Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily down the stream

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Me again (Amy) Ed is being a lazy fart, we have tv again so he can't tear himself away from it for fear he will miss some football highlights. We have just reached our last stop in Laos (Vientiane-: the capital) and will be glad to see the back of bus journeys in Laos.

We finished up in Luang Prabang with a fantastic massage at the Red Cross. Our muscles returned to some sort of flexibility, we were ready to move onto our next destination (Vang Vieng) and activity (Tubing).

The road from Luang Prabang to Vang Vieng was targetted by bandits back in 2003, a number of Laos and two Swiss tourists were murdered and since this time most buses carry an armed soldier. I had told Ed about this but he thought I was being my usual drama queen self. We turned up and there was no sign of our soldier boy, we did have some little guy with only one eye (definately no gun) now named Michael O Suil Amhain. Ed was having fun telling me I was being silly when a big bustling Laos guy gets on the bus beside us with AK47 peeping from under his jacket, that soon shut him up. I was horrified to think we were all in the very unsafe hands of O Suil Amhain but he served us well and nobody but smiling waving children and the ever present bird life were there to greet us on the roadside.

Vang Vieng is as far as we are considered a seriously uninteresting town and not the sort of place you want to dwell too long unless you get stuck into some serious physical activities. It's a small Laos town over run by backpackers. Day one we hired bikes and whizzed about town, getting some cheap swim wear in the town market and taking on a road that was only built for mountain bikes (we were on no gear and virtually no brake numbers...but they did have lovely little baskets and bells!) to visit a cave. A whippet of a Laos man guided us through the nooks and crannies, flying ahead and helping us (we have decided we are both seriously balance challenged). I've never been in a cave as undeveloped as this before and that was a real thrill if not alot claustraphobic. Our guide was so lovely, mopping Eds sweat away with a towel and nearly falling at our feet when we gave him a small tip.

Day two we felt ready to take on the water again and so went tubing (the main reason backpackers come to Vang Vieng). The day started misty and scared many off the river but it soon brightened up! Four of us were dumped unceremoniously at the top of a dirt track with our tubes (inner tractor tube) and that was that. We found the river and started experimenting with the best way to get into the tube while it was moving with the current. We were soon off and floating merrily down the stream...what more can you need? Sun, water and oh ya beer! All along the riverbank resourceful Laotians have set up little bars...they yell Beer Laos at you and pull you in with a big bamboo stick. (Sorry you will have to wait for the photos...we didn't want to lose or break the camera so got a disposable but won't be able to get the photos online for a few weeks) These bars have all sorts of jumps and flying foxes set up, these things look scary as hell but are so much fun. Ed went first (I am a chicken) and refused to acknowledge the advise to hold on until you swing back down again and smacked the water but came up smiling and gagging for more. Not to be outdone I had to give it a go and loved it...despite a mouthful of riverwater. I can't finish this blog without mentioning "The Bellyflop", I feel I am justified as it was Ed's turn to write the blog. Yes, second time on the flying fox he flopped so badly the riverside boozers let out a little oooooohhhhhhh! Always an incident. He braved up and decided no more flying fox for him but could see the funny side.

Our days in Laos are numbered and we plan on unwinding from the active backpacking we have been doing over the past week. More from Vientiane soon.

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