I can't believe it's Thursday already, time is just flying by. It was another early start this morning with breakfast at 6.30am and on the bus at 7am for approximately a 7-8hour bumpy bus trip north to Luang Prabang. The scenery was absolutely stunning which made the journey a bit more bareable but the roads really were terrible. It was like being back in Africa except without the good suspension of the truck, and it was back to Dads old road being smoother than these roads.

We stopped at 9.30am for our first comfort stop and I was ready for a stop by this time, the roads were pretty twisty and I was feeling slightly squeamish. It was also a view point we stopped at, and it was unbelievable scenery. We were really high up and just looked right across the mountain tops, you could see for miles. It was a bit like I imagine the alps to look like in the summer. We stopped for lunch at a small village that had a restaurant in a shed. It was very basic and the menu was also very limited. It was either a sandwich from a stall at the side of the road, noodles or rice. I opted for the chicken fried rice which actually tasted not bad considering where we were eating.

The roads all the way up and down the mountains were lined with really small villages or maybe more like hamlets. The kids were all just playing at the side of the roads, as there were no sign of any schools. The houses all looked to have electricity or certainly the majority did, and they were either concrete or wood sheds they lived in. After lunch it was another couple hours drive to Luang Prabang and the roads were still twisty as ever. We arrived at 2pm and I had slept for the last hour of the journey as the bus was so warm. Charles gave us twenty minutes to drop our bags and come back down to reception so he could give us maps and a tour of the town. As he always did when we got to a new city or town, he explained all the sights that were worth seeing and the activities that were available for us. We walked into the town as a group and then all went our separate ways.

It was really hot by the time we had walked into the town and cold drinks were on the cards straight away. Lauren and I really wanted to go kayaking while we were here, so we found a tour company that arranged a half day kayaking trip for us tomorrow morning. The main attraction here in the Luang Prabang region is the elephant treks and huge waterfalls. Our hill tribe trek in Chaing Mai includes a whole days elephant trek, therefore it was just the waterfalls I was really wanting to see here. We planned to go up into the mountains tomorrow afternoon to see these waterfalls and swim in the pools, time will tell whether we hire motorbikes and make our own way there or whether we get a tuk tuk with the rest of the group.

We only had a few hours to see the town as it was late afternoon by this stage. Luang Prabang is considered the old capital of Laos due to all the royal temples since the monarchy lived here until the change of government in 1975. We went to the Vat Mai temple and went to see the Royal Palace that was built in 1904. The temples were much more impressive than the palace itself. Mount Phousi was situated in the middle of the town, and the three of us decided to climb it and watch the sunset at the top. The summit had Wat Chomsi, which is a huge gold-spired stupa that was constructed in the early 1800's, it was pretty impressive and so golden when the sunset shown. It was a fair climb to the top in the heat, and we had to stop a few times for a rest. It was certainly worth the strenuous climb as the views over the Mekong River were pretty. Sunset was around 6pm, but neither of us checked the time before climbing to the top and ended up being there far too early. We all decided to miss the sunset and head back to the hotel for showers before going out for dinner.

We went to the Night Market for our tea, which was a total different experience. In was down a small alleyway that was packed full of stalls, BBQ's, tables, chairs and people. As there were 10 of us, it was tricky to all stay together and impossibe to really move anywhere. Obviously it was all local food and ridiculously cheap, you were given a plate for 79p and you filled it with as much food as you wanted then for another 79p you chose either a whole fish or huge bit of chicken that was put on the BBQ for you. It was a massive feed for £1.58... How crazy is that and it was delicious. I am fairly getting the hang of these chopsticks now as the last couple of nights, that's been the only option.

It was a fine quick and cheap feed that then gave us plenty time to wonder round the market. The Hmong hill tribe woman in the villages around Luang Prabang make loads of cushion covers, bedcovers, aprons and clothes that were all embroidered with amazing designs, and the stalls were just full of these things. The bedcovers were so pretty I wanted to buy loads. It was such a nice evening walking down the main street that had turned into this huge market that went on for miles, I did feel sorry for some of the ladies as they were obviously totally desperate for sales. The temperature had dropped right down and it was such a nice atmosphere. The market here happens every night from 5-10pm and the work they go to, to transform the busy main road into stalls is unbelievable especially every night!!!

We went back to the hotel when the market closed for an early night, but I didn't seem tired at all. I phoned Gran and Auntie Rosemary for a news which was really nice speaking to them both and they genuinely sounded like they are missing me :) Mum and Dad phoned just as I was away to bed so only spoke to them for a short time as I was in my PJ's standing out in the hallway to get good wifi signal! Haha.

I was wide awake till well after 12.30am and the accommodation wasn't that great at all, the beds were so hard it was impossible to get comfy xxx