Sorry it's been so long since update!!!!!! But here it goes from the fastest internet cafe i could find in Luang Prabang, Laos!

Since updating you last in Chiang Mai i've now become the Thai Master Chef ( well i'd like to believe it anyway!). I attended a cooking course which was awesome. We started off with a market tour which was super interesting (and stomach turning in some parts) to get all the ingredients for the day. I've officially found my new favourite fruit- the jackfruit; its like a cross between a mango and a banana but has li8ke a rubbery texture (the taste is worth it trust me!). Spent the day with a small cooking class in the guys home and ended up cooking about 6 meals- all delicious but there was no way i could finish them all! I've decided mango sticky rice is my signature dish now (mainly because i'd like to eat it 24/7) so i'd be willing to attempt to cook it for anyone when i get home!

After being in Chiang Mai for a few more days and visitng temples (as well as catching a nice dose of the flu) i headed of for Pai, a small town about 3 VERY windy and bumpy hours away from chiang mai, up in the direction of the Burmese boarder. Was really neat to go there as i was away from the busyness of the city and it was more relaxed (turns out im not a city girl at heart...) Stayed at the cutest bungalows ever (see cheesy video), and spent me easter (which i forgot about til mum reminded me!) with a cadbury fruit and nut (yes i know the flavours not the best but we were limited for choice!) by the pool which was awesome! After spending five nights there i headed back to Chiang mai to get the feel of the night market and savour my last Chiang Mai fuirt shakes (i can recommend the best cafe if anyone goes there!) before heading up through Chiang Rai to Chiang Kong so i could organise my crossing into Laos!

Chiang Kong holds a new record for Thailand as i discovered in the 2 minutes it took me to walk up the street- it has no 9/11 convenience store!! Made such a nice change- although after 3 weeks i was able to alleviate my craving for ice cream and had my first thai ice cream (coconut flavoured-i think..) which definitly made my day!

Tuesday started my mekong adventure including the crossing into Huay Xia to get my Lao visa and to catch my slow boat. Tip- if anyone goes on the slow boat- buy a cushion! Those seats are like super hard church pews with backs that make you sit in an unatural position- for the whole 18 hours you spend on the over the next two days! (i ended up sitting on the side-where you get told to move off when approaching a 'Lao Tsunami as they call is aka rapids that don't do anything since its dry season, or on the floor!). But overall i have got to say the trip was one of the best things i've ever done! There was always awesome things to look at, from the burnt buffalo's, the fishermen with their nets, to the women washing their clothes on the rocks, to the kids making slides into the water by wetting the mud, to the lone houses in the middle of no-where, to the huge rocks tht tower over! The trip is broken up for one night in Pak Beng- interesting place, i lost count of the number of times i was asked 'you want ma-ri-ju-ana', and after politely refusing getting a list of other options available 'ganja, opium??'.... I stuck to plain friend rice that night don't worry mum! And after the pak beng experience we hopped back on the boat to arrive in Luang Prabang where i am now to get my proper taste of Laos

So here i am and aboslutely loving it! Its communist, got the world record for being the most bombed country in the world per capita and the peopel aren't exactly well off- but everybody is SO friendly and seems real happy. And despiite it land locking Thailand, its real different alredy. I'd like to thank the french for teaching the Lao people how to bake- the croissant's are amazing!! Speaking of food must be off....deicded against trekking in Chiang Mai for a vairety of reaons so going to investigate here and hopefully head off in th next few days!

Love to all

x