Tubing, 'Friends' and wild elephants!

View from our window-Vang Vieng
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What a week of contrasts we have had in northwestern Laos. From Luang Prabang we headed south, a spectacular mountain road to Vang Vieng, a small town set amongst rugged karst scenery by the Nam Xong . Our room, in a traditional Lao home perched high above the river, had fantastic views of the surrounding mountains. After a morning trek which had us wading through a flooded cave  I drifted down the Nam Xong on a huge inner tube. Traditional village life interrupted by noisy riverside bars with bamboo towers where tourists leapt into the river on zip wires-bizarre! In Vang Vieng you can see locals fishing and washing in the river or watch continous episodes of 'Friends'  in the bars on the main street!

Vee emerging from cave-Vang Vieng
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Vientiane, the capital, has an interesting cloistered Wat and excellent French/Lao restaurants.

The highlight of our week was a two-day trek through tropical forest where we spent an unforgettable night in an observation tower surrounded by wild Asian elephants. Sitting in the dark for many hours bombarded by an unbelievable cacophony of grunts, rumbles, trumpeting, shrieking and crashing as the elephants gathered at the salt lick; a truly unbelievable experience!