Hi all,

Apologies for not updating recently i've been super busy having fun.

Ok where to start...i last updated in Siem Reap so i'll have to go back 2 weeks.

Friday 16th July - From Siem Reap Jo & I got a bus to 4000 Island in Southern Laos & stayed on a little island called Don Det. It was very basic but beautiful. We met 2 girls called Michelle (from Singapore) and Vikanda (Thail-Belgium) on the way to the island so decided to hang out with them. On the way back from the restaurant i turned to shine my torchlight on the ground for Jo & Michelle when something stung/nipped my foot! I swung my torch round to see a scorpion scuttling past!! Cue mild panic....what if it was poisonous!?! Thankfully it wasn't & my foot was fine the next day, phew. Our first day on the island was a very lazy one just reading & lying around in hammocks. It absoultely lashed it down in the afternoon so we reasoned that we couldn't have done much in that weather anyway. That evening we discovered a taste sensation of Milo Shake with peanuts...soooo good but like a meal in itself.

After a restless night (due to a ghost - possibly - knnocking on our door/roof throughout the night) we got up & Jo, Michelle, Vikanda & I hired bikes to go exploring the nearby island of Don Kone in search of waterfalls & beaches. The "roads" were muddy bumpy tracks but the scenery was lovely - green fields with animals dotted around & mountains rising up in the distance. The waterfall was more like fast flowing turbulent rapids so when we found out that some travellers had died there earlier in the year whilst trying to swim i wondered what the hell possessed them to go swimming there iin the first place! Further down we found a beach of golden sand - like actually gold flecks in the sand! Stupidly Jo & I hadnt put suncream on as it was a cloudy day when we started out but as the day progressed the clouds lifted & it was glorious sunshine - safe to say we burnt, alot. To protect myself from burning more i thought i would wear my rain coat - cue excessive sweating! We decided to head back to Don Det at about 3:30pm, unfortunately Jo had somehow managed to get a puncture without noticing so we had to push our bikes back to the village of Done Kone & get her tyre fixed. We set off again but then Jo's brakes/gears decided not to work either. Not happy! Thankfully a few guys we had met earlier came passed & helped us out. When we set off this morning we had felt proper smug with our proper sturdy mountain bikes that we had paid twice as much for rather than getting the crappy little bikes with baskets on but we were not laughing in the end. All in all a good day despite the sunburn.

Had another lazy day then met up with Jade & Lucy who had arrived the night before & booked our bus to Pakse.

We arrived in Pakse on 20th July & went for a wander round the town & the market before having dinner on a floating restaurant on the Mekong River. The next day we went to Wat Phu (pronounced Wat Poo - i'm not joking), it's also known as Mount Penis due to the large number of lingas (penis shaped stone carvings). Wat Phu is in the middle of beautiful Laos countryside with rolling green fields & mountains rising majestically in front of us. The area was so serene & peaceful with lakes & ruins to explore it was an excellent day. After climbing up several levels we reached the top where there was a sacred stream which people prayed at and elephants, crocodiles & deities carved into the stone. The view was spectacular, you could see for miles & miles. Unfortunately we got caught in a rainstorm at the top so passed the time in a little shelter playing cards.

The next day we went to Ban Saphai & Don Kho for a traditional Laos weaving lesson. We got dropped at Ban Saphai & had to get into a little fishing boat, which amused the locals no end as we desperately tried not to fall in. On arrival at Don Kho we managed to convey that we wanted to learn to weave although they couldnt really speak any english. Weaving is very complicated but lots of fun! I have a lot of respect for these ladies who can do it so fast, it is such a talent. Unfortunately my lady kept wandering off & leaving me to my own devices so my weaving wasn't the best, whereas the others got lots of help. It was abit disappointing as the other 3 bought there bit of weaving whereas mine looked awful so i didn't bother :( At one point one of the ladies made me try on a long skirt she had made & thought it was highly amusing & kept patting my bum! Should i be offended? Haha. That evening we got a sleeper bus to Vientianne - it was pretty cool, we were allocated bunks but the bus was leaking due to the torrential rain outside so the 5 of us (including a girl called Stefanie we had met in Don Det) were put on one big bed at the back of the bus so it was like a sleepover. However the bus driver was driving far too fast & i was getting bumped all over the place & ended up with a HUGE bruise on my back.

Friday 23rd July - Arrived in Vientiane & spent the day wandering around & being lazy. The next day we did a walking tour of the main sights round Vientiane - startedat Patuxi which has been linked to the Arce De Triomphe in Paris, i can see the similarities & ther's a good view of the city from the top but i would say the French version is better. We walked past That Dam which is one of the oldest Buddhist stupas - legend has it that the stupa was once covered in gold until it was stolen by the Siamese during a pillaging rampage in the 1800's. Later that afternoon we went to Wat Sok Pa Luang for a herbal sauna & joined in some meditation with some monks at the Wat. Unfotunately i couldnt do the meditation ( my mind was wandering all over the place & i was uncomfortable sat on the floor!) so i sheepishly returned to the sauna. That evening we went 10 pin bowling which was lots of fun - Jo won her very first game! The next day we got up & went to That Pa Luang which is a massive golden stupa & a big hit with the tourists before heading to Vang Vieng. On arrival in Vang Vieng we were informed that a local Lao guy had died that day tubing - gulp - that made us all abit nervous!

Monday 26th July - We hired some bikes in the morning so we could explore the beautiful countryside. Vang Vieng has "lost it's soul" according to the Lonely Plant guide book but regardess of that it is located in a truly beautiful place, strking limestone cliffs, lush greenery & rivers snaking their way across the landscape. We found a blue lagoon & spent some fun times jumping in then holding onto tree roots as the lagoon was more of a fast flowing river! I somehow managed to get a fish in my flipflop which amused me. After that we returned the bikes then headed to the start of tubing whoop whoop! Tubing despite the dangers is SO MUCH FUN! Getting into the current of the river is the hardest part but it is hilarious & so enjoyable floating along the river in a big rubber ring spinning in circles. We stopped at a few bars & my word was the alcohol strong! We took it easy in an attempt not to die but by missing out several bars we came to the end much quicker that expected :( Once back on dry land we showered then headed out for our big night out! Jo however got rather too drunk to early & we were back at the hostel at 11:30. One of the best days so far!

Tuesday 27th July - arrived in Luang Prabang after a long bus journey through winding steep mountan passes, landslides at tiny settlements clinging to the edges of the road balancing precariously on poles stuck into the mountainside. Over the next few days we went to the amazing night market & spent several hours (and a lot of money) eating the wonderful food & buying various items such as jewellery, material, bags, scarves etc. We went to the Tat Kuang Si Waterfall which was amazing, streams weaving their way through the forest. I climbed to the top of the waterfall but coudnt get a good view as the bridge i needed to cross was submerged in water - diaster. There was also a bear rescue centre in the forest which was pretty cool. In the afternoon Jo & I hired a bike & explored outisde the city & came across a little village called Ban Xang Khong which had places that made & sold silk & paper & you could watch the women at work.We then cycled along the river banks. We watched Repo Men in the local bookstore in the evening. Heading back to Vientiane tomorrow then onto Bangkok on Sunday....