Tubing and flying foxes

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Well I can confirm that Laos is the most laid back, chilled out country that I have ever visited.

We wern't even meant to come here, but after everyone (and I mean EVERYONE) coming through Vietnam said "You gotta go to Laos!!", we thought that while we in the area that it was worth a visit.

Even then we nearly didn't make as I rolled in from the bars of Siem Reap at about 6.30am (a tuktuk was booked to take us to the airport at 7). Needless to say that flight was very forgettable, but I'm glad we opted for the flight over a 3 day bus drive across a non-official border crossing.

Plus it solved the problem of what to get Sam for her birthday. She thought the flight was far too expensive for what it was, but she also didnt want anything that she had to carry: so it made sense to buy her the flight for her birthday. She was very happy with that!

And so we made it to Vientiane. Then about 18 hours later we left Vientiane. With a bottle of vodka won in a pub quiz. Thats it. There's nothing more to say.

A 3 hour bus trip later and we reached Vang Vieng. Now this is a place I like. It is famous for caving, rock climbing and tubing. Unfortunately the rock climbing involves a 3 day course and I didn't have the time, but the tubing was a day to remember!

Yet again we bumped into Bryn and Charlotte, a couple who we have met up with about 5 times since Halong Bay. It was Bryn's birthday yesterday and we arranged to go tubing to celebrate (tubing involves sitting in a big innertube and floating down the river). The drop of point is about 4km upstream and it should take 3 hours at a relaxed pace. It took us 7 hours (did I also mention that there are about 8 bars along the way, each with a flying fox into the water?) At 1 bar we also managed to coax a game of 5 a side footy, then a game of volleyball. Great times!

The rest of Vang Vieng is very chilled out. There are about 5 bars that all have sofa style seats, and each specialise in a different TV show. There is a Friends bar, a Simpsons bar, a Family Guy bar. All I need is a 24 bar and I will never leave!

Unfortunately we do have to leave. Tomorrow we shoot up to Luang Prabong, then we cross the Thai border. Finally I get to go to Thailand...

**I finally get to go to Thailand, a country I have wanted to visit for so many years. Hit the comment button and let me know which country you have always wanted to visit***

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Comments

[Craig]

Galápagos Islands
I've always wanted to go to the Galápagos Islands. Frankly at the moment anywhere other than Reading would do! :-)

[Keith]

county I'd like to visit
Wales.

[Mum]

Place to visit
I have a list of places to visit and this list includes the Far East, but every time I go to a place on the list I meet people who tell me of other places so the list gets longer instead of shorter. So the best place I have been so far is The Maldives, but then again California was good, so was New York ........