I had visited Laos 6 years ago, and really wanted to bring Jane to see this amazing land. From the moment you change up your 100 pounds travellers cheque (there are no cashpoints in Laos), and get given 1,800,000 kip in 20,000 kip notes (the largest denomination), 90 notes in all - you know that you are in for an adventure. Crossing into Laos from westernised Thailand, over the Mekong River and suddenly everything takes on a slower, more relaxed pace. Our first stop was the capital Vientiane, hardly a metropolis with only 200,000 people living in the city. There's no McDonalds, no shopping centres and only 4,000km of paved roads in the whole country. Being a former French colony, there's plenty of baguettes, croissants, cheeses and wine - unusual for most of Asia. Luckily for
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