Luang Prabang, Laos

After a long but not restful night we got ready for the day ahead. It was glorious outside so we wanted to make the most of it.

We wandered along the main road in the 'Historic Town' which was beautiful, a very European edge to it but maintaining its Eastern charm. Our first mission was to climb the 200+ steps to the summit of Phu Si, to see That Chomsi & Wat Tham Phu Si. The temples were far from glorious but it was all about the 360 degree views of the town, river & mountainous surroundings. It was breathtaking. We lost about 7 stone in sweat on the way up so we thought we should regain some weight by grabbing breakfast. A short wander around town & we found a cute alfresco restaurant on the riverbank of the Mekong. A quick bite to eat, a moment to cool down & we were back on the go. We headed to Wat Xieng Thong but we were turned away as Carly was dressed 'disrespectfully'. Not exactly baps out but they don't appreciate any female flesh on show.

We stopped in at a travel agent & booked our onward travel to Vang Vieng on Monday & then headed back to our guesthouse for showers as it was scorching & we were drenched.

At 2pm (opening time) we walked back to the Royal Palace Museum for a gander & we are so glad we did. It was hugely impressive, lush grounds, temples, the Kings Palace itself & various other side attractions. Inside the Palace we saw the Kings bedroom, the Queens bedroom, their formal reception rooms, informal reception rooms, kids (princes & princesses) rooms, the Throne room, which was extravagantly decorated from floor to ceiling in intricate mosaic work & of course all sorts of clothing, weapons, Buddhas, paintings & gifts from other nations around the world. USA's gift was the best - a flag that they took to the moon onboard Apollo 11.

We fed the fish in the biggest pond I've seen & checked out the King's rubbish car collection & an art gallery based on Buddhist monks.

We were feeling peckish again after this so headed for a place called Lao Lao Garden, recommended by friends & Lonely Planet guide. We each had a Water Buffalo Cheeseburger & Chips with a large Lao beer each. Good times, so glad we agreed to treat ourselves to western(ish) food on the weekends!

On the evening we decided to have a wander through the night market & they have so many cool things, souvenirs, clothes & lots of food! We shared an Oreo milkshake which was seriously tasty. We emerged at the other end of the market & headed back towards Lao Lao Garden where we spent our lunchtime. The twins & all the Irish girls were sat in there having food & a few beers so we joined them until the bar closed. It's a great place for a chilled night out & Namkhong beer is a new favourite of ours! We made it back to our guesthouse 3 minutes before curfew & quickly fell asleep.

Sunday morning arrived & we were peckish after our night on the beer so we walked to the day market for a couple of baguettes. They were more than enough to keep us going through til dinner, they were huge! Yesterday we booked a trip to the Tat Kuang Si waterfall & bear sanctuary. The Cambridge twins were leaving as we hopped on our tour bus so we said goodbye & endured a 45 minute white knuckle drive to the waterfall. The guy could not drive, entering blind bends on the wrong side of the road, overtaking when there was oncoming traffic & I'm sure he had no idea what gears were for. Useless.

We made it though & what a place it was. First we passed the bear sanctuary where they house rescued 'Asiatic' & 'Sun' bears. Then the waterfalls, several smaller ones & at the top of the trail an enormous flow of water gushing over the cliff above. It was so picturesque, lots of swimming areas although we didn't brave the icy waters. Lots did & they were jumping off the waterfalls & using the rope swings. A nice way to spend the afternoon.

On the way back, our driver, Dangerous Dave decided to drop us at a 'Local Development Project' where hundreds of the cutest kids tried to sell you stuff! It was all a tourist trap but it got us out the car for 20 minutes which was good! Back in town we headed to a restaurant for dinner & checked out the night market stalls.

We thoroughly enjoyed our time in Luang Prabang & it's a must for anyone visiting Laos. In the morning we head to Vang Vieng on a 'VIP' bus which takes about 6 hours. VIP means coach with a/c!

We don't really imagine we'll spend long there as the tubing is closed & the town is geared around that.

Modes of Transport so far - 2 planes, 1 Taxi, 4 Tuk Tuks, 1 VIP Bus, 2 shared taxis, 2 minivans, 1 speed boat, 2 slow boats, 1 pickup truck

Countries Visited - Thailand, Laos

Miles Travelled - 7,503

For those of you that are interested - Beers drank: Chang, Tiger, Leo, BeerLao, Namkhong.

Until next time,

Matt & Carly. xxx