Luang Prabang

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So after an early start and some breakfast (where the manager tried to charge us double) we got back onto the boat heading for Luang  Prabang.  Today's boat ride was going to last around 8 hours and learning from previous experience, we sat at the front of the boat and had a little more leg room.  We arrived in Luang Prabang at 4pm and headed towards our guesthouse for the night on the main road of the town. After settling in, we had a wander around town (there are only about 2 roads so it didn't take long!) and had some dinner before watching the sunset on top of the hill. The night market was starting to set up which was very pretty with all the vibrant colours and lanterns. We bumped into our Irish friends which we had met in Thailand and went for some cocktails in a beautiful bar with them. Everything closes at 11.30 in Laos so we went back to our nice air-con room.

The next day we had breakfast and rented out some bicycles for the day. We cycled to the main temple in Luang Prabang and then along the river. By this point we were so hot and tired that we had to have a drink stop in the shade (in the lovely cocktail bar). Then we cycled to the Royal palace museum which was very interesting, and then failing to find a swimming pool (apart from the posh hotel chagring $25 for a swim!) to cool ourselves down, we went for a foot massage. Very nice but tickly! Then we cycled down and had some fruit shakes down by the river and watched the next load of poor people offload the slow boat from Thailand. We have decided we love Luang Prabang- it is so beautiful and peaceful and the people are so relaxed. There is an obvious Frenchness, with all the boulangeries, ecoles maternelles and men playng boules in the afternoons. The only problem was that we were too hot so we dread to think what it must be like in the hot season!

We had dinner and then headed for the bus station, where we caught the nightbus to Vang Vieng. The bus was full and some people were even sitting in the Isles! Every two hours or so the driver would stop and everyone would rush off and wee in the bushes before getting back on -Chris joined them! We arrived in Vang Vieng at 2.30 in the morning and it was like a ghost town. When we finally managed to find the main road, (Vang Vieng is even smaller than Luang Prabang) we luckily found some Irish drunkards who directed us to a guesthouse, and we managed to get a room...and some sleep!