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Published: November 25th 2008
Slow boat into Laos
After crossing the Mekong river from Northern Thailand into Laos, we then had to continue down river for the next 2 days to get to civilisation ! In the name of Luang Prabang.Well peeps, prepare yourselves, cos this is a bit of a photo bombardment !! So i'll keep it short n sweet....!
Since our last blog, I can safely say we are now accomplished users of the squat toilet (good for the thighs....!!) practically resembling a bowl of rice with the occasional noodle thrown in, oh and probably with the doo of a pineapple since that is everywhere out here too !!
We have also mastered hello, goodbye, thank you in 3 languages so far (although we have had some weird and wonderful but not to mention hilarious variations from Nath which has resulted in some very funny looks from the locals !!)
Anyways, we are actually now in Cambodia, but thought we would fill you all in (briefly!) on Laos, possibly the most incredible place I have ever been. We ended up extending our stay there to come down south instead of going straight across and into Vietnam. Our first stop there was Luang Prabang, after a gruelling 2 day trip aboard the slow boat on wooden benches ! The scenery more than made up for it though. Luang Prabang is sooo pretty, and so very different from Thailand
Village on banks of the Mekong river
Along the Mekong River on the slow boat, we passed dozens of little riverside villages where the kids would come running out to wave at us or try and clamber aboard to sell us something to drink ! ! As it was previously French, the buildings are all French stylee, and (the best part) there are bakeries, baguettes and cakes everywhere !!!! Signs are also all in French, and the older locals are more likely to speak French than English ! A chance for me to bring out my A-level French skills....aherm....or something like that....!!
Almost immediately you can feel the super laid back vibe there, and the food is absolutely gorgeous ! So we did venture away from the cheapys and night stalls for a night (where you can actually buy barbequed pigs head on a stick....) and took ourselves on a date (!) to Laos Laos Garden, a stunning little restaurent where sit in amongst the trees with lanterns hanging all around. We had ourselves our own bbq where cook up your own meat, veg and spices, including buffalo which was actually really yummy !
From Luang Prabang we went on a trek where we learnt to be 'Mahouts' (elephant trainers) which was great fun, in amongst the rainforest with these huge creatures ! Amazing.
Our next stop was Vang Vieng. Now this is laidback ! Here we went tubing, where we floated
Snakes in a jar !!??!??
Apparently drinking from these is good for you ??!?? I dont think so. down the river on tractor tyre inner tubes, stopping off at bars all along the way, where there are swings and zip wires and slides to keep everyone entertained ! We actually ended up staying here a few days longer than planned, as its so beautiful and a great place to chill out.
Next was the capitol, Vientiane. Not the prettiest of places, but then we didnt really give it much of a chance as we headed out the following day to get to this 7km cave. This was a mission to get to, but bloomin amazing ! also where we met a really nice English couple and subsequently travelled on south with them for a few days. Brad and Nath turned out to be 2 peas in a pod and frequently went off armed with his Ray Mears knive and firelighter to gather coconut husks and timber for a fire. They always seemed to get waylaid with a beer though funnily enough....!!
The final stop in Laos was on the Four Thousand Islands. Right at the bottom, loads of islands popping up in the river with only a few of the larger ones you could actually go
Our dinner date in Luang Prabang !
Our first restaurant dinner in ages !! Lao Lao Garden bbq. Awesome ! on.
We got a boat over to Don Det, which, after the 12 hour journey from the 7k cave, was such a relief to get to ! No cars or roads, just dusty tracks and bicycles. Perfect !!
There is so much more we could talk about, but this has soon gone way over 'short n sweet' !!
We are actually heading to Vietnam over the next few days, but will update you on Cambodia soon.... in fact, a sneak preview is that last night we shared a room with rats !! Which even Nath couldnt cope with, so we've gone a little upmarket in our accommodation tonight.... yessssss!!
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mazzermum
non-member comment
Go boy go!
looks like u continue to be IN YOUR ELEMENT....beats winter in Uk anyday! looks wonderful...havent lost the dream of being SUPERMAN then nath...taking on the ellies and deep sea diving...just think of all the extra stamina u could have gained from snake cocktails....perhaps you'll pluck up the courage next time?! ENJOYYYYYY! and BIG HUG TO U BOTH..... Mazzermutha x