Sorry we haven't updated for quite a while we normally spend our time getting frustrated putting pictures up well trying to anyway!

So to carry on from where we left off.......

We caught a bus from Chiang Mai to Chiang Rai which was about a 4 hour bus ride we went to the bus station at around 11:00. It was packed but we found a desk and asked for a ticket to Chiang Rai they told us there were no buses till 5:30 that evening and we had already travelled about half an hour to the bus station! We bought two tickets anyway and decided we would get some lunch go for a walk and find an internet cafe. We managed to do all three but the lunch wasn't so great! So we waited till 5:30 and got the bus it was actually a lot nicer than expected even had a lady giving out bottles of water biscuits wet wipes so we were impressed and thought all bus journeys would be like this - how wrong we could be!!

We arrived in to Chiang Rai at the bus terminal and decided to have a wander round to find a guesthouse. Chiang Rai isn't a big town really but about an hour and a half later we were still looking for a guesthouse. My havianes were rubbing (yes rach the havianas rubbed!) and we made the decision the next sign that said guesthouse we would stay in regardless of what it was like! That's how we ended up in pams guesthouse. It stank of dogs and had graffiti on the walls it was horrid but as usual we said oh well it's only for one night!

The next day we went the bus station and got a bus to Chiang khong which is the border place between Thailand and Laos to get the slow boat. The bus wasn't as pleasant this time around! I was surprised we made the 2 hour journey in one piece! Chiang khong wasn't that nice really we found a shabby guesthouse like a shack and decided we would stay cos it was only for 1 night! We booked the slow boat at a place called easy place quite a nice owner and we watched Forrest Gump which was nice!

The next morning we got up had some breakfast then got picked up to be taken to the immigration place at the border along with loads of others. We had to get our passports stamped and then wait for everyone so we could get a boat from Thailand to the Laos border to catch the slow boat. By the time we had paid for our visa and waited for our group it was around 10 in the morning and the slow boat was pretty full when we turned up so we got one of the hard wooden benches - luckily we had bought two cushions from the restaurant. The boat journey took around 7 hours and I had started with a cold so wasn't feeling great. After looking at the scenery for a few hours it all started looking the same just mountains and a few villages at the side of the river. We got talking to a very talkative girl called jess who was travelling with her boyfriend and his mate??!! That took up a little bit of time and most people were getting drunk on beer lao which is the local beer and quite good here in Laos but we decided it wasn't a great idea on a boat so stayed sober!. We arrived at a place called pak beng which is a dump and stayed at one of the guesthouses which was also a dump ants in the room along with other bugs! There were about twenty people from the boat staying so it was okay and I decided to get some local Laos whisky to help with the cold! It was like paint stripper and two glasses later I was falling asleep (nothing new there!) It was quite good though cos I wouldn't of slept with a blocked up nose otherwise!

The next morning we both got up extra early and walked to the slowboat so we could get a good seat. We got a car seat which was brilliant as they were so much more comfy than the wooden benches. An hour later we set off again on another 8 hour boat trip I felt really ill and sick probably because of the cold and the Laos whisky.

We arrived in Luang Prabang around half 6 that night It was so nice here. We found a cheap but clean guesthouse near the river. That night we went to explore the town and it was a nice change from everywhere else very chilled out and relaxed. Most of the places are French here with patisseries and bistros. All the shops no matter what they are have wooden signs outside which makes it all look nice and like a proper French village. The night market here was great lots of lovely little stalls selling handmade good and jewellery etc it's the quietest market I've ever been too.

The next day we had a lie in then got up and had a nice breakfast in the Scandinavian bakery there. We then decided we would treat ourselves at the spa and massage centre. I had a manicure and pedicure and Ady had a neck and back massage. T was nice to feel relaxed and clean after the boat trip! That night we had a lovely meal at a French bistro and then went to a wine bar. They don't drink wine in Thailand so it was nice to have a glass of red outside the bar.

The next day we got up early and had an idea to rent mountain bikes. We got to the rental place but they said they needed our passports and we had sent them away to get the Vietnam visa so we couldn't. We ended up getting a tuk tuk with an Australian couple to the Kuang Si waterfalls. The waterfalls our absolutely beautiful with lovely blue water. We only had a few hours here so we climbed to the top then went for a swim at the bottom and to visit the bears. We then headed back to the centre and went for a walk around the national museum and temple grounds.

We left Luang prabang a few days later on another dubious bus to vang vieng (the tubing capital). At first it didn't seem to full so we had a seat each. We then stopped at a petrol station and on loaded the cargo. I'm talking hundreds of eggs on the roof, sacks of fruit in the aisle amongst other items! Then we got thirty min into the journey and loads more passengers piled on and the bus was full. It wasn't the most pleasant of bus journeys with people eating weird food and spitting all the time! The journey was 6 hours I was bursting for the toilet for most of them but didn't want to go in front of the whole bus (which most locals did!). After 5 hours we pulled over and it turned out another bus had broken down a few hours ago and they were all getting on our bus! They magically pulled out 15 plastic seats from somewhere and made the new passengers sit on them for two hours! We couldn't believe how unsafe it was and the heat was unbearable! We made it in one piece to Vang Vieng were 8 of us piled on to a tuk tuk to the centre. We went into the first guesthouse and got a room for 4 pound a night! Bargain although the rooms were a bit shabby (4 cockroaches and some ants!) but were getting used to that now! We went for a walk to get some food and seen that EVERY restaurant plays friends all day and all night, so we settled in for the night at a restaurant and watched friends all night!

We arranged to meet up with about 10 other people to go tubing the next day at midday, but when we woke up it was absolutely pouring down and the electricity was off until 12! We weren't going to bother with the tubing and we were quite happy to spend the day watching friends but by 1:00 the rain stopped and we made a group decision to go for the tubing!

We got our tubes (which our basically big rubber tyres) and got a tuk tuk to the top of the river were the first bar is. They sold mulberry mojitos so we all indulged in one to start the day off. We then got on the tubes and off on the river we went. Only two minutes later we were at the first bar and zip wire. It was about 15 metres high, the zip wire so none of the girls went on it really as you have to drop into the river, but most of the lads ended up daring themselves to go on it. You get a free whisky shot at every bar you go to so it's very easy to get too drunk which most of us did! We went to about 7 bars at different places down the river and had drinks at all of them! I even dared myself to go on a high zip wire too after a few beers! The time went to fast it was half 5 before we knew it and a bar man said it would take an hour to get back to town so we thought we better make a move. About 10 min later the heavens opened a proper thunderstorm and there was me and Ady (having lost everyone!) floating down the river (well I was Ady was swimming like a mad man dragging me on my tube behind him ha!). It took us ages to get back to the town and when we did I just wanted a hot bath and cup of tea but we went for an Indian to warm us up instead. Everyone else got back 30 min after we did so Ady did well (a gym workout for him!)

The next day was the annual rocket festival in Laos to prey for the rains to come (even though it was pouring down!) The locals all gather around near the river and fire off rockets into the air. Some of them were really big and went quite some distance.

The next day we got a bus to Vientiane which only took 3hrs by bus so wasn't that bad. Not much to do here really but we went to see a really good Buddha park which was full of some really bizarre sculptures. I found a gym so was in my element so I managed to have my first workout in over 3wks (this is Ady now thought I should add some to the blog!).