Luang Prabang, Laos

Getting anywhere in Laos by bus is a slightly hair raising experience what with the windy roads and random animals on the roadside but we made it from Vientiane to Luang Prabang on a 13 hour sleeper bus. Very pleased there were two of us, as we ended up sharing what can only be described as a 5ft 5 'shelf' with barely enough room to lie flat. Spooning proved to be the only option but it wasn't the best nights sleep we've had! We timed our arrival perfectly, though, as the yearly boat race festival was taking place later that day.

Luang Prabang boat race

People come from all the local districts to watch the boat race so there was quite an atmosphere. We had a great view of them warming up from mount Phous si, which overlooks the river. 

The view below became quite a familiar one for us as we ate most of our meals overlooking the Mekong river. We never got tired of looking at it surprisingly enough... 

The Mekong River, Luang Prabang

Our mountain biking adventure

We decided a day on bikes would be a great way to see some local villages and away from the main tourist areas, so booked a day biking tour for the following day. We heard it would be 5 hours of biking between villages, off the main roads but reality didn't set in until we saw some very serious looking bikers arrive for the same tour. We set off cheerfully but a few minutes later my chain broke and fell off. No problem, they brought a new bike. Shame it was same size as Steve's but not to worry. Well our jolly bike ride turned out to be a 44km circular route completely off road, through lots of mud, some crazy hills and even a couple of streams, all in 33 degrees. The other couple were looking for an adrenaline fueled day, "skip the villages" so i guess we were a bit of a disappointment to them as they kept having to wait just for us to catch up. Some amazing views just about made up for the pain and who can say they've overtaken elephants or seen a toddler pulling a cow down a hill? An amazing experience but not one we'll be repeating in a hurry!

Kuang Si waterfalls

We had a lovely, and well deserved, relaxing day at some waterfalls the following day. Great to swim in the jade coloured pool, even if little fish nibbled our feet - who needs a fish spa?

We'd read about a company called big brother mouse who promote literacy among Laos children and adults and spent a fantastic couple of hours with some young Laos men who were keen to practice their spoken English. A really rewarding and eye-opening experience, especially as one of the students had a better grasp of English grammar than us! We had a lot of laughs together over their difficulty pronouncing "Collect and Correct." Yet more examples of how friendly and personable the Laos people are.

We were sad to leave Laos but very pleased to be flying to Hanoi, Vietnam as the alternative was another bus, 24 hours this time! Just arrived and amazed we haven't been run over yet as the driving is insane. Few days here then off to Halong Bay hopefully.

Bangkok to Vientiane

Our busy first week...

One of the many Wats we visited in Ayutthaya!

Delighted to be met at Bangkok airport after two long flights and whisked off for a lovely meal with Prayad featuring the largest prawns ever (though I think they were still alive when they went in the soup eek). Quick getaway to Ayutthaya the following day, the old capital of Thailand. Some beautiful old temples and a fun boat trip later, it was the night train to Chiang Mai and possibly the spiciest pot noodle ever at the station. Thankfully no after effects as the hole in the floor on the train was not too enticing a toilet! 

My Tom Yung Goong soup

Steve and I with our cookery teacher

One of our main reasons for visiting Chiang Mai, as well as visiting the place of Steve's marriage proposal ofcourse, was to do a cooking course. We had a fantastic day and now know how to make various curries, Pad Thai, stir fry chicken with cashews, delicious desserts and our favourite Tom Yung Goong soup. Whether we can make any of this once we're home remains to be seen... any guinea pigs?

Surprisingly beautiful park in extremely un-touristy Khon Kaen


Khon Kaen was really just a night stopover as a way of getting into Laos but it turned out to have a hidden gem, a so called 'Health Park' with tennis courts, beautifully groomed surroundings, a few palm trees and nice reservoir so we spent a very peaceful few hours there - a welcome break from all the city traffic and noise of the last few days.

Sunset on our first night in Vientiane, Laos

A little sorry to be leaving Thailand so quickly but we'll be back soon... Thought Laos would be very similar but has surprised us so far. People actually walk here, instead of always using mopeds! And for one of the 20 poorest countries in the world, it's an incredibly friendly, positive and relaxing place to be. We'd heard mixed reviews of Vientiane, but what an amazing capital city. Enjoyed exploring on bikes yesterday, including the very moving COPE centre. It's a charity that gives people prosthetic limbs, many of whom lost them from unexpoded Vietnam war bombs. Vientiane even has it's own Arc De Triomphe with almost as scary traffic as the French version when you're on a bike!

Just booked the next part of our trip, Luang Prabang... very excited.