We decided to enter Laos via a river crossing and then take the slow boat down the Mekong into the first destination we were heading for. This decision was based partly on the fact that it sounded pretty cool and partly on the fact 2 girls left taking the same route a couple of days before we were due to leave and it meant we didn't have to think or plan.
The boat trip took two full days in total most of which was spent chatting, drinking and listening to music (including a good few hours on 80s classics that seemed to win a few friends). To make sure we had good cold beer for the journey we bought bottles and polystyrene cooler (christened Coolio). After the first day on the boat we stayed at a small town on the bank overlooking the Mekong, not that we noticed quite how good the view was until the morning.
The final destination of the slow boat was Luang Prabang in the North of Laos, as is our custom we went out and drank to much after the long time spent travelling (this way works better than doing it before journeys). The town itself was a nice place, though as with all of Laos there is a midnight curfew which meant drinking was forced into a pattern similar to the old days in England. Luckily a security guard in our hostel was willing to sell beers to us after this time for only a slight premium. The main attraction of Luang Prabang were the nearby Tat Kuang Si waterfalls, about a half hour drive in the back of an over sized Tuk Tuk. After the slight disappointment of the appearance of the falls around Pai we were hoping for something a little better here. As the photo below shows we got our wish.
The lower levels of the falls had pools where it was possible to swim and there was even a rope swing set up. At the top of the riverside path there was a huge waterfall that it was possible to climb over. The walk up took about half an hour through very steep jungle paths, when we eventually reached the top the path seemed to end. We figured out that we were supposed to paddle through the water along the top of the waterfall; about 30 to 40 meters up! Halfway across my flip flop decided now was the time to break leaving me to plunge into the water... camera in hand. Luckily the camera was off and by some miracle (and with the help of an overheating fuse box in our hostel) it dried off and started working the next day! I wasn't so lucky, managing the cut my toe and wrist, though the worst part was the view from the top was really not worth it.
After a few days we took a bus down to Vang Vieng - tubing town. Unfortunately the first day down there I developed a sudden sickness and had to take a day off from doing any tubing, opting for sleep instead. The day after I was ready and we got our tubes and went down to the river for just after midday. The river wasn't really as we expected, all of the bars were within 100 meters of each other and they were pretty much all seemed accessible by walking! This was confirmed by the fact that most people were tubing without tubes. We followed their lead after the first day as we only actually tubed for about 50 meters! The bars all have their own zip lines, slides and rope swings however a combination of hearing stories of death, witnessing bloody falls and seeing a broken leg occur meant that we steered well clear. We both agreed that though tubing was fun it is really no more than getting drunk in a different location and not the amazing life experience people had made it out to be!
Our next stop in Laos was the capital city Vientiane, really only on the itinerary as we needed to apply for Thai visas so that we could stay longer than 15 days on our return. The road there was fairly boring so the picture below is from the road to Vang Vieng. There really wasn't much to do in Vientiane and not many sights to see beyond a replica of the Arc de Triomphe. This was apparently built with compensation from America that was supposed to be to build an airport hence it's nickname the vertical runway. To say we actually visited would be a lie, the photo was taken from the taxi as we were leaving!
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