Our last port of call before leaving Laos was Huay Xai, which is home to The gibbon experience ( a mixture of trekking, zip lining through the canopy of the jungle & overnight stays in 60m high tree houses! All profits go to preventing poaching & deforestation). Before we even set off, we were warned our shoes (converse) weren't good enough and our only other option was the shop next door that sold plastic football boots and a choice of Milan or juventus...

The journey from Vietnam into Laos was eventful, due to the roads not being completed, and the fact they squeezed as many people as possible into the van . At one point we all had to get out and push our minivan out of thick mud where the road had not been layed yet. We thought the first bus was bad. Until we got on the second which was a bit bigger, but they managed to squeeze people all down the isle floor and on top of the luggage that was crammed onto the ba...