We were awoken by a screaming child and very heavy rainfall. We went to Vientiene morning market - a run down half outdoor half indoor dripping (because of the rain) collection of everything from food to kitchen appliances to clothes. Alex and Seto bought Laos t-shirts for 20K (1.70 euro) then after a little more wandering it started bucketing  down so we took refuge in a lovely bar restaurant where we had gorgeous food washed down by some final drinks of beer Laos -  the rumours were true it wins the title of Asia's best beer. After lunch we walked down to the Mekong to look across at our destination. Then the bus adventure began. First a tuk-tuk to the Laos bus station then onto a coach to the Thai-Laos friendship bridge where we went throuhg customs on both sides and then onto the sleeper bus which would take 9 hours to Bangkok. We bought some snacks and were served some funny little biscuits by a very sweet little bus hostess.

    Got up early and enjoyed a nice breakfast before boarding our little but very comfortable minibus to Vientiene. We decided to leave Vang Vieng as it's just way too touristy and also because MC is out of action with a sore toe. The bus journey took a good four hours and we arrived just after lunch. We checked into the Orchid Guesthouse just opposite the bus stop facing the Mekong river. We popped aroudn the corner to a restaurant called Sticky Fingers and were taken aback by how modern and western the restaurant was for such a run down and sleepy city. The menu was great and we had beautiful steak, eggs benedict....all delicious. Afterwards we wandered around....there were monks and wats on every corner. We visited a few and chatted to some monks. One wat had a few monks inside chilling - playing with their camera phones and ipods - quite funny and a surreal sight. One wat in particular we really liked had two large fans over the altar with kaleidescopes attached to them so as they turned  the patterns continously changed - very cool and a little mesmerising. We kept wandering and marvelled at how sleepy and ramshackle this capital city is. There seems to be quite a large population of expats here and loads of trendy restaurants and bars and the yummy JoMa (where we of course had a little pit stop!) But on the other side everywhere is falling apart and crumbling. We also saw lots of signs of Chinese trade. For dinner we dined under the stars and along the banks of the Mekong with views of Thailand on the far side as it sporadically lit up with huge flashes of lightening. It was really lovely.

Lawrence and Natasha left, Catch bus to Bangkok at 5pm

Temple, rooftop bar

Travel to Vientiene, Bar with free t-shirts

We have arrived in Vientienne from Vang Vieng from another long bus trip, although this one was in an airconditioned minibus, but still took 5-6 hours.  Vientienne looks like a nice place and is larger then the towns we have visited but It is to be expected as this is the nations capital.  There are alot of restaurants on the banks of the Mekong River however due to the dry season it is over 100 metres to the water so this is a little disappointing.  We check into a hotel and Murray is not feeling very well at all. We check out some of the restaurants on the riverside an d Michelle and I decide on what looks to be a nice choice.  We eye off the local fresh water crayfish and decide to order 1kg of these barbecued with some other food.  They are alittle different from what I am used to eating in Austraia re the prawns caught in the ocean, but they are ok.  Murray decided to go back to the hotel as he looks like shit and Michelle and I check out the night markets. 
The photo's are of Pha That Luang which is the most important national monument in Laos and has some history that you should learn when you visit.  It was so hot that It must have been about 40 deg C and 90% humidity so it was an uncomfortable day but it was worth going to see.

This was a great find! Vientiene was packed out when we arrived and we spent some time walking up and down the main streets looking for a guesthouse that wasn’t full and was within our price range. Finally we stumbled across this which was in the perfect location – beside the Mekong, beside a minimart, and opposite some great restaurants that come highly recommended (e.g. Full Moon Café, Vista Cafe and Sticky Fingers). It doesn’t make sense that it wasn’t as busy as elsewhere but perhaps it was a combination of us being in a 3 and them having rooms with 3 beds (not always possible) and them looking more like a youth hostel (like a YMCA) than a nice guesthouse. Either way, the beds were fine, the ensuite bathroom/wet room was fine (you get used to soaking everything), the security was fine, and all for $5/night in a central location. I would stay here again.

    When first arriving the capitol my brother and I were very excited.  We had just spent 3 weeks in Thailand and were ready for a change of pace, Laos did just that.  It felt like as soon as we crossed the border our stress level went down tramendously.  This was a great change because we had been ripped off quite a few times so the people of Laos, being the honest and kind hearted people we grew to love, made it really easy to fall in love with the country.  We didn't spend long in Vientien because I personaly was ready for some real backpacking.  For the first few weeks in Thailand we spent a lot of time in hotels and in clubs, now it was time to hit the dorms and bunk up with some fellow traveler, really experience some real Asian culture and learn to appreciate what simple lives they live.  
    It's time for some tubing!  After a long bug ride on curvy mountain roads I made my way out to Vang Vieng and had a blast tubing down the Mekong river.  Along the river there were really cool bars constructed out of bamboo each equipt with rope swings, each one larger then the previous bars'.  I had so much fun swinging into the big river and I would do it again in a heart beat.  Also in this little village of a town there are bike rentals for a buck and for the day you can tour the towns' caves!
    After Vang Vieng we headed north to Luang Prabang which was a really cool little city.  In the center of the city there was a beautiful temple at the top of a small mountain you could hike up to visit.  I did this every day I was in this city, mainly for excersize but also because there was a lot to see.  At the thop there was a panaramic view of the city as well as quite far beyond the city limits.  So many briliant mountain ranges and so much green!  It reminded me a lot of Oregon when I was there.  My brother and I took some time to visit near by caves and to meet some fellow travelers from Ireland and Australia.  There is quite a lot to do in Luang Prabang and strongle recomend anyone traveling through Laos to take the time to make the trip up there, its gorgeous!
    On to Phonsavan and the Plain of Jars.  It was actually pretty great to see but very expensive.  I deffinately think I paid to much for what I got but its always nice to get a little history lesson when your skipping out on a college career entirely.  I think I spent $18 on a tour which should have (for the country and the exchange rate) costed $5.  We did however have a wonderful tour guide who was very imformative and light hearted. 
    The transportation through Laos was the only down fall.  The bus system is a little rough in that the roads are poorly constructed and a little scetchy.  There was a few times we had to travel up to 8 hours in a tuk tuk (for those of you who dont know its basically like sitting on an unpadded bench in the back of a pick up).  Other then that there was beautiful scenery and beautiful people.  I predict that Laos will soon be more populated and a lot of the natural beauity will be taken over by the growing number of tourists go get there as soon as possible, you won't regret it!

Having seen some of the local, within walking distance sights, today we hired bycycles, yes pedal based, human power driven bicycles from the guest house and after breakfast we headed cycling to see some of the other, further away sights.

We managed to take in the monument to the unknown soldier, the outside of the Laos Military Museun as well as the Patuxai, Vientienne's miniature l'Arc De Triumph. It was built by the French when they occupied Laos and they also put a similar road structure to the Champs Elysee arount it. Well it wasn't quite as big in size and the traffic was nothing like that of Paris but it was a lovely mlnument. We rested here for a while before climbing up the monument to catch a panaromic view of Vientienne.

After our short break we headed back towards the centre of town, and took in the Wat Si Saket, the oldest temple in Vientienne. We took a few more Wat type photos and headed back to the guesthouse for a rest. We were drained having cycled about in the 30 degree mid day heat.

Later that evening we got back on our bikes and headed for a cycle along the promenade that ran along the bank of the Meekong. The heat had dissapaited at this stage and the cycle was much more enjoyable. We also took in the Presidential palace before dropping the bikes back to the guesthouse and heading for dinner.

We went back to the restaurant from last night to sample some of the real good food again, where we also had a few more Beer Lao, before heading back to the guesthouse. Tomorrow we were to fly from Vientienne to Hanoi so we decided to get planty of rest.

All of our quick decisions yesterday when picking a guesthoue came back to bite us in the ass this morning. We had picked a guesthouse right nextdoor to a building that was being demolished. At 6am the rock breaker started ... bang bang bang bang ... over and over again. There wasn't much sleep once this started and we very quickly made the decision to change guesthouses. The very first thing we done was pack up and head back out on to the main street again where we booked into the previously full Soukchaleun Guest House. We seen straight away why the guest house was always full, it was reasonably priced, very clean rooms and very professional about all the services it supplied. About 10 minutes after checking into the guest house, it was already full again, at about 11am in the morning!

Once we got settled into the room we went for breakfast. There we decided to take a brief trip around the centre of Vientienne and see all the touristy sites. To be honest it was more of the same stuff that we've seen in any country so far. A few wats/temples some historic buildings and a few monuments.

On visiting one of the monuments we did come across a hairdressers. Both Caroline and I had been complaining about our hair getting long and with the warm weather it was becoming annoying so in we go to get a couple of haircuts. It was a different haircut for me, for a man who normally goes to the barbers and gets a quick dry cut, no fuss or hassle, here I was getting my hair washed, my head massaged and then a haircut ... a much more 'rounded' service than i've had before! The haircuts turned out to be a god send, becauuse we noticed the difference straight away when we left the hairdressers.

After tramping around the city centre for the day we returned to the guest house to relax for a while before heading for dinner that evening. We found a lovely restaurant beside the Nam Phu water fountain again and had dinner there. The menu choice was very wide from most common European dishes, to traditional Laos dishes as well as Chinese and Vietnamese dishes. For desert we actually tried a 'Traditional Laos Desert' which consisted of Dragon Fruit, some kind of cold savory yogurt and a few squares of a tradional Laos cake. It was quite nice overall but a little too savoury for me!

One thing that has been annoying me since the start of my travels is the number of male europeans/westeners who all have a much younger Asian girl hand in hand with them everywhere you look!. This restaurant seemed to be a haven for them because at one point there were more couples like this at tables than normal/traditional couples. The table next to us consisted of 1 Italian man and 4 thai/laos/asian girls. He would of been in his 40's or 50's and the girls would all of been under 25. They even rotated their seating positions during the evening do that they all got to sit beside the 1 man. I know that I am applying my standards/culture in a foreign land and that's not exactly appropriate, and I know that I don't fully understand the situation as it stood last night but it still really really annoys me. It just doesn't seem natural, to me anyway.

Anyway enough of my ranting and raving, after what was a lovely meal, bar some of the other clientielle, and after a few more beer Lao we headed back to our new, much quieter, guest house!

This morning was an early start for us (not like the last few days) as we had to catch the VIP bus to Vientienne at 8am. Our tuk-tuk driver was to pick us up at 7.10 to bring us to the southern bus station so it was an early 6am start to get showered and packed.

Phil and Caroline were also heading to Vientienne today so we all ended up in the 1 tuk-tuk and bus together. On arriving at the bus station the VIP bus didn't look any better than any of the others, ok a little better maybe but it was supposed to be the fastest of the buses.

We left dead on time which was strange by Laos standards and started climbing into the mountains. The scenery was amazing as we climbed high above the clouds on very twisty steep roads. Our driver wasn't too scared of the possible danger had the brakes or steering failed. It would of been a slip down into the valley several 100 meters below. His driving was very good though in my opinion. Carolines white knuckles on the handle of the seat in front told a different story - from her point of view.

I was so impressed at the scenery as we passed. Some huge mountain peaks sticking up out of the valleys of cloud. It reminded me a bit of the Lord Of the Rings movies. Breathtaking!

We stopped several times along the way for toilet breaks and to stretch our legs and we stopped about 4 hours into the journey for lunch. The VIP bus supplied you with lunch, a bottle of drinking water and a kind of cake bar as a snack as part of the ticket. Lunch consisted of some traditional Buffalo Lup and sticky rice. It was quite nice at the time ... especially with a cold beer Lao as the mid day heat was really getting to us.

From there on it was much flatter land, still twisty but without the hills. At 6.20 we pulled into the bus station in Vientienne, about 20 minutes later than schedule, again an impressive feat in Laos. We all climbed into a taxi and headed for the town centre. We arrived beside the Nam Phu. The Nam Phu is a water fountain monument in the middle of the tourist area in Vientienne. Where the taxi dropped us off all the guesthouses were fully booked so we went around the corner and down a side street where we found another cheap one. Phil and Caroline were getting the train back to Bangkok the following day so they weren't too bothered where they stayed and we were just knackered after the bus journey so we didn't care too mich either.

As it was our last night together as a group we headed out for dinner along the banks of the Meekong, we had a few drinks as well and were joined by another travel friend of Phil and Caroline's who was from Holland. It was also her birthday and she was celebrating it alone so we all had a few more drinks together before heading back to the guesthouse and to bed!

I arrived here yesterday afternoon after a lovely VIP airconditioned bus 3 hours from Vang Vieng.  Unfortunately there's not much budget accomodation in the city so I opted for one of the first I came across recommended by Lonely Planet (decided i don't think that is generall wise) and it was gross....well not nice after the 30 000Kip room in Vang Vieng with water and onsuite and clean sheets.  This one also had window looking on to a brick wall and a air con generator going...not good when you're not feeling great either.  Just moved to Saysouly Guest House round the corner and it's like a palace in comparrison.

Last Thursday I spent the day walking round trying to capture Luang Prabang on camera (none of the photos look as good as it does in real life)...and then I went to th Royal Palace Museum, which i was impressed with...murals on wall of Kings former reception room....red background, with shiny metals used to draw the people etc...very elaborate.  There was a photography exhibition downstairs under the building so i took a look at that...seemed to be mainly French photographers?  Some of England ah....

In the evening I went to L'etranger book cafe (recommended in the Lonely Planet, the other 2 places that show films had closed down/stopepd showing)...downstairs a bookshop upstairs a film room...where they were showing Perfume..stayed for a while and had a Lime and Coconut shake.

Friday i got a tuk tuk to the southern bus station (prices much inflated from what's stated in the LP)...went on tuk tuk that had the bike at the side and the passenger sits body forward into the road, felt pretty dangerous, hung on with both hands!  Found that the 10.30am bus was not leaving as broken down so had a 3 hour wait to the next...going to Vang Vieng.  Got caught out signing along to Ronan Keating, which was playing through the bus station speakers by Aaron, American from San Fran...very embarrassing!  Crammed into bus, with plastic chairs passed along to fill up the aisle with Laos people...3 motorbikes strapped to the roof along with massive sacks of rice and other things piled high!  No wonder the buses break down so frequently in Laos!! Was worried the breaks weren't going to work.  A 7 hour trip...through very windy/hilly terrain and loud speaker blaring out the usual terrible laos/thai music!  Was very glad when that trip was over.  Tagged onto Aaron and travelling partner Anna (from Sommerset)...walked across gravel strip to main hub...where went to Sivixang Guest house.  As we walked along the main high street, we noticed that it was true...nearly every bar has lounge type beds and fallangs glued to a Friends episode (maybe Simpsons). 

Next day Aaron, Anna and myself (also bumped into alex again for the 3rd time!!!) met to have some breakfast and find out how to get involved with this thing called tubing.  What you do is rent a tube for 50 000kip, get dropped off at a point on the river, get in you rubber ring and float down stream, whilst floating over to the numerous bars either side of the river along the way.  You have to see it to believe it!!!!  Got out at the firtst bar, where you pile your rings high and had a beer, music blaring out and watched the first 'swing'of the day, which was a zip line and people doing a flip at the end after being catapulted off!  Then on to the next bar...which had a literal swing, a metal bar you hung onto...didn't do that one, but had a bucket and sat in the sun, then back on my ring to the next bar...this time i did the swing, but i'm really not sure it was a good idea...soo high...and apparently my jump was embarrassing as i screamed a bit and then sort of jumped at the lowest point...but fell on my back and wacked my head on the water (think i had whip lash for 3 days after)!!  We got caught up at that bar, even though i think there were another 10 along the way...and then the sun just went behind the mountains so sunddenly cold...we got back on the water...and then out a bit further as v cold - got a tuk tuk back to the main centre.   Short break and then out for a burger and some more buckets...managed to find the Smile bar even though off the main thoroughfair...walking across a dodgy wooden bridge to it, but could hear it when near, and of course where all the english were... amongst the trees and drunk....they turned the music off dead at 11pm

Sunday woke with a killer hangover...managed to have lunch around 2...where a laos guy with long black hair called Jackie (he did look like Jackie Chan as well) chatted and offered to take me to see the caves around Vang Vieng...went out for a couple of hours...i think to the Tham Phu Kham cave, going across a number of bridges, and getting excellent views of the vast mountainous scenery along the way.  Walked up killer steep steps up to the cave, which was massive! Could go further in but really need a guide and someone with a tourch, back down and sat on a pagoda for a while by the river and then home. 

Monday, met up with Alex and bought him breakfast (he won a bet the night before, and it was his 21st birthday) and then relaxed all day sitting around by the river and then going for a Lao herbal oil massage - so much more relaxing and less painful than a Thai one!.    Tuesday - i was ill so slept nearly all day, just managing to get out an get some water and then on Wednesday got up and made my way to Vientiene.

After Bangkok, Vientiene had a serene almost otherworldly aura... and I finally was able to do a full-length, park bench concert with a small, but very attentive audience.  Then I let a couple of Laotian guys take a turn with my guitar--and was quite impressed with their ability.  Later on a couple of kids came by and tried imitating my singing, line by line (or what they thought I was saying in Laotian)  I don't know what they said, but everyone thought it was pretty funny...

It took a 12 hour bus ride to Vientienne, the capital of Laos. A bus which we were assured was 'VIP' and was worth paying extra for, a bus with no aircon, a bus which in fact broke down after 5 mins on the road, the tyre was changed, a bus which caused an accident between a car and bus coming the other way, a bus which ran into a cow, a bus which picked up people from anywhere and took a number of detours, a bus which broke down several more times and occasionaly slipped backwards down mountains. Nightmare!! Anyway so we got in to vientienne very very late found eveywhere booked up and ended up staying in a hostel which looked like someone had been killed and then rubbed over the walls and had biting things on the planks we had for beds!! But the next day faired much better and we found a really nice guesthouse and set off on a walk around the monuments the city. We saw an arc du triumph replica and a big gold wat that serves as the national badge of honour. We also wound up at a massive buddha sculpture park created by one of the strangest people to have ever lived, but there is more about him across the river... We corssed to river back into Thailand on the 1st November and the next day we visited another buddha park by the same man. This man, Luan, was walking in the mountains when he fell into a hole and found himself face to face with a hermit. He spent many years with this hermit who taught him all about budhism and hinduism, when he returned to Vientienne, Luan decided to build many sculptures to depict all he had learnt. When the communists took over Laos he escaped across the river to thailand, where he began another park dedicated to scultping buddhist and thai morals. He believed himself to be half man and half animal and then fell from on of his sculptors, casuing himself grave unjuries. He died in 1996 and asked for his body to be mummified under a glass dome alongside a virtual fish tank. Hiw wish was grabted. We visited this shrine to himself at the second buddha park and it was so wierd!! They'd left his old wheelchairs by his mummified body and also had the virtual fishtank all lit up and going... What?!

I managed to upload some pictures! there are only a few, and I have soooo many more. I'll try to upload them when I have more time. here's the link to my photo album:

http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/marjiew/Laos


Right now I just got back from laos, and in Bangkok. I believe we're going to Ayudhia (spelled wrong) and then to Cambodia. gotta run!