, Matt, Vicky and the two of us had a great time clambering onto and ridiculing the monstrosities, its nice to see some light hearted artwork! After a lazy afternoon we went out to dinner en mass and afterwards, Val, Sam, Matt and Armelle decided to embrace the local night life and danced the night away in a roof top club, part of one of the huge fancy hotels in Vientiane, ladyboys and prostitutes a plenty! Needless to say, the next day, 4 of the 10 had very sore heads, probably not the best combination with a windy bus ride to Hin Boun. After a day of driving through the spectacular mountain scenery and some projectile vomiting from Val, we arrived in the village. To end the day, we took a boat ride along the breathtakingly beautiful river in old soldered together bombshells. That evening we stayed with a local family and after eating a delicious home cooked dinner we settled into our mosquito net covered beds. Throughout the night, it rained and it rained and it rained! When we woke, after a quick wet dash to the outside loo it had come to our notice that there had been a large landslide at the end of the road and we were all closed in! With our bags hoisted on our backs and makeshift rain covers in full swing we then waded through the mud and over the embankment of earth to the main road, with several peoples shoes falling victim to the squelching mud. We then climbed into a tuk tuk to complete our journey to the Vietnamese border, singing at first but after an hour or so, we started to feel a little sorry for ourselves due to being soaked through!