Saturday 14th January 2006 We decided to get up early this morning to go for a walk to a nearby cave before catching the bus north to Luang Prabang. Kind of wished we hadn't as we decided to stop for a "quick" breakfast on the way which took over an hour. So, in the end, we only managed a quick walk to the river to see the bamboo bridge. Still, it was nice to see a bit more of the town. We headed to the bus station for our 10.15 bus. Unfortunately the journey from Vang Vieng to Luang Prabang takes you along the only road through the mountains which means lots of ups and downs and sharp courners, which doesn't make for the most comfortable of journeys. Plus the small child being sick (many times) next to Stu didn't help. Anyway, we still managed to get in 2 games of scrabble which Amy wins (one by a margin of 130 points!) We finally arrive in LP at 5pm and catch a tuk-tuk into town to look for a guest house. After finding a few places full, and a few others beyond our budget we manage to find a nice place with cable TV (well it was Liverpool vs Spurs that evening!) for $12. We head to a pretty restaurant overlooking the river and imagine what the view will be like in the daylight tomorrow. Stu orders Luang Prabang fish in banana leaf (with massive bones!) and Amy has rice with pork. Both very tasty (apart from the bones). Pick up a few bottles of the Beer Lao and head back to our room for the game. Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately?!) Amy sleeps through the whole thing, but Stu is disappointed with the result (mainly because Fergus can now be smug, I think) - Errrr and because we was slightly robbed Aims. Sunday 15th January 2006 Have a well-deserved lie in (it was Sunday, after all). Finally get going at around 11 am and head back to the river to see the view in daylight and to get some breakfast (fresh fruit and yoghurt). Both were great! We decide that we ought to think about our trip from Laos to Thailand. Our options turn out to be a three day trip by boat and bus, for approx $30, or a flight for $85. We don't have to think for very long about this one and opt for the flight. However the flight is only three times a week so we will be staying in LP until Friday. Not too worried about that as it seems a very chilled out place and we need to relax! We wander round a few more Wats in the afternoon and then brave the night market...we didn't buy too much, honestly! Decide that it was time for a "western" and we eat at the local pizza place - yummy! Back to the room to watch Sunderland vs Chelsea (this was the best TV reception we'd had in ages!) Monday 16th January 2006 We decide that we still haven't seen enough Wats on our trip so we hire a couple of bikes (a dorrar a day) to go to see some of the further away Wats. We didn't get far before stopping at the first, but finally make it to a very rickety bridge across the river (only suitable for pedestians, bikes and motor bikes). Riding across requires a certain level of concentration since the area you are supposed to cycle on is only 2 planks wide! We make it safely to the other side. Cycle around a few country lanes looking at more Wats before heading back across the river and stopping at another riverside restaurant for lunch (more fried rice and salad). We ride back into town and climb up to the top of Phu Xi (a big hill in the middle of town with another Wat on top) and admire the views. After a bit of relaxing back at the guest house we head out to the local "Sports Bar" for a few beers. Dinner at a nearby Laos restaurant which was very tasty and rather spicy. Tuesday 17th January 2006 Manage to get up at a decent hour to go on a trip up to the nearby Pak Ou caves. After a two hour boat trip up the Mekong river (are there any other rivers in SE Asia?!) stopping at a couple of local villages we arrive at the caves. There is an upper (ie at the top of many, many steps) cave and a lower cave, both of which contain hundreds, if not thousands, of buddhas in all shapes and sizes. Including a particularly fat one at the entrance to the upper cave. The cave was in a pretty stunning location but not too dissimilar to things we have seen earlier in our trip. Perhaps we should have listened to the advice telling us not to bother with these caves?! In any case we do meet a very nice american girl called Leah. After a very quick sandwich stop we head off in a minibus to the Waterfalls on the other side of Luang Prabang. Although the journey there was pretty hot (the promised air-con minibus did not exist) the falls were worth it. As well as one huge fall there are also many smaller waterfalls further down the river with lots of swimming areas. We test the water temperature and after discovering that the water was absolutely freezing we decide to go in. It turned out that once you were in the water and your whole body had gone numb, it was actually quite refreshing! After being completely cooled down and refreshed we decide it would be a good time to hike up the trail around the back of the waterfall! Stu manages to make it to the top and look down over the waterfall. Leah & Amy almost make it, but unfortunately time is against them (and they are also too knackered)! We head back to LP in our minibus via a local Hmong village selling handicrafts and, as usual, Stu is suckered in to buying a bracelet from a cute little girl - No Aims, she had an excellent sales technique! Back in town we stop at our favourite riverside restaurant for a milk shake and meet a very nice american couple who told us stories of their travels. They have been doing the travelling thing on and off for 15 years so we were suitably jealous, but are also hopeful that we will also be able to do a similar thing when we retire. Head back to the hotel for a shower before meeting Leah for dinner. We decide to order some pre-dinner cocktails, which was probably a mistake as there was a reason they were on a 2-for-1 offer - they were nasty. However, we still drank the lot! Leah and Stu try water buffalo for dinner - nice but a bit disappointing as I think they were expecting a MASSIVE piece of meat and what they got wasn't much bigger than a beefburger. Still, it was something else to add to the list of edible strange animals. We are all pretty knackered after our long day so we call it a night. Wednesday 18th January 2006 These last two days in LP have already been put aside for relaxation so we don't have too many plans. Our main priorities are for Stu to get a haircut and for Amy to try a foot massage. Stu manages to get a five minute haircut and shave, including an ear and eyebrow trim for $6 and Amy gets an hour long massage for $3. I wonder who did better there?! The rest of the day is spent eating, updating the website and watching a bit of the Australian open! This is the life, eh? That evening we head to our riverside bar to watch the sun set over the river (beautiful) and again meet our american friends for some more travelling tales and advice. We then head to the "Hive" bar to meet Leah for a few more drinks. Unfortuntely we meet a group of english lads as soon as we walk in who recommend the happy hour 2-for-1 spirits so we go straight for 2 rum and cokes! The guys turn out to be a good laugh and we stay there until past midnight (pretty good for us, eh?) Thursday 19th January 2006 Relaxation day number 2. I think we did even less today than we did yesterday (Stu has a hangover). We did make it to the day market to buy a few more souvenirs and gifts, but otherwise we sat on our veranda reading books, watching the tennis and eating! Bliss! However, today Amy did feel a little less smug about her cheap foot massage as her legs were a somewhat bruised! We head back to the Hive bar in the evening and meet up with Leah and the english guys for a few drinks before heading to another great Laos restaurant for dinner. Friday 20th January 2006 Get up very early this morning to go and all of the towns' monks parading down the main street receiving alms from the locals (and Stu, bent on one knee). It was a very impressive sight as there were literally hundreds of them filing one by one down the street. They all wear identical orange robes and carry a special container in which to put their alms (mainly sticky rice). We have time for breakfast before heading to the airport to catch our flight to Chiang Mai. Lots of love, Stu & Amy P.S More messages on the website please!