April 3, 2008 8:41am Once again we apologize that it has been awhile since we wrote. We have had a crazy few weeks! We ended up staying in Luang Prabang a few more days than we expected. Like Keir said before we could live there!! It was such a difference coming into Laos from Thailand because everything is so much greener. And it was the green ...

When I think of our time in Lao`s capital city, Vientiane, one of the first things that comes to mind is the food. We found some delicious meals there and stayed in a really nice guesthouse...a treat for me as we celebrated my birthday. The weather had picked up many degrees making being outdoors in midday a true test of stamina. We were so exci...

After only moments we knew that we would be putting down some roots,if only for the short term.Luang Prabang is enchanting.To begin we earmarked 5 days which promptly turned to 7 after which we would look at each other and say " One more day." On day 11 we knew it was time to make a move. Luang Prabang is a World Heritage UNESCO site.The town wa...

Vientiane, Lao PDR Sept. 29 - Nov. 4, 2007 This is my last week in Vientiane, and the 2 months here have flown by. I have finished my basic language training in Lao, and I will be moving to Luang Prabang tomorrow to begin my placement as environmental education advisor with the Science, Technology and Environment Agency (STEA) for the Lao PDR go...

There's a tourist town halfway between Luang Prabang and Vientiane called Vang Vieng. It's brilliant fun. Kayaking, treking, caving and drinking. There's tubing down a river too (sit in a tractor tyre in a small river and off you go). They have fox-lines, trapeese and drinking holes all the way down along. Finishing before it gets dark (most of ...

For dinner last night we decided to try the Setta Palace Hotel's restaurant, La Belle Epoque. A slightly charmless colonial room but we found a good spot. We shared the green papya salad to start which was terrific. Lao food is fresher than Thai and closer to Vietnamese. Lots of salads, the use of herbs and a lightness ot touch. There is very li...

Having really enjoyed the tranquility of Luang Prabang, Vientiane was a step up a good few gears! Hustle, bustle and a frantic capital city. We arrived at Joe's Guest House to find it the most modest in terms of comfort, so far - but adequate. With one day to fill we hit the key tourist spots from the Lonely Planet, which surprise surprise, incl...

Day 1 Caught the bus and had some dinner on the river with a pommy couple (Emma & Dave). This town is small for a capital city, I'll check it out tomorrow. Day 2 Caught up with the Brits. We went and had sauna and massage. Relaxing day. Day 3 After another night of fighting off the bed bugs in my deluxe suit at the cheapest place in town($1.80US...

26 June (Monday) I left Phonsavan (finally!) on Monday evening, on a teeny tiny plane bound for Vientiane. The plane was a 17 seater, a tiny little thing with propellers where you can feel every bump and move of the plane. Needless to say I felt a little bit seedy when I got off! The airport in Phonsavan was interesting too - a small building lo...

I arrived in Vientiane after the kayak feeling rather tired. The Kayack was a bit of fun but since I am not used to kayaking my shoulders were a bit on the tired side. Most of the way was rather pleasant traveling down the Nom sing river (at least that is what I remember it was called. just before lunch we arrived at some white water to have a b...