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i'm in heaven! Thats pretty much all I can say. The journey here was pretty different to last time and it had me a bit worried! The two day boat trip from the border was rammed with people, it would appear Laos is about five times more popular than it was three years ago, to an extent it felt like we were cattle being herded but on the up side it did give Lauren and I a chance to meet some lovely people and in all it was stil;l a lovely couple of days. On reaching Pak Beng I started to get very worried that I'd made a big mistake coming back here, I knew I'd be heart broken if the Luang Prabang I fell in love with wasn't the same any more and seeing the difference in Pak beng over three years that was looking like a diefinate possibility!
The Pak beng I stayed in last time had no electricity apart from a generator from 6pm to 10pm and the people still looked at the crazy tourists with inquisitive eyes, now pak beng has turned into a tourist centre with every second house a guesthouse and hundred of people grabbing you as you step off the boat to take you to their place. After scrambling up the incredibly steep rocky hill with my ten tonne back pack (it was hell! very difficult to climb up a rock face witha round 20kg on your back threatening to drag you back into the river and drown you!) and finding some place to stay we went for a wander. They now have electricity 24 hours in Pak beng and the once sleepy town now has as many restaurants as it does guesthouses and a bar has even been opened at one end of town. Were were offered various drugs at least three times that night, which last time did not happen, but hey I guess wheres theres demand theres supply. We explained to the dealers that no we were not interested in going to prison for a long time and in true Laos style they smiled at us kindly and left us alone.
We had a lovely dinner with some of the girls we'd met and then had a few drinks at the bar. One of them told the bar staff it was my birthday so I was supplied with various free cocktails all night by the manager who came over and joined us. He was a pretty interesting guy, was a monk from the age of 12 to 18 and then lived in newzealand for two years, he had various qualifications from uni and came from Luang Prabang but moved to Pak beng to open the "only bar in town" I'd say he makes a good living from it too!
We jumped on the boat again the next day and managed to get some seats with some floor space
next to them so i spent most of the journey sitting on a cusion and leaning on backpacks wich was way more comfy than it sounds. This boats stopped at loads of places to pick up various locals on the way and by the last stop we had a few Laos families on board with their children and chickens?! ! haha, all made it rather different from last time and it was pretty fun to watch. At one town a young family got on the boat and an old lady was in bits as we sailed away with what I can only guess must have been her nephew and his parents.
We arrived in Luang Prabang last night and after walking round for a bit with our bags Lauren and I decided to treat ourselves to a slightly more expensive than usual hotel with a gorgeous room and amazing bath room. This place I'm happy to say hasnt changed that much. sure the night markets bigger and there are a lot more tourists around but the Laos people are as friendly and happy to see you as a I remember and LKuang Prabang itself is as beautiful and relaxed as it was last time. My favourite coffee shop is still here and the main roads have lost none of their character. We sat down witha glass of wine each last night and soaked in the view. I just LOVE it here! I've spent all day wandering around and chatting to locals and repeating "oh my god its so beautiful" "oph I'm so happy to be here its amazing" this would prob get boring for Lauren if she wasnt saying exactly the same things!
Honestly I cant stop smiling, everyones soooooo friendly the place is so relaxed its horizontal and every road looks like a picture postcard! I may not ever leave!
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