Where to start?! Laos is one of the most beautiful countries we have visited, both in terms of its landscapes as well as its people - we have both fallen in love with the charm of the place and it's a definite highlight of the trip!

So first…the journey here! It took a total of 2 days to travel from Chiang Mai to Laos - the first day being a rather grim 8-hour minibus ride to the border. Having not done a land border crossing on this trip, we weren't sure what to expect especially when we were dropped off in the middle of nowhere. But we were checkout out of Thailand, walked about 1km and ended up at the Laos border. We were then picked up by our accommodation hosts (who were very welcoming!) and we arrived at some very basic huts on a hill set within beautiful scenery seemingly in the middle of nowhere. It was a fitting welcome into the country, with the stunning views and home-cooked food by our hosts. The next day was pretty incredible - we took a slow boat down the Mekhong River for 8 hours to get to Luang Prabang, our destination here in Laos. The views of the hills and local villages were stunning. The boat seemed to also be a postal service, stopping regularly at tiny villages to pick up and drop off parcels - it must have been a big event in the community as lot of people (including the kids) came to meet the boat, waving at the tourists.

Our guest house was perfectly located in the Historic Quarter, which is a UNESCO heritage area. We were travelling with Regan and Abbie, the couple we had met in Chiang Mai from New Zealand who had had a sudden change of plans to include Laos, and we also met another American couple, Mackenzie and Eric, who were lovely. We ended up spending a lot of our time in Laos with our new friends, and this really added to our time here. Much time was spent sipping Beer Laos in the courtyard of the guest house and most evenings we met to try somewhere new for dinner and continue the drinking!

Our first day we went to the Tad Kuang Si waterfalls. They were absolutely stunning, with plenty of turquoise water pools and places to explore. We were blown away by their natural beauty, which is harder to achieve after 5 months travelling! Time just flew exploring the pools, swimming, trying to embrace the doctor fish in the water, finding jumping spots and swinging on a rope swing. There were also some bears there who had been saved by some local poachers and seemed pretty well kept - it was pretty random to see them there though!

Another highlight was our day at the local Elephant Village. Having had bad experiences of elephant trekking in Thailand, where the elephants are badly treated, we were keen to ensure we gave our money to a place focused on elephant protection and conservation. The village had 9 elephants (including a one-month old baby), most of which had been rescued from bad treatment working in the logging industry from within Laos and Thailand. We firstly learnt about the elephants and the care they receive at the village and then went for a trek in the nearby river. Our elephant was a 40 year old lady, who had stepped on a landmine in Laos and lost her toe L It was so fun riding the elephant, particularly through the river, and Dave rode on her neck for a true bare-back experience. We then joined a local spiritual ceremony, which wasn't on our itinerary and we felt lucky to be a part of. On 'lucky' days, the local village gathering to celebrate the birth of the one-month old elephant and welcome her spirit into the community. Our guide was as excited to see the baby elephant as we were! The villagers were so welcoming, giving us sticky rice and rice whiskey and after a close encounter with an extremely poisonous Scorpion(!), we joined the ceremonies which included wrapping cotton around the elephants' ears and their owners' wrists. This was the definite highlight of our day and we got a great insight into local life in Laos.

Another particular highlight was getting involved in a local English project in the town, called Big Brother Mouse. This involves local monks and children coming along in the day to be aided on the English by any English-speaking tourists who want to help out. We spent two hours one morning helping out - I had a 16-year old monk, whose English was very good so we worked on pronunciation and got him ready for his upcoming exams and Dave had 8 local kids whose English was very basic - he definitely had more a challenge on his hands than me! It was so rewarding for us - and the kids we worked with all seemed to get something out of it. I also gave us a fascinating insight into local life in Laos, including those of monks.

Other activities we did were:

- - Visit the National Museum, to get an insight into royal life in Laos and visit the 'Pra Bang' Buddha

- - Visit the Wat Xieng Thong, some very pretty temples with a pink colour and colourful mosaics

- - Climb up Phou Si (pronounced 'p**** !) mountain at sunset for great views over Luang Prabang

- - Visit the local bowling alley for a basic bare-footed bowling experience - I am pleased to report that Team England (Dave and I) won both games! In your face team America and New Zealand!!

It is with a heavy heart that we leave Laos and we hope to come back one day soon, before it is changed drastically with the plans China has for it… The people have been so welcoming and there is a lovely, relaxed feel to the country. Next stop - Vietnam!