Blog 27 The one with the tubes... Vang Vieng is a boiling pot of friends re-runs and tuna sandwiches, and never has an Asia town accommodated the traveller like this one. Bar after bar after guesthouse after bar... All advertising tubing on the Vang Vieng!!! Has Vang vieng lost its soul? Yes. But it's still so much fun (we stayed 5 nights), and the locals are cashing in big time. In brief: a day at the blue lagoon swimming, jumping off trees ( Jo jumped off a...

Blog 26 First off.... The exciting Skype date from home happened on the second night when I called Tim and Nikki at midnight! The great news is THEY ARE ENGAGED!!! We had been waiting for this exciting news for the past week, knowing that they had just come down to Clanaborough, our beautiful family cottage in Devon! Many excited and happy tears followed this lovely news! And even more after Nikki asked me to be her bridesmaid! Congratulations from us both aga...

Blog 25 The next morning in Chiang Khong we checked out of Thailand and crossed the Mekong river to check into Laos. Getting a visa was a bit of a shambles but just over an hour later all 4 of us had passports in hand and were bording the slow boat to Pak Beng. 6 hours later, and maybe 6 blogs down we arrived in the poky town, to find some fairly cheap accommodation. A lovely Indian meal that night (served and cooked by children!) And we hit the hay. Excitin...

Blog 24 A night in the commuters town of Chiang Khong was fairly uneventful, but a good chance to catch up on blogs and cookbook recipes. A Mexican birthday meal treat left Naomi a happy 31 yr old. Love Bryn and Jo x

Blog 23 We didn't spend much time In Chiang Rai itself but it was a pretty friendly nice town really. Were now traveling with a 30 year old couple from Buckinghamshire, Naiomi and Rob. Naiomi celebrated her 31st birthday with us with an evening of drinks and watching the Arsenal v Liverpool match in the bar. Free birthday tequilas made for aching heads the next day. We arranged to do a 2day trek in the national park surrounding Chiang Rai. It was a fab but ...