Leaving the madness of Vang Vieng behind, I headed north to Luang Prabang. A long bus journey took me through the mountains on very winding roads- enough to rival the 'Snake Pass' at least. The scenery was amazing and I spent the 6 hours in awe at the splendor of the sight. Even when the mist closed in and visibility greatly reduced it was still worth the long journey. We went through villages, where all houses are made from planted straw and palm leaves. We drov...

If there is only one thing you hear being talked about in regards to Laos, it is probably Vang Vieng and tubing- so it was with some excitement that I headed on the journey north. I had sent Paddy up ahead to sort out accommodation whilst I was waiting for my Thai visa. I got a lovely local bus up and rang Paddy. Unfortunately for me when he got there he had headed straight to the bars and was absolutely hammered. It took me an hour to find him as every time I r...

Leaving the 4000 Islands, we prayed for better buses north to the capital of Laos, Vientiane. Unfortunately, we were initally not allowed that luxury. A mini bus awaited us on the mainland, where upon they played the game of lets see how many people we can fit into a tiny space with all their luggage! The minivan was full, children were sat on adults laps, the luggage was balanced precariously on the top and the air conditioning- well, what difference could it ...

The road out of Cambodia was marginally less bumpy than the one to Ban Lung. To get into Laos we had to take a mini bus to Stung Treng and then we thought we would have to change onto another bus that would take us across the border. I stupidly forgot I was in South East Asia. We got to Stung Treng no problem although slightly battered. However, our ride across the border was not a bus but a pick up truck. We were crammed into the two backseats behind the driver,...