Laos

---

We flew into Vientiane, the capital of Laos. It is quite unlike any other capital city we have been to, the restaurants shut all afternoon, the idea of traffic is a few motorbikes and the central point is an almost deserted water fountain. Not surprising for a country with a population only a little over 5 million.

Despite this, well actually, because of this, it is a lovely place. The feeling is so laid back and the people so friendly. Laos is definitely not yet spoiled by tourism and long may it remain that way. So in Laos style we decided to do nothing but sit in cafes and relax while in Vientiane.

After a few days there we went up to Vang Vieng, the home of 'tubing'. Tubing was cool, they lend you a tyre, drive you in a tuk-tuk a few kilometres up the river and then you jump in your tube and float downstream back to the town. This in itself would be cool but what makes it even better is that along the way you can stop off in riverside bars for a beer. Bliss!

Our bungalow in Vang Vieng was apparently once stayed in by Kylie Minogue, well if it is good enough for Kylie...

From Vang Vieng we went to Luang Prabang and mostly just lazed around, sitting in cafes and wandering the markets. We took a bus to the waterfalls where we saw a rescued tiger and then had a paddle in the clear waters. The falls were beautiful and set in a lush jungle.

Leaving Luang Prabang was not something we were looking forward to as we had to travel by speedboat due to time restrictions (we are so nearly at the end of our trip). The speedboat is notoriously scary but the worst thing was how uncomfortable it was - not fun.

---