While I was out elephant riding - well, or mostly just trying to survive - Remko & Michel went on a different tour. They are probably having more fun than I am, but it's sure I won't ever forget mine. We meet on Sunday evening and decide to leave Luang Prabang the very next evening. Head out to Vang Vieng for the tubing that has allured us for such a long time.

With the Monday morning free and the rain finally having stopped, visit the other main attraction in town, the Kuang Si waterfalls. But first, another temple. We somehow missed it so far. Even though we've seen way too many temples, one that is featured on all the bills in this country should be worth a visit. Beautiful temple, but as I am not an expert I probably cannot appreciate its true value. The side of the wat is set with a mosaic of little stones, on the west walls even having a small mosaic elephant head. The back features a tree of life which is really beautiful. Inside the temple opposite Wat Xieng Thong is a huge naga chariot with funeral urns (the naga are huge water serpents). I like anything with dragons, or dragon-lookalikes so it's all good :)

The main attraction of the day was the waterfall though. I know, I am a sucker for water. Especially in the heat. We climb the 50-60 metres to the top on a slippery slope. I cross the bamboo railing to make some nice pictures downwards showing the raging waters. Tourists look on in shock and declare me crazy - one lady was really cool, she said "no crazy, you much more than crazy" in a typical French accent - for doing it. It's not even dangerous though, so what is all the fuss about? The best-best part however is swimming in the clear waters at the bottom. There is a rope you can use to swing into the pool, or if you are adventurous you can jump into it from an upper cascade, some two metres higher. I could've spent the whole day there, just having childish fun. But alas, we had to go, catch the bus.

The bus leaves at eight in the evening, and arrives supposedly six hours later in Vang Vieng. Supposedly yes. I can still remember vividly the way here, when we spent an hour first waiting, then looking on in shock how our bus tried to get across the mudslide. But it's been dry the whole day, the evening also seemed good with only some lighting in the far distance so I was pretty confident about having a nice, comfortable trip. Ha! You wish! Three hours into the journey we stop. We stop, and for the first time in my life I see a traffic jam in Laos. Because of a mudslide. Yes. Raining, so much rain. f***ing s***-rain, turning the whole goddamn mountain road into a slippery, muddy, s***hole. And this is the main north-south highway in Laos. And a little rain just makes it all grind to a halt. There are about eight busses and several trucks in front of us and as we wait - for what exactly? nobody knows anything - more and more vehicles park up behind us. It is 23:00 hours, pitch dark and there is nothing you can do.

Probably because this is Laos, nobody really seems to care. We get out, stroll up and down, talk to other people, play cards, enjoy ourselves, not really caring that we are stuck for God knows how long. It is a holiday after all; no use getting upset about stuff. Finally it turns out that even though the big mudslide is cleared the road is so steep that the busses simply cannot get up the muddy slopes. Lao solution? We wait until the mud dries and we can cross. Oh. And hope it's not going to rain again. Amazing. Tired, we head back to our bus and sleep. Seven! hours later the convoy starts moving again. Yes, supposedly a six-hour trip. Ha! You wish! Not even thirteen, as a mere thirty minutes later we stop again.

Another mudslide in a steep left bend of the road, but now two trucks have slid half way into the abyss and blocked the passage. Only motorbikes can cross and a long line of busses, trucks are waiting on both sides until the trucks are cleared. I watch in amazement as people still really don't seem to care about any of this. The Lao play cards, bet, start a fire to make noodles; locals come to sell food, drinks, and it almost feels like a cosy little come together. We stroll up and down, watch the futile attempts of the trucks trying to get out. It is already eight, nine in the morning - mind you, we were supposed to arrive at two at night - and the only person who seems slightly stressed is a poor Japanese girl. No, I am mistaken, she is probably stressed out of her mind, going mad inside, just her culture doesn't allow her to show her anxiety. She's supposed to fly home at ten o'clock in the morning today. I don't think that's going to happen... as we have nothing better to do we try helping her; ok, we would've helped her anyways. She doesn't speak a word Lao and just a little bit of English. I use my Lao phone to call the embassy, the airline but the line is either busy or they aren't answering. It's Laos; remember? Finally, about an hour of trying later I get through and manage to change her flight. I have never seen anyone so grateful before :)

But mostly we just wait. After the trucks are finally cleared the convoy starts to pass the bend one by one. These people are just so different. The driver sits in his bus, inches away from certain death, but smiling all the time. Other busses slide down, unable to control the wheels on the slippery mud, barely missing others. People run up, push from the sides, from the front to slow it down. Yet another takes the turn too sharply, losing its bumper in the meter high mud. The driver just gets a piece of rope - and still smiling - ties it back on. We run for our lives as a bus misses us by a mere half a metre. I still can't get my mind about the relaxed state of mind of the people here. But it does help. Not that I was really stressful ever to begin with, but this Lao calmness does one good.

Three hours of waiting later we arrive in Vang Vieng around one. Seventeen hours instead of six. Well; it could've been worse... we did arrive