So the bus ride...

5pm Well the a little man on a bike collected us from the hostel and put us into a taxi. We picked up a few people from other hostels, each time with the guy on the bike there before us. I guess it makes it faster.

6pm We arrive at the bus station and a new guys meets us and hands us tickets. Alas we seem to be the last to arrive so don't get seats together.

Tom: Yeah, so I was on my own near the back of the bus. Plus that guy who handed the tickets was a right git. He did nothing! He wouldn't even pick a little old lady's luggage and said for me to get it. PLus when the bed next to brett was free I laid in it and he said for me to move, oinly to make the guy laying on the floor next to me take it when he could have had my bed. Ignorant!!!

7pm We get on the bus... It's kinda cool, three rows of seats with two levels. They're narrow and not fully flat but probably 130 degrees at their flatest. Mine was a bit short (with my bag in I could have done with an extra 20cm) but Tom had quite a long one and could stretch out pretty well. They were narrow but not so bad.

9pm: Two hours in we stop of for some crisps and biscuits (our own supply already running low). The biscuits are a bit hard and yet another bit of my tooth breaks off- It can wait till we get back :) The guys next to me are going to Lao purely to go to Vang Vieng- tubing. (tom: Yayyyy! Not!!)

Tubing is where you bit in a tyre innertube and float down a river being periodically 'caught' by the bars on the river side- we thought about doing it but decided not to in the end. Most of the bus looked like it was where they were heading- it's the SE Asian equivalent of Ibiza.

6am: We arrive at the border. 1 Hour before it opens. The bus crew seem keen to get us ready to dive through at 7 and play very loud Vietnamese pop music to wake us up. An Aussie girl only just manages enough self restraint not to remove the speaker with scissors.

Tom: yeah she was a b****

8am: Through immigration, a few $1s poorer for 'stamp fee' a.k.a the 'I'm a border perons, it's 7am, give me cash fee'.

2pm Arrive in Vientiene, much earlier than we expected, hopped in a bus (well a pick up with seats in the back) and found a hostel, very reasnoble and clean. Even got a private bathroom- although we resisted the 70p extra for air con hahaha

Tom: god I can't believe you forgot the little old lady with kebabs of chicken legs. The night market has a nice atmosphere and is very cheap, it costing us 40 p for two kebabs of beef.

So Tomorrow looking around the city then we've got a slioght change of plan. For those following our diary: We goin to miss out Savahnaket and Vang Vieng and instead we going to spend 3-5days i Luang Phrabang in the north of Laos, it'[s supposed to be very pretty with lots of monks. We're also going to have a cooking class, maybe go rafting, etc.