Luang Prabang and the best waterfall ever...

The bus ride to Luang Prabang was stunning, hair pin turns around windy mountain roads...passing through villages along the way with children waving their little cute hearts out. Luang Prabang did not disappoint. The main street at night converts itself into a mile long night market, the people are friendly, the food is delicious, and there countless temples and monks abound. We managed to get ourselves up early enough one morning to watch the monks stream out of the temples and receive alms (gifts of food that is greatly appreciated since monks rely on this generosity daily to eat) from both locals and tourists. It was beautiful to watch and be a part of - the act of giving without receiving.

We took a 2 day trip to the Kuang Si Waterfall an hour outside of Luang Prabang. This had to be the most gorgeous waterfall I have ever seen. The turquoise lagoons below were very inviting, especially in the afternoon heat. We stayed in a bungalow close-by with the most adorable family. The husband proudly gave us a tour of his property which included a frog, pig, and chicken farm and an extensive garden. For breakfast each morning we had eggs and fresh papaya fruit right from the tree, and some homemade rice wine in the evenings. The view of the sunset from our bungalow porch was worth the trip alone.

We take the speed boat up to the border crossing to Thailand soon, (better than the 2 day slow boat!). It will be so sad to leave this country, Laos has to be up on the list of my favourites.

Tubing in Vang Vieng - it had to be done

What do you do when you are in Vang Vieng? Go tubing! This is an all day event, getting a tube, take a tuk tuk up the river and float downstream all day only to stop every now and then for a drink at a riverside bar and to swing on ropes and drop into the water. Trust me, it's a lot of fun. The whole way down the river there are gorgeous limestone mountains in the background, the sun is shining as usual and you literally bump into fellow travellers the entire way down.

We stayed at a cute little Irish/Lao owned place called Maylin by the Nam Song River. Cute little butterflies frequented the gardens and our bungalow porch was perfect to sit and relax. One day we did go all out and rent mountain bikes, bike 6km on a rocky path to a cave and hike up the mountain and all around in the cave....but that was the extent of our efforts in Vang Vieng. Sometimes you need a vacation from the vacation....and this was what Vang Vieng was perfect for.

Vientiane - one of my new favourite cities

Vientiane doesn't seem like it is a capital city of a country, it is quiet, no traffic, and people smiling everywhere you turn. We easily spent 5 nights here, recovering from what was the worst 15 hour bus journey from Pakse with bags of rice at our feet, chickens squawking away in canvas bags, and the loudest Lao karaoke music throughout the ride. Oh the joys of bus travel, sometimes it would be worth it to just spend the extra money to get a flight.
But yes, Vientiane - a surprising mix of Buddhist temples and French Colonial style buildings all gracing themselves along the Mekong River. Noodles soup stalls next to French bakeries, delicious Lao coffee (which may possibly be the best coffee in the world - it tastes like chocolate!), and fresh fruit shake stalls abound. We easily got into a routine of having divine mango shakes around the corner from our hotel (which was a blender and a basket of fruit set up outside some one's house with a sign) and then stopping by a French Bakery for croissants....mmm.
I've become a bit of a fruit-junkie...the shakes are too good to be true and for 50 cents, you can't stop yourself. Who knew fruit could taste so good, its like candy here!
We realized it was Valentine's day when we received a free glass of champagne at a restaurant with our dinner, its great that it is not a commercialized holiday here. One Lao man we met that was out with his girlfriend that night said "Valentines day is every day of the year when you're with someone you love". Very true indeed.

We checked out the Morning Market (which lasts all day), and it had to be the most relaxing market experience in Asia I have ever had. No "lady lady! Look Look! Buy from me! Me lucky!", if you didn't want to buy, no problem! I am in love with Lao people, i feel like they don't even know what the word stress means. They are just genuinely happy - all the time.

I could have spent a while in this city, but it's time to move on! Off to Vang Vieng to go tubing down the river with the rest of the backpackers!

The bakers start work at 10am, that sums Laos up pretty well

Currently relaxing in the south of Laos on Don Det, one of the 4000 islands in the area....life is pretty good right now. We have a basic bungalow along the river for 2 bucks a night...when i say basic, i mean basic, but when you have a patio with 2 hammocks you dont have to fight over, good food, hot weather, and a few good books, basic is all you really need anyways.

The baker on the island starts work at 10am, the doughnuts and bread are finished by 3pm, that sums up the Laos work ethic right there. Everyone is relaxed, not stressed, and just genuinely sweet and kind. No wonder people say they overstayed their visa's here or that they never wanted to leave.

We rented bikes one day (yes, we did get ourselves out of the hammocks at one point), and did some exploring. Crossed a few insane adrenaline pumping bridges carrying our bikes (it was hard enough as it was!). One was 2 pieces of bamboo one to balance your feet on while you crossed and one as a railing. The other was an old railway track with the gaps between being a foot wide...easy to fall through to the valley below...i was happy i renewed my health insurance as i was crossing it, that is for sure!

3 days here and it is too easy to slide into the pace of life, we had to get out before we got sucked in!

btw, Laos coffee is amazing! It tastes like smooth chocolate! I dont know why the world has no idea about it yet!