Vientiane

Ok here goes.....sorry it's been a while guys!!! Spoke to mum tonight and she'd said that she's getting phone calls worrying if i'd dropped off the face of the earth...don't worry, just couldn't get to internet for long enough been so busy!!!

So after we had our last night out in Hanoi with our old tour guide Nga (maybe celebrating a little bit too much that night,) we met our new fabulous tour guide Nan so our trip to Loas could begin. I was so excited to get out of that city and go somewhere new, definitely over big Vietnamese cities.

As soon as we got to Vientiane it was a huge relief, even though it was the capital it was so clean, and quiet (well compared to Ho Chi Minh and Hanoi). The drive here was beautiful but a little unnerving as Loas doesn't have speed limits....yyyeeeaaaahhhhhh...but not so fun when the driver finds it funny to drive at high speeds along winding narrow roads in the mountains, with a shear drop at the edge hahaha!! We arrived safely after the death defying ride and visited a few sites: Wat Si Saket (oldest remaining temple), the Victory Gate which is a replica of the Arc de Triomphe and went to the morning market...god knows i like to shop :) We went for some really nice meals in Vientiane, Loa food is very good!!! Also enjoyed A LOT of Beer Lao....maybe too much one night.

After settling into the city we decided to tackle the largest Buddhist festival in Loa....the festival of lights. Nan said something like 60% of the population of the country go to festival and she really wasn't kidding. After missioning through the crowds to find a bite to eat....i settled on some noodle soup as there were some very questionable meats as the other option haha, we headed to the main part of the festival...the stage of lights.

WELL...let me try and paint a picture here! 16 westerners, drunk, no idea where they are going, getting crushed in a mass crowd.....mayhem. But we survived..well everyone but Jen who later managed to fall on the dodgems and crack her head open :S

Vang Vieng

We then headed up north to Vang Vieng....my favourite place in Loas. We stayed here for 3 nights which for me wasn't enough. It's so beautiful here and there's so many waterfalls and beautiful walks you can go on, the sunset is amazing by the river. The first day we went river tubing. This involves getting a big rubber ring (or big tyre), heading 5km upstream and floating downstream going bar to bar. The bars line the river and there's different things to do/jump off of at each bar. I won't spoil it for the people who are going to go but its absolutely mental. I met two guys from Amsterdam the night before I was tubing and they said it was the craziest thing they've ever done. I thought 'what the hell am I getting myself in for if guys from Amsterdam think this is crazy....they've seen it all haven't they???' Hahaha. Anyway it was true and lived up to every expectation I had......this was the best day I've had so far. It involved getting drunk, partying and jumping off of very high things...amazing!! Although the injuries of some people we're pretty horrific, it gave it all the day massive hype.

Next day we recovered from the antics by going on a 7km bike ride to a waterfall....wasn't the best with killer hangovers but was worth it as had an amazing blue lagoon. The evening was spent chilling out in a Friends bar. Some would debate that this isn't real travelling but man it was good to sit and watch Friends alllllll niiiiggghhhhtttt looonnngggg!!!

Luang Prabang

This is another beautiful city that Loas has to offer. I kept it pretty low key here just wandering around in the day looking at temples, people watching and taking it all in. Night time here is the best though, the have a night market that lines all the streets. The main difference between here and every other country we've been to in Southeast Asia is the fact that Loa people do not hassle you at all. When you walk past their stall they're not heckling you or dragging you by the arm to look at what they got. Its so relaxed and peaceful and I guess that's why I enjoyed it so much. It means you can just meander through without feeling pressured to buy.

Another reason why I loved it so much is the food section of the night market. Honestly the best food I've ever eaten (sorry mum). You could just go sit on a bench infront of the women cooking and order your noodle soup, or go to a couple of stands down and grab a stick of chicken or fish freshly cooked over the bbq mmmmhhmmmm making me hungry just thinking about it it was so good haha!!! You MUST go here if find yourself in Luang Prabang.

The next two days after we're spent on a lazy slow boat travelling up the Mekong River to the border. 10 hours a day on a boat would have regularly seemed too much but the scenery was so beautiful it didn't matter. We crossed the border at Huoy Xai and ended the Intrepid tour in Chiang Mai.

I was a little sad to say bye to all the group as we'd all got quite close after spending 6 weeks together. It's not goodbye for good though as I'm meeting most of them again along my travels. I guess my safety blanket has now been removed of travelling with others and it's offically time to go out into the big bad world on my own.....watch this space to see how I get on :S