We survived the bus journey! 21 hours after departing Hanoi we stumbled off the bus in Vientiane, the capital of Laos. I can't say that an Asian sleeper bus is my favourite method of transport - reclining bunkbed-style leather seats that don't fully recline, a very cramped tapered box for your legs from the knee down, locals sleeping on the floor and the toilet cubicle unusable due to suspicious-looking boxes piled up. It was certainly an experience, and I think we can now consider ourselves well initiated in the art of travelling!

Vientiane was a pleasant change from the hustle of Hanoi - small, very quiet and seemily very relaxed. And refreshingly hot, which is was most welcome after the rain and general chilliness pf Northern Vietnam. A dinner of very local food next to the Mekong (which is the Laos/Thailand border) by candlelight, followed by a couple of drinks was the perfect antidote to the bus journey. A nice long sleep in a proper bed fully restored in prepartation for our next bus jaunt to Vang Vieng. VV is the tiny adrenaline centre of Laos, and seems to be a nicer version of Bangkok's Khao San Road - very geared towards backpackers, but clean and quiet. Same same, but different, and in a good way!