Today started early as preparations got underway for the annual New Year boat race festivities. Yesterday in the town stall holders started erecting makeshift stalls along the Main Street, but by seven this morning activity was well underway to turn the town into an entertainment mecca for an influx of people from neighbouring towns and villages. Yesterday we managed to secure a room with a balcony overlooking the river so we ordered a supply of beer and settled ...

Nong Khiew seems a million miles away from the rest of the world as we sit here gazing up at tree covered limestone peaks, and watch the boats go past on the river. The town sits on the Nam Ou river, lifeblood for the local people, and a body of water soon to be dammed, or should it be dammed, by the Chinese whose presence here is increasingly noticeable. Northern Laos isn't far from the Chinese and Myanmar borders and Chinese business interests have started spre...

Moving days are always fraught with uncertainty, but you'd think after six months we'd be used to it. For today's journey we'd made the decision to just book the onward transport through our hotel. Their tuk tuk trip was 20% less than the market rate so we assumed their long journeys would be equally competitive. On approaching the receptionist we were told everything would be fine, she had written it down, and No, we didn't need a ticket. Departure day duly arri...

Luang Prabang is a pretty town. Listed by Unesco for its sympathetic development of character housing it's dominated by French influence. Baguettes and wooden shutters abound, and the towns narrow lanes add character to the older area of the town. There is an added charm as both the Mekong and Nam Ou rivers run through, complete with their bamboo bridges and children playing in the water in mid afternoon. The town teems with travellers young and old, some staying...

The journey from Vientiane to Vang Vieng took us further north and into an area surrounded by limestone karsts, mountains cloaked in green trees and shrubs. The journey proved to be quite bumpy in places as the road fluctuated between well made and unmade, although distracted by the scenery most people managed survive the journey in one piece. Arriving in the town we discovered it to be two long streets running parallel with the main highway. Infamous some years ...