Helloooo. Just arrived in Huay Xai after a 2 Day boat ride. Had a great time in Luang Prabang. Its a really sleepy little city (though really I've seen bigger villages) thats kind of a mix between traditional Laos, Chinese and French buildings. It was lovely. We explored the local Kuang Si Waterfalls and visited a local village where they made lao lao, a kind of whiskey. Second day we hired bikes but didn't get far as Sarah was experiencing chest pains and so we went to find a doctor. The only doctor in town was at the local hospital. It was just a house set on the outskirts of town. We went in and the doctor prescribed her some medicine. The consultation cost $20. Although this didn't seem much when compared to the average weekly wage in Lao of $1 we realised how lucky we were. We bought some goodies from the night market and on the final day climed the 328 steps to Wat Phu Si. This was a temple at the top of a hill which overlooked the whole city. At the top they sold small birds, a bit like sparrows that were locked in little baskets. We bought a pair and released them from the top. After a few minutes rest we made our way down the other side of the hill where we found an old russian anti-aircraft gun and two shrines.

Next day we woke up at 6.30 in order to catch the slow boat to Pakbeng. After 10 hours journey by boat through mountains and gorgeous scenery we arrived. Pakbeng was a tiny little town which served only as a halfway stop between Luang Prabang and Huay Xai. It must be a very lonely place to live. We had another 10 hour journey today to reach Huay Xai only this time the boat had only hard wooden seats, so we each took a cushion and lay on the wooden floor instead. Mosty of the locals on the boat joined us. It was far more comfortable that way.

And this is where we are at the moment. Tomorrow we plan to cross the river into Thailand and head to Chiang Mai or Chiang Rai. We're still not sure. Will keep you guys posted.

All the best

xx