*Disclaimer* Apologies for all angry feelings vented at the old and chubby on my tour. Aka, everyone except me. Sabadee folks, sabadee bah? (Guess whose been learning the local lingo!!!) Apologies for the severe lack of update on my travels....just been too darn busy! (Also some of the place I've stayed in don't even have electricity let alone internet!) Sooooo to sum up my past week, (a week bad jo for not updating lol!) Left Huayxai and hopped on the two day slow boat to Vientiane. Bumped into some of the folks I'd hung out with in Pai, so the boat journey was very merry bottles of Beer Lao and Sangsum all round. However, we foolishly made the mistake of pre booking accomodation....ended up in a complete s***hole and basically everyone got robbed cept moi. (Thank you Kathmandu padlock on room) Felt really bad for everyone else though, as there are no ATMs in Laos, people had their entire Laos funds nicked, travellers cheques, cameras, the works... Was blatantly and inside job within the guesthouse cos funnily enough after we were robbed no one could speak english to tell us where the police station was..... Anyways, after two days on a slow boat I'd basically seen enough of the beautiful Mekong scenery and all the booze in the world couldn't hide the fact that my ass was in sooo much pain from the lovely comfy wooden seats. Arrived at the beautiful old capital Laos Prubang but was only able to stay one night as had to hop on the 11hr bus to Vientiane, to start my prebooked tour. Bit of bad planning travelling wise as would have to double back on self using tour, but road networks are soo poor here, I'd probably have to do that anyway. Spend one night in Vientiane in a terrible dorm, the fan broke halfway through the night and I just sweated for the rest of it. Luckily could check into luxury hotel in the morning as part of the prepaid tour. THEY HAD A BATH!!!!!! First bath in two months folks. Lets just say the water was....hmmm....somewhat scummy!! LOL! (Don't worry have been having showers am not complete travelling hobo) Went and got my haircut and eyelashes dyed for about 5 quid. Unfortunately haircut was somewhere between frightwig and Thatcher-do, rushed back to the hotel to shower out evil fright curls asap. Hair now looking better but I should have listened to you Rys! Turned up to meet the rest of my tour group in the evening. I COULD KILL STA TRAVEL! Lets just say the average age of the tour group was around the fifty and obesely overweight mark. I was the youngest person there by at least 15 years. Will deffo complain when I get back as the tour was sold to me as a young persons tour where you can meet other young people! Will just have to grin and bear it for two more weeks, though really wish hadn't prebooked the tour as its soooooo expensive, really embarassing as they take us to all these posh restaurants and I have to pretend I've already eaten as I can''t afford two weeks eating at this price. Don 't worry am eating, just sneakily round the corner at food stalls one twelfth of the price! Next morning, hit the Morning Market in Vientiane for some painfully cheap silk. (Another parcel coming your way folks...maybe containing birthday presents....?!?) Then got a flight from hell back up to Vientiane. Not joking, thought I was going to die the entire way in tiny airless cabin with a huge fat, (we're taking scarily fat) canadien old guy being all smelly and sweaty next to me. Turbulance was crazy all the way to the airport. Not normally scared of flying but jesus! Checked into Laos Prubang's poshest hotel, luckily not too far from backpacker district so I could sneak off and hang with all my chums I'd met on the boat. Ended up drinking in an awesome bar with the best mojitos! Am officically sick of drinking bloody beer, I don't care if its cheap I want a girly drink! Next day was intensive sight seeing day, (the oldies broke out of the old socks and sandals and walking stick combo) walked round loads of beautiful wats and the national museum. I say walked...bloody stanna stairlifted would be more appropriate for some of our group - we got a mini bus to go 50m down the road each time! Most frustrating! In the afternoon got a boat up to the local Pak Ou caves with thousands of little stone and metal buddhas in the shrine. Was interesting watching the oldies try to climb the ten stairs to the caves...more so than actually shrine lol. Almost stepped on a snake, completely freaked out but the locals loved me as was considered "you lucky all day"(V lucky that me no step and die me thinks) Anyways, with new feelings of luck walked back the hotel, was desperate for exercise and low and behold I decided to explore this little side street and ended up bumping into the cute english boys I'd met in Pai again! (Lucky snake!) Ended up shopping at the fantastic night market and hitting the cool bar again, though was slightly rubbish as due to communsit curfew had to go home to bed at 11. :( Next day had free day to do whatever, so intestines decided to go on holiday and was vv sick all day. Good chance to stay in bed and watch HBO movie channel though! Then off to Phonsavan to check out the mysterious plain of jars. Phonsavan, boring dump, completely bombed to s*** by the americans during Vietnam. Learnt lots of v interesting and terrible facts about the bombing of Laos, one of the most atrocious war crimes in history and still those bloody Yanks haven't paid for it! Couldn't go off exploring due to prescence of bombies still around, (cluster bombs) they kill on average 4 people a month. Is truly terrible. Plain of Jars was mysterious. (Thats's about it.) Went metal detecting for bullets, didn't dicover any land mines but one the way back a Laos kid thought it would be really funny to lob an old 'Nam cluster bomb infront of our minibus, luckily driver was switched on and we stopped well before it....still....kids today. Don't think the bomb was live you can never tell though! Also was taken to illegal opium production farm to show the workings of opium farming etc, (despite mutterings of oldies). Was v interesting, but no free samples :(!!! The best part so far have been the Laos villages we've stopped off on the way to and from Phonsavan. Laos is still a third world country and we bought stuff to give to the kids. We were the only tour group going out to these villages as there were sooo far away from everywhere and known only to our local guide, (Imaginative Traveller run an aid scheme to all the countries they visit). Was truly fantastic experience and although I couldn't buy the kids stuff I made them paper fortune tellers and showed them my digi camera videos which they loved because they don't have TV and have never seen their own photos. Check out my photos later for all the fantastic shots. Then on the road again to Vang Vieng. Only been here about two hours, so have planned some river tubing and caving for tomorrow. Town is deffo for backpackers and not for tourists so the rest of the group are staying in the hotel resort so should be nice and active day! Hope you're all well and I promise to update my photos soon. Jo xxxxxxxxxxxxxx