Tubing and thunderstorms (not at the same time)...

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Here we are, still in Laos, running into people we know all over the place...loving the culture and the crazy weather...here's the latest...

There are 3 main cities in Laos that are most prominently visited by tourists...Luang Prabang, Vaing Vien, and Vientianne...We are currently in the third city, which is the capital and most visited by tourists on their way to Vietnam who are looking for a quick visa pick- up (myself included).

I have been travelling with Leanne as we have been sharing a room, and she has been fantastic...into the same things and a ton of fun. We have been hanging out with different groups of people who were mostly all on our slowboat our first few days in Laos...it feels a bit like being back in Australia...everywhere we go, we see the same people - such a small world...however this also tells me it's time to get off the beaten track. Leanne and I have met another freakin Canadian (they are everywhere!), Chris, and are heading to Southern Laos tonight on a bus to do some adventure seeking with him.

The past week in Laos has been full of relaxing, bowling, tubing, family guy, and of course, drinking and eating amazing food!

One highlight has been the tubing...Vaing Vien sports a river down which they offer a tubing tour...you rent a tube, hop in a tuk tuk to be shuttled by the hundreds a few miles north to be tossed into the river which floats you back to the city...all along the river are rope swings and bars, music, volleyball, 'happy shakes', Lao children tossing you ropes to pull you into their bars, and of course, westerners...it sounds like it could get a bit old, but we did it twice and many of our friends went at least 3 times...it is definitely an experience like no other...stay tuned for video uploads of 5 meter trapeze like swings into the river...super fun!

Our friend from Alberta finished up his 6 month stint working in a bar there, so we also spent lazy days in the hammock hanging out and being hungover and watching the end of the rivergoers get pulled out of the water by skinny Laos children with no shirts on..."Money, money!" they shout as you float by and they swim in to get you...most tourists are pretty inhebriated by this point and if it weren't for the kids I'm sure a few wouldn't make it out...the downfall of this is obviously that these kids are making money from the tourists and thus not attending school...the trick is to get out of the water before they get your tube.

I have definitely heard a few tubing horror stories, even things that were pretty scary that happened while we were there, and happened to our friends, but it's all part of the experience...when you put those elements together, some stitches, arrests and missing persons are bound to happen!

The best thing to happen in the past week, honestly, has been kayaking...Leanne experiences travel sickness and has difficulties in buses, so we decided to kayak down the nam song river to Vientainne...we were tossed into double kayaks with a few guides, lifejackets and helmets to experience a few rapids...on the first one Leanne and another Kayak and I were the only ones who didn't flip over - sweet! Lunch was a few fish and veggie kebabs which I helped put together, and we climbed up the cliff to a sweet 6 meter jump - not to mention the dog we ran over on the way home and the ticket our driver got at the border for having too many passengers in the back, and the great weather...

The weather here is definitely humid and hot with the mornings being the sunniest...the afternoons have demonstrated to us some amazing thunder and lightning storms...we heard that the 5 days after we arranged our kayak were to be thundering and rainy but we have since lucked out with great weather...

Tonight we head to Savannakheet...a small town with a 10 hour drive...my ipod nano has died as well, which is going to make for interesting journeys in the future...it's so easy to plug in and fall asleep but the public buses here often sport insanely loud Laos and Thai music - we'll see what the bus system in Laos brings us tonight...

Laos is a developing nation with a high level of poverty...we have definitely been asked for money more often here than in Thailand, and I fear that with Cambodia it will get worse...I didn't think it would be that bad, but it really is heart wrenching...

We drove through hilltribe villages on our trip from Luang Prabang to Vaing Vien the other day and saw amazing sights...I'm looking into doing a homestay soon to stay with a family for a few days to see the real Laos...

Excited to get off the beaten track...
So sorry there are no pics up and that I cannot begin to describe in a silly blog the amazing time I'm having...truly, everything that happens, from now on, is what it's all about...

The journey is the thing.

Erin

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