It was early in the morning and I was tired when the bus arrived in Luang Prabang. We got to the hotel at around 6am which was too early for our room to be ready. Together with the guys I had been travelling with that night, we sat hugging mugs of tea, waiting, bleary-eyed. We had chosen that particular hostel, The Khounsavan Guesthouse, mainly because it had a swimming pool. As soon as the rooms were ready it was time for a quick nap and a long shower. We eventually met back at the pool to continue nursing our Vang Vieng hangovers.
The town itself is situated on the banks of the Mekong and reminded me a bit of Hoi An. The clean streets are lined with old colonial architecture and lit by colourful lanterns after dark. At night the town comes alive, the restaurants and bars spill out onto the pavements. Although, there's always a quicker, cheaper option at the never-ending night market that has some amazing food on offer. The all-you-can-fit-on-your-plate vegetarian buffet was a particular favourite but was best paired with sizeable chunk of pork belly from the barbecues.

It's strange how easily temporary friends are made whilst travelling. A complete stranger turns into a close friend in the space of a few days, usually with beer acting as the catalyst. For the last few days I've been travelling with a few guys I met whilst tubing, a mix of English, German and French. It's been a lot of fun exploring the area with a big group. Having spent the first day lounging by the pool, it meant the next day we all had a bit more energy to go trekking around the Kuang Si Waterfall. Once again, the rainy season made it even more spectacular- the picnic benches were barely noticeable, just breaking the surface of the flood water. The days' exercise made a welcome to change to the daytime drinking sessions, that we had become accustomed to in Vang Vieng, and it was probably the first any of us had done in a while.
The evening after our trek was yet another leaving-do and we had to wish the Germans goodbye. It's a shame to see them go but their Vietnamese visas were due to start and therefore had to leave for Hanoi (I half wished I could have joined them). It was also a goodbye to George who was catching the coach to Thailand to meet his girlfriend. It would be last time I would see him until Bangkok in about 4 weeks time. With so many goodbyes, there was a lot of beer flowing that night and made a suitable farewell for everyone leaving.

For those of us that were left, we had organised a visit to a local blacksmiths for the following day. In a jungle setting, on the edge of the town, we got to learn how to forge our own knives. Under close supervision, we were allowed to heat the iron, cut it and then hammer it to form the knives we would get to take away at the end of the class. It was great to see Shun, the blacksmith, at work. It really looked as though he still enjoyed his work, despite the fifty+ years of doing the same thing. His wealth of experience meant he always knew a way to correct our mistakes, no matter how far we went wrong. The final step was putting his trademark stamp on each of our knives. He told us it meant that whenever we needed it sharpening or repairing, we could take it back to him free of charge. As soon as the blades were made, his son measured them up for handles and sheaths, and his wife made us spicy papaya salad, made from the papaya tree in his garden.
Shorts and flip-flops weren't really ideal for a day in the forge and we all managed to pick up a few burns but other than that, it was an amazing experience watching a true craftsman at work. And we obviously got to take away a very cool souvenir!

In and amongst all the fun I've had in Luang Prabang, I've spent a lot of time in and out of travel shops, trying to work out the rest of my trip. With less than a month to go and still so much to see, I've tried to work out a route that includes both a diving qualification and at least two weeks in Myanmar. Thankfully my visa for Myanmar was approved so I think I will spend the last couple of weeks of my travels there. Getting the visa has seemed a lot easier than actually getting there. All the overland borders are closed and the only way in, is to fly. Made harder by the fact that I can only fly from certain airports- Bangkok being the cheapest and easiest if I return there to fly home. Therefore, in the meantime, I've booked a night bus to Chiang Mai, Thailand, where I will spend two nights and then fly to the South Islands where I can do my PADI open water diving qualification. After that I will somehow find a way back to Bangkok to fly into Burma, hopefully it's a plan that works almost down to the last day. It does mean, however, I will have to say goodbye to Laos sooner than I would have liked. It seems to be the case for all of the countries I have visited so far but a week in Laos definitely isn't long enough. It's so laid back here and everyone is so friendly, I could have easily stayed longer. There's just so much to see and so little time. The last two months have flown by and I'm sure it will be the same for the next one.