We arrived in Vientiane after crossing the border in Laos after two delayed trains and arrived at our hotel with no dramas at all. We checked in and realised that none of us had eaten for nearly a day. We raced out the door, found the nearest cash point to get some Kip, and then hit the first restaurant we saw.

After eating, the girls went back for a nap while to boys hit the local market. It turned out to be a technology market and they boys all came back with ideas of things to buy (more on this later).

In the evening we met up with Ramon and Danielle (this is a couple that we met in Halong Bay and keep bumping into along the way) and went out for dinner on the waterfront. We found a lively looking bar that did food and sat down to eat. Halfway through the meal we began to realise the abundance of ladyboys that were frequenting the bar. At first you think you can tell them apart, but it actually starts to get very difficult, not to mention awkward when they start waving at you from the bar. This caused great amusement for a while but eventually the novelty wore off and we left the bar full and ready for bed.

The next day we woke up and went straight to the Thai consulate to apply for our second Thailand visa. After a few panics about possibly not being allowed a second entry, we got the piece of paper we needed and headed off to Phat That Luang. This is a temple which is the national monument of Laos. Apparently its a symbol of Buddhist religion, Laos sovereignty and it holds part of Buddha's breast bone. If it does, he really was a big chap!

After this we headed out of town back towards the Thai border to visit the Buddha park. This was our favourite bit of Laos so far. It contains both Buddhist and Hindu sculptures including on massive Buddha lying down. You could just walk around the park amongst the statues and there was even one massive pot (apparently a temple) which you could climb to the top. It was so peaceful we ended up staying longer than we thought, just chilling out in the sun.

In the evening we splashed out on a fancy French meal in the centre of town which was delicious! This also included some wine which we have all been craving since the start of the trip. We had planned a big night out, but after a few bottles we just wanted our beds.

We woke up a little groggy after the wine and made out way out to pick up our new visas. After this, we headed back to the market the boys found before and they then proceeded to buy their new toys. Luke and Simon both bought fake iPhones (this was Luke's second!) and Tom bought a hand held video player made by Sony but designed by Apple! The best of both worlds.

After a lazy evening we woke up, packed our things and jumped on our 'VIP' bus to Vang Vieng. Although we hadn't done lots of things in Vientiane, it was really nice to relax and slow down. Sadly the weather started to turn on our last day, after spending so much time in such hot weather, it was a shock to our systems to see rain and wind again! Unfortunately, it looked like the weather was set to continue for our time in Laos which was a real shame.