Since my last blog I have travelled from Chiang Mai to Luang Prabang in Laos. In the last few days in Chiang Mai I did a cooking course, I made spring rolls, chicken fried rice, chicken and cashew nuts and some fried bannana thing. We met a guy called Dan at the hostel and he joined us for the course. It was really fun but I was so full after as we ate each thing as we went along.

On Friday we had planned to leave for Laos, we got our visa for Vietnam sorted in Chiang Mai instead of Laos as it was cheaper apparently, so we got a good deal from a tourist office to get our visas, and transport to Laos for about 3350 Baht which is around 80-90 pounds I think! The visas were due to turn up the same morning as our bus so I prayed they were there. I was ready to leave Chiang Mai by this point as I had been there a week. Me, Adam, Sam, Shelly and Nic went to get the bus at 10:00. We had our final breakfast at 'Nice Kitchen. We went to the bus, which was only a mini bus for the first 5 hours, but it was fine! Not to uncomfy...nothing like the next bus..which I have named the bus trip from HELL! I got onto the bus and there were no seats, only plastic potty like seats in the aisle. Me, Sam and another girl sat down until we realised that we would be on this until Luang Prabang. So we noticed there were numbers on our bus tickets. Mine was at the back but a Thai man was in my seat. Some monks at the back tried to get him to move but he refused, so I had to sit next to a lady with her baby and child... so uncomfortable. Soon into the journey they started being sick, the mum and child. Constantly!! I hate hate hate sick so I shoved my ear plugs in as hard as I could and tried to block it out, I was so annoyed that I was in the thai man's seat, he should have to deal with this! After a few hours we stopped, I was so tired and it was pitch black, all I wanted to do was get there and sleep. The man got off for a wee so I went and sat in my seat. He can deal with the sick people now! After about another 2 hours the other man from the window seat went and I could lay across 2 seats, I finally managed to sleep but not much as it was so bumpy. The first night we went to Utopia bar. It is the 'place to go' although closes at 12 because Luang Prabang has a curfew. After this everyone heads to a bowling alley which stays open till about 3 but I didnt go. I can bowl at home!!

The following day Sam etc left for Vang Veing but it seemed stupid to only give one place just over 24 hours so I stayed and extra few nights and had a wicked time, went to some amazing waterfall and then went out with a big group of German people and some people from the hostel. The next day me and Sulvinda, Darcy and some others organised the bus to Vang Vieng for the next day and our haloween outfits. We just got bandages and white face make up which was supprisingly hard to find but we did it, and looked like zombie sort of people. We ended up drawing on everyone and loads of people looked 'halloweeny' by the end. After about 10 mins un Utopia someone knocked a heavy wooden stool on to my little toe and broke it, it was so painful, I spent my whole time there with ice on my foor and it elevated. Luckily I had bandages on my and there was a doctor there so she looked at it and strapped it up for me. I needed help carrying my bags the next day to the mini bus as walking as an issue. the mini bus was fine, just dead bumpy and windy but nothing compared to the hell ride. We chilled out that night and had an early night ready for Tubing the next day!