We are still in Laos, and still so happy to be here.

Our last couple of days in Luang Prabang were great - the night of Tuesday, the 6th of March, we met up with Chris and Marleen at the Hive Bar in town. We had been informed about some good entertainment there every night, and were not disappointed. At 7pm, local students put on a fashion show displaying outfits/costumes of the numerous hilltribes that live in the area. The costumes took over a year to collect and were very colourful and very different from one to the next. After the fashion show, a group of local boys put on a "hip hop dance show", but really, it was break dancing. And it was incredible! The participants varied from about 10 to 20 years old and also varied in skill level, but they were all amazing. It was such an enjoyable night and interesting way to experience some local culture.

Our last day in LP was pretty quiet. Chris had moved on and we just met up with Marleen for dinner. During the day, we visited another temple in the city and returned at 4pm for the evening drumming to signal nightly prayer. We sat on the edge of the Mekong and watched the sun set behind the mountains while local fisherman tried there best and local women collected river weed for food. Before dinner, we again walked through the beautiful night market. The first half of the market had lost power and was lit by candles. It was so pretty and so peaceful, as fewer people were around. Eventually the lights did come back on and the market filled up again with shoppers.

On Thursday morning, we packed up and caught the minibus to a small town on the Nam Ou river called Nong Khiaw. We were thinking of staying here for a night or two but decided instead to hop immediately on the boat and make the trip all the way to Muang Ngoi, our most northern destination in Laos.

The boat ride up the Nam Ou was incredible. We were heading upstream and fighting through strong current and sizable rapids in our long boat. The river wound through mountains and jungle. Occasionally, the riverbanks would be covered with simple green vegetation and I would find myself thinking that I could be travelling on the Grand or the Thames back home. But then, you'd round a bend in the river and come upon a huge herd of water buffalo and remember - This is Laos!!!

The boat ride took little over an hour and was so enjoyable, I wasn't ready to get off! But, our simple, restful haven of Muang Ngoi was waiting. Mark and I grabbed our packs and headed up the steep hill to the main street. Our first choice of guest house (bungalows overlooking the river with 2 hammocks on the front deck) was full so we ended up down the street in a nice bungalow, but with only 1 hammock. It was very simple, similar to the one we stayed at in Ting Rai Bay, but a bit more basic.

Visiting the small town of Muang Ngoi is a bit like going back in time, especially compared to Luang Prabang. No roads reach this village, you can only access it by boat. Also, there is no electicity or hydro wires running this far into the jungle; there is only generator-powered electicity each night from 6:30-9:30pm. Life here is calm, simple and happy. And, if you can imagine, even quieter than the rest of Laos! The village people are very friendly and work hard all day. Also, I am fairly conviced there are more chickens living here than people, and the symphony of roosters crowing at dawn is deafening.

In the 6 nights we spent in Muang Ngoi, we were extremely laid back. After 2 nights, we finally found an opening at Nicksa's Bungalows and moved down the road to a nice bungalow with 2 lovely hammocks on the front. Heaven! We've spent a lot of time reading, relaxing, and chatting with fellow travelers. We had a couple of great meals with Erin and Carson, an American-Aussie couple that we met on the bus from Luang Prabang. They are in their first month of a 5 month trip, similar to ours.

Sunday, we had a great 3-hour trek into the hills behind Muang Ngoi. We walked through jungle and huge open rice fields to a small hillside village called Ban Na. We didn't stay long once we reached the village because we felt almost like we were intruding by being there, but the walk to get there was stunning. We got to visit a small cave on the way, as well as be terrified walking by the webs of hundreds of funnel-web spiders (the kind we were trying to avoid in Australia!).

Throughout our stay in our bungalow we had many visitors. Some of our favourites were the local small dogs who would follow us home and then sleep under our hammocks for hours. The neighbour who provided the most entertainment was the 3 year old son of the owners who would shout "Hello! Suba-Dee!", as he went throught the bungalows. He showed up on our porch many times, where we entertained him with water bottles used as drums. One particularly funny moment was when he decieded to suddenly drop his drawers and take a wizz off the side of the balcony.

This morning, we left our paradise along the Nam Ou river, headed back downstream to Nong Khiaw. We're planning to stay here a night or two before heading west towards the Thai border to spend some time in Northern Thailand. We found another great bungalow overlooking the river here. One more lazy afternoon in a hammock seemed like a good idea, although Nong Khiaw is certainly more bustling than Muang Ngoi. Here, again, we find roads, cars, motorbikes and electricity. It's almost a luxury to have a fan going during the heat of the day and have internet access again.

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Nong Khiaw is a fairly simple town with guesthouses lining one side of the river and the local city sprawling lightly along the other. This afternoon I trekked through the village to the bus station to inquire about further travel. The bridge seperating the village is marked with a back drop of small mountain peaks which provide a slight sense of awe.

Upon return from the bus station, the local school was let out for the day. With Beth resting in a riverside hammock, I was alone for the local kids to inspect. First I was greeted by a few girls on bikes who giggled out a "Suba-Dee" while they rode past. Next I was greeted by a local man in a traditional triangle straw hat who looked up at my hair with a big smile and a "Suba-Dee!"

With so many kids out, I turned into a bit of a side show on the way back to our bungalow. A few of the older kids would come up to test out my knowledge of the Lao language (which is dreadful) while the young ones ran up quickly to check me out and then stop when I looked back. I enjoyed the giving a smile and a simple greeting.

Finally, while crossing the bridge I was greeted by an older youth with a hat turned side ways. He had a superb grasp on english and we enjoyed a simple chat as we crossed to the other side of town. He was excited to become a trekking guide one day and was interested in where I was from. Trekking would be an interesting job here for sure. Unfortunately in this area, you have to stick very close to the trails. From 1967 to 1972 the greatest number of bombs ever dropped blanketed this beautiful area. You would never know it from the genuine smiles and hospitality that we are greeted with every step of the way.