We arrived in Luang Prabang after a three day journey from Thailand. We left Chiang Mai and took a mini-bus to the border of Laos, where we then took a tiny long boat over the border and the Mekong River. It was easy to get a visa for Laos but all very laid back considering you were crossing a border! We spent the night Huay Xai just inside Laos. The next morning we took a 2 day slow boat down the Mekong. The boat was very basic and the seats were more like wooden perches. But, it was cool to travel down the Mekong and we met a few people. The Mekong was suprisingly lush green and rocky. We saw lots of little villages along the way and for the first time saw some children playing, not selling things or working. We've taken lots of photos so will put them up soon.

We got into Luang Prabang and found a hostel for the night. We wandered back into the town and looked about the night markets which were huge! The next day we spent doing the touristy sightseeing around town. We visited the Grande Palace, Museums and found a great Laos Tea/Book Shop. Laos tea is a bit like green tea but was fine. We exchanged a few books and bought some others. The bookshop is free for locals as its like a library. It seems to be there only access to books. We wandered around a art gallery and bought a cool painting by a local artist (it cost 7GBP!). That evening we walked up to a Temple on top of a hill. It was very hot and humid and there were 328 steps! It was definitly worth it for the sunset across Luang Prabang and the surrounding mountains.

Today we went to see some Waterfalls just outside Lauang Prabang. It was very nice cooling off in the midday heat. The pools were VERY cold but refreshing! There was a rope swing that Matt tried out. The area had a Asianic Black Bear rescue centre that we looked at. The bears have all been rescued after suffering horrendous cruelty, but now spend their days lounging around in hammocks!

Tomorrow we plan to visit a photography display and go see Pak Ou Caves further up the Mekong.

Lots of love

Jo and Matt