Hello all! Well it really has been a while since my last update (*apologies)- time is flying by and snce the last time we spoke i've done elephant trekking in the jungle, a bungee jump and have just completed my PADI Open Water Scuba Diver qualification here on beautiful Koh Tao Island in Thailand! So after the last entry, we headed South to Luang Prabang... from there we went off for a 2 day elephant trek in the jungle - it was absolutely awesome and learning to ride and command the elephants! Mine was called Menan and was one of heighest elephants; proving hilarious for everyone to watch me clamber up onto her! All the elephants at the jungle camp were former logging elephants and so have had quite a hard life. As much as they were lovely, I don't think it is something i would do again - because despite all the eco-tourism in Laos and the experience was pleasant, i still felt like a tourist just handing over money "for the experience" at the end of the day... But the 2 best bits for me were bathing the elephants in the river very early on the second day... and then going for a 4-hour kayaking trip down the river to get back to town that afternoon - Sarah and myself in one kayak, a couple also on the trip in a kayak and also our guide... we had such a laugh singing down the river... and there was one stretch between each set of rapids where our guide was like "anyone for a swim?" - Me being the spontaneous Zoe that i am, i leapt at the chance - Sarah wasn't up for getting wet - I don't why - there was a rather elephant-dung-esque smell alingering and despite overcast was a scorching day... Still, i was ready to jump out of our kayak, ignoring whatever Sarah was saying to me and the next thing we knew we were capsised and in the water... She saw the funny side though! After a swim and back in the kayaks for some rapids we stopped along the river for our packed Lao lunch... Back to Luang Prabang, another temple and walking round the night market; some real amazing handicrafts - i couldn't resist a long awaited splurge on local goodies so my pack is full of more exciting things... Headed to the capital Vientiane after that purely because i had booked a scuba diving course (which i have now completed! - Will come to that shortly!) And so wanted to cross the border... Couple of nights in Vientiane and then we headed by bus and sleeper train to Bangkok.. That was another sleepless night for me - i always seem to get the seats/sleeper bed with a faulty light above it which either doesn't go out, or even worse, constantly flashes!! A couple of days in Bangkok - just another city really and to be honest was happy to move on... Sarah and me parted last week - she headed to Krabi for a rockclimbing course and i came here to Koh Tao for my scuba diving! This, by far has been the best part of my trip so far and i've met some great people - crazy how one of the ozzy guys on my course was born in Ipswich, UK! My instructor was great and we did our final 2 dives yesterday to 18 metres (the max dive you can go to as an Open Water Scuba Diver)... It's quite a bit more technical than people think- all about air pressure and stuff, but i absolutely love it and the visibility here underwater has been great... There are a few things that are just mind over matter really - like fully-flooding you mask and clearing it at 18metres, or having you regulator knocked our and not panicking... there are emergency ascents and stuff - off course involving physics... like even if you run out of air you can't just shoot up as you'll collapse a lung - or do worse damage... then there's calculating stuff like how much nitrogen you have in you blood after a dive to x metres and then for you 2nd or 3rd dives on that day how long do you need on the surface/back on the boat before you can go down again... Really eager to do some fun dives soon - but also considering during my Advanced course on this trip, Malaysia? (when am i going to have the oppurtunity to dive for a while? - With such great dive sights?!) ... So what next? Well today i'm just gonna chill around the island for a bit - probably go for a swim and spend some time on the beach with my Dutch dive buddy Wietike... then out tonight to meet a couple of people heading the same way as me tomorrow - one of which is in the London Fire Brigade and loves it - great guy to talk to - he's completing his Open Water Diving today. :) Then tomorrow i'm heading off to the famous Full Moon Party - an hour and a half by ferry to Ko Phangan - another Thai island - basically were all the backpackers from around the world get together- and pretty much means i can catch up with all the people i've met over the last few weeks ad everyone seems to head the same way; Full Moon Party! So i'm meeting back with Sarah tomorrow.

After that? A few days left before flying to Malaysia on 23rd July... Will try be a better blogger :) Oh, i apologise because a few of you back home have postcards from me - from Laos - but i haven't managed to post them yet! Love love! xxx