Pakbeng, Luang Prabang, Vientiane

We crossed the Mekong river from the Thai town of Chiang Khon to the Laos town of Huay Xai, checked through passport control (chaos!) and paid for our Laos visas before boarding the boat that would take us two days down-river to the town of Luang Prabang.

We were initially a little disappointed with how busy the boat was. It was basically an old cargo boat converted into a tourist ferry (using what can only be described as old car seats!). We had expected a proper working cargo boat. There was probably about 150 people squeezed onto it, the vast majority of which were backpackers. Evidence of how popular this route has become now!

The disappointment quickly wore off though as we headed downstream, watching the scenery slide by. The river was surprisingly rocky and fast-flowing and the eddies and whirlpools were fascinating. The scenery was spectacular too - hills and sandy beaches, small bamboo villages on the banks and people fishing and panning in the river. It was all very laid back and slow paced which made for a very relaxing trip.

We stopped overnight half way down-river in a small town called Pakbeng which was basically one street packed with Guest Houses and places to eat. Getting off the boat and up to the road was an unexpected challenge as you were faced with a rocky/rubble hill which you had to climb with your backpack on your back plus your day-pack in hand. I was assisted by a small local boy who tried to pull me by the hand straight up the hill but promptly pulled me out of my flip flops which then fell apart and I was left stranded on the rocks with no shoes and a very bloody foot. Worse still the whole boat got a full view of my bum in the air! I managed to compose myself and made it up on my own with no further dramas!

We checked into our guest house (<£10 per night - classy) then headed out for some dinner. Dan tried a local Laos curry which was quite dry consistency but very tasty and accompanied by some sticky rice. After dinner we headed back to our guest house for an early night (there wasn't really very much else to do!).

Back in the guest house we felt a strange rumble and the bed appeared to shake for a few seconds. We thought it was an earthquake but also thought that we were probably being ridiculous but the movement was enough to get the other residents out of their rooms and into the corridor for a look to see what was happening. We had a bit of a joke about the guest house falling into the river then headed off to bed without giving it too much more thought.

The following morning we went to a little french style bakery for breakfast and the conversations over breakfast confirmed that it was indeed an earthquake and it generally happens twice a year on the island. Blimey, our first (and hopefully last) earthquake!

An hour or so later we were back on the boat heading to Luang Prabang. We managed to get a good seat near the front of the boat in with the locals and where the side of the boat was only as high as the seat. Great for views along the river, not so great for the camera case which we think went overboard - Dans fault of course - luckily the camera wasn't in it! Also not so great when the weather started turning a bit chilly and we had to stick on some more layers and squeeze into the middle of the aisle to keep warm. We arrived in Luang Prabang shortly after 6pm, found a guest house, had some food then crashed.

The next couple of days were spent exploring Luang Prabang, relaxing, eating and buying some tat (aka souvenirs) at the local night market.

Luang Prabang its a lovely little town with french colonial architecture and several french style bakeries and restaurants as well as some local Laos food restaurants. Following a recommendation (thanks Rosie) we splashed out on a nice meal at the L'Elephant restaurant where we enjoyed a combination of coq au vin, steak and a nice bottle of plonk.

We also explored a couple of local temples (of course!).

On our last morning we got up a 6am to witness the Morning Alms which is essentially a daily ceremony where the local monks walk through the town and the locals gift them with small parcels of food or other small gifts (such as toiletries etc). It is fascinating to watch and incredible to think that this ceremony takes place daily. We watched one local woman giving gifts to probably over 30 different monks!

Later that morning we boarded the bus to Vientiane - our first real bus trip much to Dan's delight!! It took 9 hours to travel just under 400 km's thanks to the winding roads. Actually it wasn't too bad and again the scenery was great so that helped relieve the boredom.

Vientiane is actually the capital of Laos and although not as pretty as Laung Prabang it is a nice place. Unfortunately though the weather took a turn for the worse and our one full day spent there was pretty much washed out! We did managed to wander down to the river whilst the rain was off but it wasn't particularly spectacular. We spent the afternoon mooching around the National Museum which after a slow start about man evolving from apes (!) turned quite interesting. The more recent history from circa 1940 to late 1990's in Laos has been pretty turbulent with the French and the Americans and it gave us a taste of what to expect in Vietnam.

So, its our last night in Laos tonight. It feels like a flying visit but when we originally planned our trip we didn't think we would get to Laos at all so we are pleased to have been able to spend a few nights here. Tomorrow morning we fly (yip, to save a bit of time we are cheating!) to Cambodia then make our way overland into southern Vietnam to meet Nutsky. Yippee, looking forward to some worcester sauce crisps mate!!

So, bye from us for now and hope to hear from you soon. xxx