Blogs from Laos, Asia - page 567

The 6 hour minivan ride from Luang Prabang provided outstanding scenery as we climbed and decended our way through the lucious green mountains of the region. We also passed through a bunch of small villages sporting bamboo houses and shacks. Along the way the people would return my waves with big smiles. Quick funny story...at one stop, Tamar went to the back of a restaurant to use their toilet and upon returning, she said something bit her. I look at her leg and it was a small scratch and asked her "what bit you as this does not look like a Mosquito bite?". She said a monkey. I said "What? There are no monkeys here." So I went in the back and behold, there was a little monkey tied to a tree. He was a ferocious ... read more

Hello everybody! Its Chris writing again me and Mandy have become aware its been a while since we updated so we thought we should, update you all a bit. First of all thanks to everybody who's keeping in touch. I know its what friends and family do, but its still nice to get loads of e-mails the other side of the world! Were into Laos now, at a town called Pakse which is in the south. The last update ran up until Siem Reap in Cambodia we think? Anyway Siem Reap was really good, the temples of Angkor were really impressive, although I personally preferred a temple called Ta Prohm to Ankgor Wat, the temple which Cambodia is most famous for. Ankgor Wat was amazing, although Ta Prohm was better because it hadn't had anywhere near ... read more

Vientiane Life in Laos' capital Vientiane rolls along quietly at its own pace. When we arrived at 7 in the morning nothing was open and for the rest of our time there it really felt like the city really switched on. I had my first ever sauna and first ever massage while in Vientiane at one of the local Wats. I don't think I've ever heard my body crack so much. I'm sure that these things are meant to be a bit of a mix of pleasure and pain and while having it I definitely thought it erred towards the second but for the next couple of days I felt really relaxed. I also had my first ever Hash run in Vientiane!! IT was a special halloween run with free entry if you came in costume ... read more

Another bus trip awaits us. We have caught more buses on this holiday than I care to count. A foggy morning provides a beautiful sight as it crawls gently over the tips of the Vang Vieng mountains. It becomes obvious very quickly that the following 7 hours on the bus may well be very enjoyable. The mist engulfs the tall, staggering mountains. The sight off the long fall cliff is formidable. The constant slowing down to carefully plot a course over the fallen rock and debris is a reminder how dangerous driving on these wet mountains can be. We stop at a small restaurant for "lunch" (at 10:30am??? go figure) As I sit there trying to eat while ignoring the chickens and the cow, I think to myself "this is definatley the most bucolic restaurant I ... read more

Not content to sit on a bus like everyone else, we swapped bus seat for moped (and later elephant) for our 5-day 'tour' of Southern Laos. Our first stop was Wat Phou, Champasak, followed by a 100km journey south to a place called Si Phan Don (Four Thousand Islands). Two westerners on a moped caused much curiosity amongst the locals and we spent most of the journey waving to people. Crossing the Mekong with the bike was a whole different game in itself!... read more