Laos. Vang Vieng.

We left Luang Prabang to set off on our epic 8 hour bus journey to Vang Vieng. It was so long! And up and down and incredibly narrow, windy and steep mountain road. Rather scary at times! Especially when overtaking very slow lorries chugging up the steep climb. The views were spectacular though and the villages we passed very small and basic. 

We stopped for lunch in a little cafe at the edge of a cliff and the views were fantastic! They had the best views from the toilets too!

We then drove forever and made it to the village where we were staying. We had a home stay in a village where we stayed with the villagers in their homes. It was a bit daunting to begin with as our home host Ann had as much English as we did Laos but were made it work. The three girls stayed with Ann and we walked with her to her house as she insisted she carried our handbags. She showed us to our room which was nice and simple and to the bath room. 

Ann then brought us all in a Laos skirt to wear and a flower for our hair. As Elise was so tall Ann made her try on there skirts before she was happy it was long enough! 

After a walk around the village we headed back for dinner. The kids in the village we so cute and loved seeing themselves on screen after having their photo taken! 

After dinner the dancing began! We sat outside and the local school children came and did a Laos dance for us and then they taught it to us and we then had to do it for them. The children all came up and picked one of us to teach. It was so cute! The girls were fighting after getting to teach the blondes! The dance was fun but went on for ages! When it stopped they did another dance for us and some singing. The Laos pop music then started and we danced all evening! It was relentless and they wouldn't let you escape! I had a little group of girls dancing with me all night. They were so cute!! Then started hugging my legs as they were so tiny! They played gangnam style and it was so bizarre to be dancing to this with five year olds!

At the end of the night we gave all the kids a pencil and were very happy to go to bed as we were so hot from dancing! The home stay was great and a really unique experience. 

We left in the morning to drive the 5km in to Vang Vieng. As there is not much to do in the town itself we booked ourselves onto a cave tubing and kayaking trip. For 100,000 kip (£7) we spent the morning tubing trough a cave and then having a great lunch which included an amazing coconut flavoured baguette and then kayaking down the river. It was a great way to spend the morning! I also met up with a girl a met in NZ which was cool!

In the afternoon we took a songtheaw to the blue lagoon which was a deep water swimming hole with turquoise waters. I took the opportunity to do some sunbathing as we were finally allowed to wear a bikini! I didn't go in the water as the fish were so big!

There was another epic thunder and lightening storm as we got back to our hotel after dinner. It was very dramatic and looked amazing as it lit up the mountains opposite. Our room leaked a fair bit as we stayed up watching it. 

We went to bed early as we were going to go in a hot air balloon the next day!! It cost £47 and so it was too good an opportunity to miss, bit scared about the general lack of health and safety in this country but I thought why not! We got picked up at 6 and drove to the site. Our group managed to get a basket to ourselves but it was tilting scarily! Too many large westerners! It was pretty scary taking off as we took so long to get any hight and we came very close to some houses! I though we were never going to get high as we were too heavy, but we got there eventually and the views were amazing! The limestone cliffs were spectacular for the ground but they were even more so in the sky with the clouds around! 

We must have woken everyone up who were still sleeping as we went over their houses so close! All the little kids waving were so cute. I don't think I've waves at some many kids as I have done here in Laos! Landing was less scary than I expected. We clipped a tree as we came in, but all the ground crew ran around the basket as we came in and landed in a paddy field. I was expected to fall on the side but we stayed up right. Just a few slides along the ground and up over a paddy field separator. An amazing experience!!

They packed it up so quickly too. They used fans outside to blow against the balloon and then gathered up the fabric. Very speedy!

Back in time for breakfast and some photos of our amazing view from out balcony over the cliffs and river. Georgeous!

Laos. Luang Prabang.

We got another songtheaw to our hotel and drove through the "city" but is more like a town. We were staying in Luang Prabang for three nights and it was my turn to have the room to myself. This time I loved having it alone for the three days! On the first night we headed into town for  a drink and then a visit to our tour leaders favourite restaurant. The bar was really cool and on the river front. We sat on the floor outside on triangle cushions and mats and looked out over the river. We couldn't stay for long as we had a reservation for Laos fondue! To get to the restaurant we had to walk over a very wobbly bamboo bridge across the river on the dark which was slightly terrifying! But bit was totally worth it was the food at the restaurant was amazing! Laos fondue is a bit of a mixture of Korean BBQ and Chinese hotpot. The tiny ladies came over with buckets of hot coles and places them in a hole in the table and put a metal thing on top. They hen brought the noodles and veggies and eggs and tofu or meat and some stock. Stock went in a most around the area where the meat was to be cooked and was used to cook the noodles and veggies. It was amazing!!! And then some amazing tempura aubergines came along too. Unbelievably good!!

All the bars have to close on Laos at 11:30 so not the latest of nights were had here!

On our second day we got a songtheaw to the Laos ethnology museum which explained about about the ethnic groups in Laos. I was really interested in the tradition dress and saw the portable hand looms on which they were made. We then took for a really long journey along so rubbish roads to Kuang Sii waterfalls. I'd been to a lot of waterfalls on this trip so I wasn't massively ecstatic, but we were too we could swim which would be amazing in this heat!! We got to the waterfalls and they were unbelievable! The water was so turquoise and the pools were so picturesque it looked made with someone adding due into the water! I'd only ever seen glacial waters that colour and I don't think there are any around here!

In the afternoon we had free time so I took a walk around the town with a girl from the group. We looped around the town by the rivers. We stopped at a pretty swish bar and had an amazing lime and mint slushie with great views!

In the evening we had a dinner at a local family's house. We sat on the floor and before we could eat we were blessed my some elders on the family and had three cotton bracelets tied onto each wrist. Not sure what this meant but all I could think was no not more! Having one on for three days was bad enough, but now six! We then are an amazing meal. The local salad was the best, so tasty. Apparently has egg yoke and sugar in the dressing which sounds bad, but was so tasty!

We didn't outstay our welcome and left soon after eating. We then went to the night market. Yay!  It was immense! It just went on and on! All seeking the same stuff but it was all stuff I wanted! It was full of scarves and fabrics and clothes and lots of Laos skirts. I bought some trousers and a carry bag for a big bottle of water. But I wanted to go back for more but it was closing. 

On our final day we took a trip to see elephants! We drove out in another open air van which looked like it should be used to drive around Disney land. So we got super dirty driving there with all the dirty cars but it was worth it was went we arrived it was a beautiful place and the elephants were amazing!

They had 8 adult female and one baby girl elephant. As we got there they were saddling them up and then we went over and fed them. They were eating sugar cane and coconut something. It was amazing being so close!

We then rode them! We went in twos and seat on the seat on their back. We had a walk down to the river down a very steep track which the elephants handled with no bother at all. They completely have a mind of there own and down walk when they don't want to. We travelled such a short distance but it was very slow going!

We had the baby with us and as we neared the river she took a short cut down a bit of soft embankment and took a tumble down it. The elephant behind it trumpeted and charged after it as if it wanted to stamp on her! The guide had to give the baby a whack to get her moving. The couple on the charging elephant looked pretty scared as they slid down the hill too, o great then our elephant charged and did the same! We had a walk along the river then made our way back up to the hill. 

It was then time for washing. Not completely sure why we were doing it, but just to spend more time with the elephants, not because they actually needs a wash! We walked down to the washing area of the river and then we could ride them on their necks into the river. It was rather ungainly getting on the necks, as we clambered up their faces!

We went into the river and I was aiming to stay as dry as possible as I didn't have a change of clothes, the the guide had a different idea! He poured water on the elephants head which ran down right into my crotch, then on the elephants back to get my bum soaked too. He then tried to get my top wet too. The pervert!! I was desperate not to get completely in and was squealing as the elephant almost sat down in the water!

We left intime to get lunch in a great cfe which served more French than Laos food. I had a great quiche and some homemade ice cream. A great change from the usual!

In the evening we went up Mount Phousi to watch the sun set as it was supposed to be a great place to watch it from. It was a hike up all the steps but the panoramic views over the city was great. The sunset was amazing, as expected as it is just so hazy all the time, it just kind is disappeared, but looked good before over the mountains. 

We had another evening at the market as we are all shopaholics and then tried to find somewhere for dinner after. I bought a Laos skirt, a scarf and a beer Laos t shirt. It was not an easy prospect in a country where everything closes at 11:30pm and it's already 10 to find somewhere still serving food, but we found somewhere. As we were about to leave the heavens absolutely opened and a huge thunderstorm came in. It has been lightening for days now and it finally rained. We rain for a songtheaw, paid over the odds but got home dry. The storm was amazing! Had to go out and look at it for a while :) Luang Prabang had been great and it was nice to spend a few days somewhere and feel like you really knew your way round a place, slightly! I'll never forget the Laos fondue!!!

Laos. Mekong River.

Today we got up bright and early to make our boarder crossing into Laos. Of course I needed a last minute Thailand selfie!

So we exited through the Thailand boarder and boarded a bus to make the pretty short trip across the Friendship Bridge into Laos. We had to get our visa on arrival and pay $35 for the privilege, but I made it and got another visa in my passport yay! Quick time for another boarder selfie!

We got into a couple of buses called songtheaw which are like cattle truck for humans. 

We then drove down to the Mekong river and went to find our boat. We were taking a slow boat down the river for two days. They have a fast boat which does the same journey in 7 hours, but they look like total suicide boats! We had a massive boat all to our selves which was very luxurious!

It was a long relaxing 8 hours on the river to make it to our overnight stop of Pak Beng. I thought we were staying on the boat but unfortunately not. As we were about half an hour to our stop, the wind increased and we had to pull over and stop at the bank. As the boat is flat bottomed it wasn't safe to carry on. There was a lot of bush fires too so the wind was blowing up a lot of ash and then sand too as we wee stopped on a sand bank. The crew had to work really hard to tie us up and stop us drifting. A bunch of local children and down and stares at us for the whole time. They wee so cute!

It passed and we moved on. Were stayed in Pak Beng which was a tiny village which I think it's main purpose is for the slow boat stop. We stayed in a really nice hotel which was hits over looking the river. It was beautiful and the views were amazing. And we got a towel swan! Amazing!

We went out for dinner and had some bad food and even worse Laos whiskey. Yuck! Whiskey is a very loose term for moonshine! Bad hangover the next day! Got offered opium too, "happy happy" says the man! Ha no thanks!

We set of the next day for another 8 hour float along the Mekong. Another lovely relaxing day! This day we stopped off at the Pak Ou caves. This is a buddist shrine with loads of statues of buddah. The outside was cool as it is a natural cave in the side of the river, but inside was a bit creepy, like one of those gardens full of dolls or gnomes. Quick exit!

We then made our way to our next destination of Luang Probang.