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Ok, so as I write this, I'm on my second full day of a slow boat up the Mekong River to cross the boarder into Thailand. This boat trip has been a pretty amazing journey, on the boat with a local family (Mum, Dad & 3 teenage boys), going along for 315ks over the 2 days. Local villages along the side of the river as we go along, seen wild goats, bores & water buffalo all drinking from the river as we've chugged along. Even saw a man taking his elephant down for a bath & a drink this morning. Not to mention all the local fishermen, fishing nets & kit random bamboo fishing roads wedged in rocks along the side of the river. It's a shame there's such a haze about as everyone burning off prepare the soil the wet season - the haze is ruining all my photos though, so you'll have to come see for yourself to see just how beautiful it is :)
Laos has been more fun than I imagined. 9 days of fun & laughs that have gone way too quickly.
We arrived in Vientiane (the Capital) the day before Song Kron (new year celebrations), but I think everyone missed he memo as our mini van got doused in water on the way into town & we also got splashed as we wandered the town in search of food that night.
The first day of Song Kron, we took a walking tour around the town, eating the best coconut icecream from a street vendor. I spent the rest of my time in Laos in search of another street vendor that sold homemade icecream without success :(
At 1pm we headed to the festival on the banks of the Mekong. There was a stage with a free concert all afternoon. They had shade sails set up with sprinklers continually spreading water everywhere & water tanks sporadically staying the crowd with water at random intervals. The performers were a hoot, there was Korean Justin Beiber, a corer band with the leopard-print-tracksuit-wearing guitarist (they did heavy rock covers of pop songs like Adele's 'rolling in the deep'). It was so much fun. I didn't drink too much though, as the toilets were down a massive flight of stairs then walking through mud (once was enough for me & I stopped drinking after that! Haha).. That night we showered & headed out for dinner, it all went down hill from there. Jugs of Gin Fizz, a cover band & way too much dancing saw Lisa & I home way after midnight & very VERY drunk... Lol
The next day we boarded a public bus to Vang Vieng, thankfully I slept most of the 6 hour journey. What a magical little place. Obviously known for its infamous water tubing, it was surprising quiet & we wandered the streets being soaked by the locals once again. A welcome relief from the heat, though its a but annoying to be dripping wet when trying to eat your dinner at a restaurant! Haha..
On the 3rd day of Song Kron (and the last), 3 of us went caving on tubes (wearing some very sexy head lamps, and pulling ourselves through dark caves using ropes while floating on tubes). It was gorgeous, but f*cking FREEZING!! What's the point of having a water proof camera if the lens fogs up from the cold! Brrrr.. That afternoon we Kayaked down the Na Song River (the same river for tubing). I was initially disappointed to not go tubing, but I had the next fun Kayaking, stopping at a Song Kron Party along the way & having beers while sitting in the water. It was fabulous. I can see why tubing was so popular, but after the amount of 'close calls' I had in my Kayaks I can see why it's dangerous & why all the bars have now been closed. Guess we were lucky to go during the New Year Celebrations to be able to stop for a beer along the way :)
We took a private mini van to Luang Prabang for 7 hours of windy roads, near misses & sheer cliffs. Worst day for it, I was hormonal, emotional & spent half the journey in tears thinking I was going to die! :( we had a very safe driver, but I was just a sook that day! Haha..
Luang Prabang, oh my gosh! What an amazing little bustling place. Gorgeous crafts one again, the former capital & filled with gorgeous temples & lots of monks. The food was fabulous, & the night markets DANGEROUS! I'm not sure how much more I can fit into my pack. It tested all my willpower not to buy a new quilt cover (handmade embroiled & gorgeous for less than $30! Eeek!), had to settle for new cushion covers instead. ($3 for 2, I couldn't resist!).
One morning we also ventured to the nearby Kuang Sii Waterfalls. Breathtaking. Words & photos don't do this amazing place justice. The water was the most amazing shade of blue I've ever seen, so icy cold to swim in & we had little gosh biting us the whole time - but it was worth it! :)
So to summarize, I've spend most of my time in Laos either drenched, shopping or eating! Haha. I'm looking forward to crossing the boarder to Thailand this evening for a night in Chiang Khong before we head to Chiang Mai.
I'm leaving the tour in Chiang Mai & staying on for a few extra days by myself before flying back to Bangkok.
Hopefully once I've left the tour I'll stop being to slack with my blog & will update you all more regularly... I make no promises though! X
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