Ok so we start the day the same way as all others. We go to the usual cake shop and buy a cake and then to the usual tea lady and grab a brew and sit at our usual spot with plastic chairs. We really have been here too long as the locals know us too well! We also have our usual butty lady who knows what we want. We dont even have to order we just say 'same same' and thats all they need. After breakfast we decide to find a place with a pool to chill out for the day and relax as its scortching hot. We walk out again with a rough idea of how to get to what seems to be the only place in Luang Prabang with a pool. Again sense of direction is lost on us and after walking for an hour, missing the sign that says this way, we make it and have a much needed dip and chill out. We then go to a lovely restaraunt for some very very nice dinner before early night for the next day activities.

Today we have tickets on a long boat to the Pak Ou Caves which are about a 2 hour trip up the Mekong river on a very dodgy looking slow boat. The first boat we boarded couldnt start its engine so we had to transfer to another which thankfully got us there ok. On route some of the speed boats passed us. We have heard many a tale about these speed boats but you have to see it to believe it. Its like a surfboard with a speed boat motor on the back. With about 5 people to a boat all in what looked like armor inforced life jackets and helmets they zoom passed dodging rocks and other obsticals. You know you are in trouble in asia when they give you safety equipment like that to wear! I therefore felt even more happy in my little wooden slow boat. We got to the cave, which wasnt really what i was expecting. There were no great cave formations, but what makes it interesting is that it is crammed with budda statues of all sizes. It was ok but not great but the boat ride itself was nice and you got the chance to take in the scenery! In the evening we climb up the hill to see the sunset over Luang Prabang.

The next morning we head for a place we stumbled across previously. In Laos you can buy books for the young children to help them learn english, but we decide to put our natural talents of being of English nationality to help the wee blighters by going to a volunteer group session to help them speak and learn some English. We go for the 2 hour morning session and find a group of Laos teenagers waiting for willing helpers. Well in theory this seemed like a good idea and a nice thing to do, however it seemed to unfold that they knew more english than me and were asking questions about verbs and nouns and all things I had no idea about. And have you seen my spelliing (well obviously). I find myself more stressed out by the whole experiance than expected and realise my English actually sucks. I think that I did more harm than good in my attempts to help and set them back a grade or too. Me and Rachel then took our sorryfull selves to the pool place again to recover from the mornings activities and then have some great fish and chips...oh and yet more cake!!!!! We are flyingout in the morning to go to southern Thialand to enjoy the beaches this country has to offer!! xxxx