LAOS - 9th February to 21st February

LAOS - Pak Beng, Luang Prabang, & Ventianne

We have decided to shorten our time in Laos due to the expense & due to the hassles of travel overland (very slow & to Gill's discomfort very winding). We literally came across from the Thai border from Chiang Khong to Huay Xai (somehow sheparded from one place to another to make sure we got our visas & passport stamps). We then did the slow boat down the Mekong to Luang Prabang. A trip well worth doing for the memory & experience, but the boat on day one was very crowded. Overnight we stopped in a place called Pak Beng, a tiny town with no mains electricity supply, so only generated power between 6pm to 10pm. Had a very nice meal in a small family restaurant - wish I could remember the name in order to recommend it to others - had a sign outside saying 'my wife is a good cook'. (wish I could say the same!).

Day two we continued the boat ride for 8 & 1/2 hours, arriving in Luang Prabang around 5.30pm. In the evening we accidently bumped into Steve & Caroline (who we had met in the Cameron Highlands in Malaysia & then again in Ayutthaya in Thailand. We then spent the next few days with them, which included the 2 days at the Elephant Festival (see separate blog entry). Luang Prabang proved expensive, as populated with many tour parties, particularly affluent French. Atleast can get wine here, at not too higher a price. All pictures of monks when they are posted will be for Caroline, as she has a 'thing' for them - Gill & I are now in contest to find the most novel picture of a monk/s - think I'm winning as she got one drinking Pepsi today, but I got 3 drinking beer!).

From Luang Prabang we decided to bypass Vieng Viang (described by Thomas as 'full of drunk 18 year old English girls' - didn't even appeal to him as a young man, & by an American we met as the 'worst sh*thole on the planet!'). So headed straight for Ventianne, the capital to spend 3 days here & then fly on to Hanoi in Vietnam on the 21st. Spent 2 days seeing the main sights: Wat Si Saket, a very old Buddhist temple with over 2000 mini silver & cera

mic buddha statues; Pha That Luang, the most important national monument - just a great big Stupa really; & the Patuxai, the arch built to looklike the Arch de Triomphe, built from the cement the US gave Laos to build an airport runway. Day two we wandered again & in the afternoon spent a lazy time at the town's swimming pool.

Next blog will be from Vietnam...