We'd booked a trip for today and were heading for a slow-boat ride up the Mekong River to some caves, followed by a trip to a waterfall in the afternoon,

We got picked up at our guesthouse and were taken to the river where we were introduced to our slow-boat captain. We walked down some steep steps to the river, where there were a few small boats moored up. Our captain gestured to us to climb over one of the other boats get into his! They're very small inside, with two rows of chairs and if too many people sit on side the whole boat tips to the side! The captain moved the boat from it's parking space by pushing against the other boats with his arms and then a long bamboo pole he kept on the roof, and then we were off!

The journey up the river was very peaceful and we had amazing views both sides. Every now and then we'd see water buffalos and people working and panning for gold. On the way to the caves we stopped at a village called 'Whisky Village' as, surprisingly, they make and sell whisky! We were given 15 minutes to look around, and spent some time talking to the guy selling the whisky, learning how they make it using rice, and sampling some too (even though it was way to early for whisky!). We bought a few bottles of the strong stuff, for a very cheap price, and looked around the rest of the village where local women were selling scarves and jewellery. We got back to the boat in time, but unfortunately the group of Japanese men who were also on our boat must have got carried away with their shopping and were late back . We cold tell our captain was getting a bit twitchy - they must have to stick to a tight schedule to get everything done in the timeframe.

A little later we arrived at the caves and were given 20 minutes, which wasn't really long enough to see it properly. They were called the Pak Ou caves, and are known for the hundreds of miniature Buddha figures found inside. There are 2 caves - the lower and upper caves, and we had a whirlwind look at them both. The upper cave was very dark and the torch on our phone wasn't very good so we couldn't see inside very well. We were also in a rush to get back to the boat, so didn't see as much as we'd have liked to.

We then sailed back down the river to Luang Prabang. On the way, the captain pointed out a prison at the riverside, where, as he said, the 'bad people' go. We were dropped off back in town and had about an hour before our pick-up to go to the waterfall. We ate some lunch while we waited, and then we were off for the 45 minute drive to Kuang Si waterfall, one fo the main attractions around Luang Prabang. We were both looking forward to cooling off in the water - it's been a while since we've been to a beach or a pool!

We were given a few hours to explore before our return journey. There were lots of cafes and stalls outside the entrance, and inside there was a bear sanctuary where they keep bears that have been rescued from poachers. We had a look at the bears first who we were pleased to se have a big enclosure with lots of things to keep them amused, including hammocks! It's run by a charity who keep them here as it's not safe for them to be in the wild because of the poachers. After a short walk we arrived at the beautiful waterfall, and we surprised at the lovely blue colour of the water, since the river water usually looks brown. It didn't take us long to get changed and into the lovely cool water and stick our heads under the waterfall. We watched some brave/stupid people jumping off the top of the waterfall and using the rope swing at the side. There were lots of rocks and some shallow areas in the water, so maybe not sensible to jump in!

On the way back to Luang Prabang, we stopped at a Hmong village for more shopping - I found this one a bit depressing as the little kids were all on the stalls and had obviously been trained how to sell. There was one little girl who said as we walked past '2000kip, ok 1000kip' and there was one who must have only been 18 months old who came up offering a bracelet. Quite a sad place to visit and we didn't learn anything about the village, it was just one big handicraft stall.

That night we went back to Utopia bar where we went last night for some food and a few drinks. Last day in Luang Prabang tomorrow. We're planning a lie in and a visit to the monestary.