Through northern Laos - very slowly!!

Following our Christmas day epic we stopped overnight and then we then took another day down the river to Muang Ngoi. .

The view from our room.

 Note bomb cases made into arch!

Muang Ngoi main street - no roads to here so no transport bigger than a bike! We left after two days on another spectacular river trip......

The scenery changed as we moved into limestone so the steep v shaped valleys changed to massive limestone cliffs.

The locals used the shore the falling waters left as their premier veg plots which sprang up all along the river - bamboo fences kept the buffaloes out.

Luang Prabang

The Nam Ou runs into the Mekong about 4 km upstream of our destination Luang Prabang, Laos's 2nd city, so once again we were on the mighty Mekong..... it seems to be becoming a major feature!

The city is the main tourist centre in Laos but in a very refined and sophisticated kind of way.
It has lots of beautiful buildings some of which have been converted into exclusive boutique hotels.
What is known as colonial Chinese shop style. Designed to have a shop on the front...

Lots of Wats and a Royal residence to visit.  A pagoda at the top of a hill which over looks the town which on a clear day has amazing views.

 The bridge - of which we have crossed a fair few, is a dry season only bamboo bridge which will not last long when the rains come.....

 This Wat had the always present Tuk Tuk and driver plying for trade.... It is easily possible to transport eight and luggage on roof with one of these... only not quickly or in any way comfortably.

They also have had the widest choice and best value tourist shopping we have seen.  They had beautiful hand woven silk and cotton of the highest quality, really fabulous hand crafted silver and all sorts of other hand crafted gifts.  If I didn't have to carry it all I would have been tempted by lots of things. Postal costs cancelled out any savings you make though and there is the fact that it all looks really lovely over here but will it fit in at home?

We took the bus - about 6 hours over some more mountains to arrive at Vang Vieng

Vang Vieng

Is the party capital of Laos and this is where we ended up for new year.  I can't really describe the place to you its a cross between Toromolinos and (?Andy help me out here) (Kendal!.... Weird but true AH)
Its got noisy bars, surrounded by the most beautiful backdrop of mountains with fit energetic youthful people bouncing around doing lots of adventure sports.  I am not sure why, but I love it.

We had a great new year as we bumped into a guy we had met along the way called Marco who we both really like.  We joined him and his mates for the evening and welcomed in the new year in boisterous style.

We are staying in a bungalow on the other side of the river so we aren't in amongst the late night bars which are very noisy.  We have been able to do lots of walking as there are easily accessible paths all over the place.  In other places in South East Asia its been difficult to go for walks. Sometimes the landscape is impenetrable or the area is mined so you can't be sure you will be safe or in easier terrain where we would normally be happy to toddle off on our own the government insists you pay a guide which is expensive as so many people are taking a cut.

After my trekking experience I was a bit worried that Andy was missing out on some of the more exciting but physical things on offer in South east Asia like white water rafting, off road cycling, zip wires and treetop fun etc etc:.  Vang Vien is famous for a sport called tubing, for the uninitiated this is where you get into a rubber ring and float down the river.  I had heard that tubing was adrenalin packed but mostly safe if you didn't get too drunk and asked Andy whether we could go.

In the wet season May - August it is indeed adrenalin packed and can be dangerous as there are rapids along the way, but in the dry season (like now) when the water is low it is very safe and like the lazy river ride you get at water parks.   It turns out that Andy had been checking this out and knew it wasn't going to be dangerous or adrenalin packed which is why he agreed to take me.

However adrenalin packed or not it was great fun and stunningly beautiful and we both thoroughly enjoyed it.

 A stroll to the waterfall - not much to see in the dry season but when it rains I expect this is pretty spectacular.

 Out Hut..... Got a bit obsessed with sunsets & sunrises so hope you enjoy them.

 Came across turkeys and as it was just after Christmas thought you should see a picture of some of the lucky ones!!

 Sunset from a bar.

 Vang Vieng's main bridge (dry season only) fun to cross at all times as is single track with no passing places and lots of mopeds!

 Sunset pics...

These flat rice fields and then vertical limestone cliffs make it a great place for walking and climbing at all levels.

 Walking around here is either flat or very very up and down... top class scrambling or full out climbing!!!

 Just your average boat building operation.

 The roads don't half get dusty!!

A great scramble to get to the top here for this pic.

 View through our hut.

 Note the digger.... if you want ballast, you just get ballast!!

 Liza can be seen working hard in the hammock here!!

 More sunset pics!

 Followed by a couple of sunrise!!

So after what turned into an unexpected six day stay in Vang Vieng - a place that we will remember with great fondness we continued on the long long road (like we thought we'd be here ages ago to Vientiane Laos's capital.