I have been very bad. I have travelled through an entire country without writing a blog entry once!! BUT if you have been to Laos, you will understand how that is possible. There are just so many other things better to do then sit at a computer!! And when I did eventually get time to find an internet cafe, it wouldn't load this site! Typical! Anyway, now I need to do some serious catching up for you..and believe there is alot, so you might want to get a glass of water, maybe even some food...here we go...

So I met my new group in Hanoi (that seems so long ago!) and they are great! They have been travelling together for about a month before I joined, going from Bangkok, through Cambodia, up Vietnam. There was another new person to the group, an older women (only by age! She is very young at heart) named Chris who joined as well. We all
went out to dinner together to a place called Potato Bar...still haven't figured out why they chose that name though..the next morning we had to take a 7 hour bus journey to a small Vietnamese town called Vinh that is right by the Vietnam-Laos border. We spent the night there and then headed in the morning on a 10 hour bus ride through the Laos border and to the capital, Vientiane.

Vientiane was okay, not too bad. It's basically just another SE Asian city, so there are some temples, some okay museums, a presidential palace etc etc. In Laos there is a rule that tour groups must have a Lao guide, meaning that our gruide, Tom (a Thai girl who is adorable and really nice), couldn't actually lead us and instead we had Mr. Nikone (pronounced Nee-Con). Tom was still always with us, but legally she was supposed to gfive us information in public. Mr. Nikone was hilarious because he spoke REALLY LOUD and in horrible english!! But he was really sweet and had the best laugh ever, so it was okay. He took us on an orientation walk of the city and we went to a Buddhist Temple where we got to talk to real monks! I never thought I would be able to actually speak to one since there are so many rules pertaining to women and monks (If a woman touches a monk he must pray for a long time to be forgiven) but the monks at the temple were really friendly and spoke wonderful english. Being a monk is hard work. They have to wake up at 4 am, and they can't eat after 12pm! It must especially be hard for the really young monks (some look like they are about 10). Anyway, i got some good photos from the temple so check them out.

We spent another night in Vientiane, and then left the next morning heading north for Vang Vieng. We had a bit of bus trouble getting there though...the bus came 45 minutes late (it was a public VIP bus) and then the aircon didn't work and it was sweltering inside. We spent about an hour on the bus waiting for more passengers to arrive and then went to the local bus station and Tom complained to them about the heat (it was really bad) and they were like "oh...yeah it's broken" and she was like "okay well we are switching buses" and then they were like "no!! we will fix it right now" so we all got off thebus and waited for another hour for the air con to be fixed. When we eventually got moving again we were about two hours behind schedule. I settled into my seat and took a nap and then woke up when I almost fell out of my seat because the bus was careening around corners so fast! We ended up getting to Vang Vieng at the time we were supposed to (that's how fast we were going!!!) but it was all worth because Vang Vieng is heaven on earth.

ahhhhh Vang Vieng...I wish i was still there. One of the downsides of being on a tour! I would definitely have stayed there for atleast a week. It is a very rural town, with just one main road. On that main road are about 50 restaurants all serving the same food. Many of the restaurants are also set up so you watch Friend's episodes while you eat!! They just put in DVD after DVD of Friends and you could stay there all days watching! They also set up the restaurant so you are sort of lying down and facing a big tv. It was amazing. If you haven't realized yet, Vang Vieng is set up for backpackers. It's a bit sad, but it just so amazing there that you can't dwell on that fact. It was really warm there, and they sell fresh fruit everywhere and its right on the Mekong River so you can go and sit at a bar in a bungalow and watch the sunset...aalkjfa;lkdjf amazing. But, the main thing Vang Vieng is famous for is TUBING. Tubing is a bit hard to explain, it's one of those you-have-to-be-there things, but I will do my best.

So, first you rent an inner tube (there is a picture of a truck with lots of inner tubes on top of it, that is what you use). Then you take a tuk-tuk (the truck) up to the river. The tuk-tuk drops you off at a bar on the river, but by a bar I mean a wooden hut over the bank of the river. The river is about 100 ft wide and goes from 6 inches deep to really really deep. At this first bar there is a large tree next to it, and on that large tree there is a wooden platform, and on that wooden platform there is a man who gives you a trapeze type swing to hold on to as you jump off the 50ft platform. You didn't have to jump off the platform, but I did and I am so glad I did because it was INCREDIBLE. After you get bored at that bar, you get on your inner tube and float down to another bar that is about 25 ft down stream. This next bar will also have a swing, plus music, etc. This goes on for about 5-7 bars, one even has a gigantic water slide (see photo!). After you are done you continue floating down the river just relaxing for about two hours until you get back to the main part of town. If it doesnt sound as awesome as it was, go to Vang Vieng and try it for yourself, you are guarenteed an amazing time.

As if that wasn't enough excitement for one town, the next day four of us rented motorbikes and rode around to the caves nearby the town. Yes, I rode a motorbike. Yes, it was automatic (so I chickened out there a bit). and Yes, it was amazing. It might have helped if someone had told me before I got on the bike that you don't turn by moving the handle bars...I found that out the hard way. The caves were pretty cool, but the really cool parts were the swimming pools. The first cave had a part where you swam into a water cave (no photos :(..)!!! The second one had a BLUE lagoon outside of it (see photo!). Pretty sweet.

We were all sad to leave Vang Vieng, but the next day we had to an 8 hour bus to Luang Prabang. This city is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, so it had a curfew for the town, which I was fine with after my two days of pure adrenaline. Anyway, most of us just wanted to relax after spending so much enery and money in Vang Vieng, so five of us went to a pool in the town and just soaked up the sun for the day. But, the next day most of the group went to the Kuang Si Waterfalls, which are 25 km out of town. There were INCREDIBLE. SO GORGEOUS. just look at the photos! The waterfall was the best one I have ever seen, and on the way walking up to it were all these mini falls that you could swim in (BLUE BLUE WATER). It was a really good day. The next morning we woke up reaaaaallly early to go feed the monks. Let me explain. The monks walk around the town at 6 am with pots and locals come and give them food and that is the food the monks will eat for the day. So we got up and bought some food and sat on the street (you must be lower than them to show respect) and gave them food. It was pretty cool. We then prepared some lunch and snacks for our two day journey up the Mekong River on a river boat to the Thai border.

Our river boat was pretty comfortable (see photos!) but getting on/off of it were the difficult parts! There was just this tiny plank (wide enoough for just ONE foot) that was not attached to anything, and the boat lkept moving backwards since that wasnt moored to anything either!! AND we had our HUGE packs on our backs!! But we made it with only one person falling into the river. (not me). We were on the boat for 10 hours the first day, then stayed over in Pakbeng (a super small town that just survives on this stop over by travelers. The electricity turns off there at 10:30 pm), then got back on the boat for about 8 hours. We stayed the night near the border, then got up the next morning, went through Lao immigration, crossed the river, went through Thai immigration, and then had a 5 hour bus ride to Chang Mai (the second biggest city in Thailand).

SO that brings me to where I am right now, sitting at an internet cafe in the old section of Chang Mai. It is really hot here. Tonight is actually the last night of my tour, and tomorro I join (with Chris) ANOTHER tour, for three days of trekking around Chang Mai (including ELEPHANT RIDING) and then an overnight train to Bangkok and then my tour will officially be over. I have 5 days before my planes leaves bangkok for budapest so I think I am going to go down to Koh Chang, Thailands 2nd biggest island and sit on the beach for three days. And then...ASIA IS OVER!!! I can't believe it has gone so fast!!!

Okay I need to go meet my group for out last dinner together.

P.S My phone charger AND adapter AND game boy got stolen out of my bag. I am going to the police tomorrow to report it so I can get travel insurance out of it (hopefully). Also, Bank of America sent me a lovely email telling me that there was unsual activity on my card (i.e i used it in thailand) and they have stopped it until I call them to say it is okay. I told the bank that I was going to Thailand yet obviously they can't read. Also, I cant call them until my phone is charged and where is my charger??? probably being sold to another backpacker.