So, it is our last day in Laos! This is very sad as I love Laos...

We have been super-busy. Our second day in Vang Vieng was action-packed as we got up early in order to explore one of the caves just outside the town. After a bumpy tuk-tuk ride over the precarious bamboo bridge and along unmade roads, we climbed ridiculously steep steps up to the cave entrance. It was very dark, damp and cool. And eerily quiet. The oh-so fashionable headtorch was definitely useful as we negotiated our way past a Buddha statue and into a huge pitch-black cavern. After the hard graft of caving, we dove into the blue lagoon at the foot of the mountain - it was ice cold and so refreshing. A quick tuk-tuk back to town, and we picked up our rings in preparation for an afternoon of tubing down the Nam Song river. Despite the river being at its lowest point (wet season is just around the corner), tubing was probably the best thing we have done so far. At the beginning of the course, we stopped off at loads of bars to dive, swing and slide (very scary water slides, massive adrenaline rush!) back into the river. And obviously get filthy attempting to play mud volleyball (will my top ever come clean).

The next day brought a long bus ride to Luang Prabang, twisting up and down the mountains - the scenery was spectacular, but it would have been nice if the air-con worked... A meander around the night market (which was full of gorgeous silks, parasols, jewellery and lanterns) and dinner by candlelight and fairylights next to the river was about all we could manage before collapsing into bed. Our second day in Luang Prabang involved elephant riding! Hannah and I clambered atop our elephant, and swayed along with the rhythm of our elephant's walking - so much fun, especially when we crossed the river and the mahout dismounted to take pictures of us and of the elephant's eye and feet (random, yes, but funny)! After the excitement of the morning's elephant encounter, I spent the afternoon marvelling at temples and drinking copious amounts of fruit shakes to cool down, until I was attacked with a bowl-full of water outside a restaurant. I was not expecting this a whole week before their New Year (apparently New Year celebrations here involve a three day long water fight). Our DIY Lao BBQ dinner was delicious, and very filling.

We then boarded the bus back to Vientiane - more long winding roads, and the added joy of a 2 hour stop to fix the bus. I will never trust a pink doubledecker bus again. As the 9 hour journey took 12.5 hours, we were hungry and exhausted when we reached the capital so the evening and most of the following day were spent recovering and relaxing. Oh, and eating at JoMa's bakery which is officially the best bakery ever. Today we will spent all our remaining kip in the indulgence that is JoMa's, before our sleeper train to Bangkok...