This is my final blog, part of my attempt to kill 12 hours of layover time in Bangkok. Only 7 to go...

I could try and sum up how very incredible these 2 months have been but that's rather an intimidating task, so I'm just going to bang on about how much I love Laos for a while.

I have to admit that the little I knew about Laos before this trip focused on the subject (now a controversial one) of tubing. I was greatly looking forward to the chance of floating down a river in a rubber ring after downing a bucket or two. So I was pretty pissed off they decided to close it three weeks before our arrival. To be fair, having drifted down the route (somewhat crazily - I was steering much to my paddling partner Lou's dismay) I have to admit I can see why. Although you'd have to be crazily crazily drunk to drown (the river's really calm) the slides and ropeswings looked like a death trap. I'd be guaranteed to fall and break something just attempting to climb up, seeing as I rarely return from a night out in Durham without an injury. Although, this sense was probably heightened by the eery desertion of the place, and the fact that the bars are now just empty dilapidated shacks. Vang Vieng really did feel like a ghost town in parts, but we still have a winner of a night there. Our guide saved one too many babies (the idea being we drink all the alcohol to save the next generation) and after dancing his way around the restaurant passed out in the bar. This was helped by the fact that there are no seats, just raised platforms with lots of cushions around a table. Amazing. We also tried to teach our Lao guide 'Never Have I Ever'...just hilarious.

My favourite city of the whole trip, and probably the best I've ever visited, was Luang Prabang. Home to 32 beautiful temples and surrounded by 3 incredibly beautiful waterfalls, with the Mekong river running through and with a backdrop of mountains, I just can't express its beauty in words. The city is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and it feels like stepping back in time. The buildings are quaint and still maintain their French influence, whilst the beautiful national flower of Laos, Frangipani, tumbles over their balconies. The roads are narrow and their main traffic is the humble bicycle, lit up with the colour of umbrellas used by the riders to protect themselves from the sun. Most restaurants are open air amongst jungle-like trees that hold twinkling fairy lights. And the bars that overlook the river demand you to lie down on cushioned mats and wile away hours chatting, cocktail in hand. We stayed 3 days, I could have stayed forever. A stay made even better by the chance to witness the monks walk through the city at dawn to collect offerings of food from the local people and at the same time give back to the poor in the community, a tradition now only preserved in Laos.

I can't get my head around how underappreciated Laos is as a destination, and also how little known it is. Following the Vietnam War the unused American bombs were emptied over this little country, killing thousands and destroying wildlife. It's only just beginning to prosper, but it is obviously still a very poor and underdeveloped country. But it sure is beautiful and in no sense is tubing the reason to visit - the people, the places and the beautiful culture are. I just can't wait to go back.