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Lushful Laos
Eventfully made it to Laos,crossing over the border from China at Beton was like entering a little bit of paradise.The place is lush with vegetation,the sun is back out but it still rains in the evenings.Soaking it all up and soaking a little less of the rain up these days,smelling less like an old face cloth that has been on the go for days now.I can not wait to share my photos with you all,coming your way soon.
Following a wrong turn we ended up by the town of Pak Beng along the Mekong river.We had two choices,one to stay on the truck and back track the 150k until we would be back on track or take a river boat to Luang Prabang our next destination.I went for option two and by the evening we were dining in Luang Prebang for 25p from a street stall.Luang Prebang is considered the "city of the Buddha of peace" and it does have a very peaceful and relaxed air to it.It is also the second largest city in Laos and has a french colonial feel to the place as it's architecture is of french colonial style.Absolutely wonderful to wander around the streets and get lost in the late afternoon rain which is warm on your face.I didn't mind getting wet because it never took that long to dry out and the locals found it entertaining.Luang Prebang is hugged by the Mekong river and over run with Buddhist monks,the place is home to many temples and monks which are all apart of the big attraction here.Wat xieng Thong is the most magnificient of the temples here and has an impressive moscaics,all of the temples are beautifully decorated and set among some tranquail backgrounds.Each morning the monks walk the town and you can get up at 5.30am to watch and by way of appreprication offer them food which they gladly accept.The best views of the town are from the hill know as Phu Si which is a short climb and not greatly exerting.Otherwise walking the peninsula taking in the architecture,wandering through the old quater and visiting the night time markets are the best way to enjoy this magically little place.The good thing is it was not too over run with tourists but they have started to appear and from now on we will be entering and on the tail of every other backpacker for a little while.The annual birthday celebrations were held here,a great night was had by all.Even better was spending the following morning out by the waterfalls 30k from the town,Kuang Si waterfalls.A climb to the top was a must with Will and Lorna trailing behind me but we got some great views before climbing down to the pools of turquoise water that were cool and i did venture in while Danny and Rach dived into the water from rope swings.It was a great way to spend the morning.Also got to see a tiger and some rescue bears in the woods on the walk to the waterfalls.
Currently in Vang Vieng,a lot of backpackers here,they've come for the water sports of tubing,kayaking and visiting the nearby caves.I would have ventured doing the tubing but water levels are high and my swimming skills in fresh water are not up to standard so i've taken it easy,well it is Sunday after all.Next place to visit is Vientiane which we should reach tomorrow.Thank you everyone who sent birthday wishes and for those that didn't you still can redeem yourselves.Lots of love Ave x x x x x x x x
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