Vang Vieng Orchid Guesthouse Vientiane

... was very crowded, with people coming from all over. It's celebrated on the full moon, November 2nd, and lasts for about a week. It's a giant fair that's set up at and around the famous Pha That Luang with its golden stupa, where a piece of the Buddha's breastbone has been a resident since the 3rd century BC (wonder where the rest of his remains are and why was the breastbone separated from the rest of his body, he couldn't have been too ...

... br>When they went in they found freshly tortured bodies in the rooms, which they took photo&#8217;s off and are now hanging in each of the rooms next to the blood stained tiles/beds/tools that were used to kill them.<br><br>They took people in trucks to the killing fields to mass kill and bury in open graves. Here there are photo&#8217;s of the regime men killing babies by holding their feet and bashing their skulls into a tree (which you can also see).<br><br>I was in tears as ...

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... br><br>After an hour of walking circles with out eyes shut and trying to sit still we headed out for a whole group meal minus the swine flu victims. The restaurant was a good laugh and the food was of a high standard. After this we headed back to the hotel and the majority went up stairs to bed or to watch Rambo where as I got stuck with this.<br><br>Overall trip is going great, heading back to Thailand tomorrow and then down to chill on the beaches of koh toa.

... to lack any real identity. There was lots of it but in our short stay we saw very little that appealed to us and were pleased to have just the one full day there. Maybe be there was much more to it somewhere, out of town a bit maybe.<br>We enjoyed Laos and certainly had some experiences there! The people were lovely, the food was great, the prices were amazing and the country seemed cared for - the people seemed to care.<br>Thanks for a lovely visit!

Sitting in the sand watching Laos kids play volleyball, wanting to get in the game but not really knowing how. The wind has picked up and is blowing trash around the sandy beach that runs along side the Mekong. The string used as the vball net is screaming in the wind and is bowed out almost to the point of snapping. The string used as a net on the court behind me is violently whipping in the wind, I don't know if the kids that were just playing on it broke it or the wind. The net, or string ...

... is no McDonald's here which must make Laos one of the few countries in the world without a McD's!<br><br>In a few hours I'm heading South to Don Det in the 4 Thousand islands to lie in a hammock for a few days before I head to crazy Cambodia. It's an overnight bus journey that will take about 15 hours (if I'm lucky!). I was going to stop at a few towns/cities on the way but the attractions are all mountain ranges, waterfalls, temples etc that are out of town that will all cost ...

We are now in Vientiane and it seems like a pretty cool capital city, very laid back. I went to the doctors today and it seems my burn is infected, I had to get the burnt skin cleaned off, but it should be able to heal up now. The worst part is I can't get it wet! So no swimming, no tubing in Vang Vieng, nothing! What bad timing. We have been busy while here and have organised our ...

... much like all of the big gold monuments in south east asia. Bobbed out to the national history museum but it was closed. So thought i'd bob for a lunch tim drink. Got tsalking to a scottish ex marine who owns a bar in thailnd on a visa run. Nice guy, bught me a coupe of drinks and had a good chat for a few hours. Tried to buy a water proof camera case for when i go tubing torrow, but they don't ...

... history of Laos and been depressed by the seeming wickedness and insensitivity of mankind: the 'overspill' of the Vietnam war and the widescale bombings.But at least I had thought it was in the past. Over the last ten days I feel as though I've had my eyes opened to another kind of assault on Laos and its peoples - by outside appearances a much less harmful one as the abominable Secret War, but potentially one with the capacity to do a whole different kind of damage.<br><br ...