Flying out of Myanmar (since it's virtually impossible to cross into Thailand overland due to ongoing civil war in the Burmese border regions), we landed in Chiang Mai where we intended on spending a week relaxing and visiting Eric's aunt and uncle - who moved to the city 5 years ago.  However, our plans changed once we checked our emails for the first time in several weeks.  Upon hearing of a family bereavement, Nikki arranged to return to England for a short trip, leaving Eric to fend for himself in Thailand.  Eric seized the opportunity to visit one of Thailand's infamous islands, Phuket, where he spent his days desperately trying to avoid the busloads of package tourists by escaping to nearby secluded islands to do some snorkeling.
 
Nikki returned to Thailand 10 days later and was happy at having had the chance to be with her family at that time, but was completely exhausted from her 30-hour travel day and was suffering from a severe cold most likely brought on by the contrasting climates of the 'hot and muggy' Thailand and the 'cold and frosty' England.  On the plus side, she returned with a bag full of 'super' clean clothes....which she insisted on Eric smelling (as often as possible), making him extremely jealous.

After recuperating in Chiang Mai at Eric's aunt and uncle's house (thanks again Bill, Millicent, Danny and JT for your hospitality), we traveled north towards the Laos border.  We took the local bus from Chiang Mai to Chiang Rai for a short 3-hour journey.  Chiang Rai is considered an alternative to Chiang Mai as a trekking departure point in Northern Thailand; however, due to lost time, we could only pause in town for one night before heading to the Laos border the following day. 

The surprisingly comfortable local bus that took us from Chiang Rai to the border.

The Mekong River forms a natural border between Laos and Thailand.  On the Thai side, the tiny sleepy border town of Chiang Khong sits along the river bank, where very lax immigration officials (who are known to charge overtime fees if you happen to cross the border during their lunch hour) issue outgoing stamps.  To cross the Mekong into Laos, we piled into a small motorized long boat for the short hop across the river to the Laos town of Huay Xai.  This small border town consisted of one main dirt road lined with guesthouses and restaurants and was swarming with backpackers both on their way into and out of Laos.  We settled into a very clean family-run guesthouse and began planning our route across the country. 

Crossing the Mekong river, our bags sharing space in front with local goods.

From Huay Xai we decided to head down to the town of Luang Prabang, renowned for its relaxed colonial feel and for being a hub for day trips and activities in the surrounding area. We were faced with the choice of taking an (often) crowded 'slow boat' which would take 2 days, 8 hours per day, to sail down the Mekong to Luang Prabang; or to take a speedboat which would take only one day - 6 hours.  Having heard from other travelers of the bum-numbing abilities of the slow boat, we opted for speed. 
It was only after we had booked our tickets that we happened to read the following description in our guidebook:

"Serious accidents, sometimes including fatalities, involving these speedboats seem to occur on an almost weekly basis.  Usually they involve a boat striking a hidden rock or tree limb, although occasionally contact with a standing wave is sufficient for one of the light crafts.... the accident risk for this type of boat outweighs the potential savings in time they may represent over slower boat alternatives."

Oh well, nothing ventured, nothing gained....

We took a jumbo (truck-like tuk-tuk) to the speedboat dock the following morning.  The dock turned out to be a sandy river bank with a floating deck area on which to board the tiny speedboats. The speedboats were actually longboats with big loud exposed car engines fixed to the rear.  The boat was divided up horizontally with 5 planks of wood creating makeshift seating areas.  Sitting in the raft involved perching on a long flat cushion with your back pushed hard against a dividing plank, your knees crunched up in front of you, backpack between your legs and your arms flattened and immobilized by your side.... at least the journey was only supposed to last 6 hours!!!

We were all issued life jackets and crash helmets which we immediately and nervously put on (this was easier said than done since we were already squished into the boat).  In the event of an accident it is highly unlikely the life jackets would have provided much aid; blocks of polystyrene were protruding out of some whilst others lacked any straps with which to fasten them up.  As it turned out the jackets were of some use, they provided vital padding between the hard planks and the small of our backs.  Likewise the helmets, with their cracked visors, lack of straps and being grossly oversized, did little to improve safety; however, they did help muffle the sound of the noisy engine.

Huddled in our speedboat we nervously began our trip down the Mekong.

The speedboat ride was exciting and complete agony at the same time.  It was a great experience speeding down the Mekong River at break-neck speeds (literally), but we were terribly cramped in the tiny wooden boat.  Unable to move our legs, shift our weight, or stretch our backs... pain relief came only when our brains chose to switch their focus from the stabbing back pains to the fact our knees seemed to be on fire.  Despite the lack of comfort and the instances where the driver seemed to miss protruding rocks by mere inches, it was an amazing ride.  Most of the scenery was a blur, tree-lined hilly banks became sandy and rocky as they met the river, the occasional huge exposed crag and even more rarely a glimpse of a settlement or village. Most of the people we saw were fishing, washing or panning for gold in murky waters.  Indeed when we stopped briefly at one sand bank you could see golden grains glistening amongst the sand.

We finally arrived in Luang Prabang in the late afternoon and soon found a great guesthouse where we crashed and relaxed for a few hours.  Later that evening we met our fellow 'speedboat survivors' for dinner where we re-lived our collective terror at the day’s events over some Beer Lao - the very drinkable local brew.

The atmospheric town of Luang Probang is nestled between the Mekong and the Nam Khan rivers on a narrow peninsula surrounded by mountains.  The town exudes a lazy and relaxed way of life in which it is very easy to get caught up as you stroll down the wide, tree-lined streets and sample the cakes and croissants of the French-influenced bakeries housed in old colonial buildings.  Which is exactly what we did!!!

Monks, shading themselves under umbrellas, pass the bakeries of Luang Prabang.
Freshly made rice cakes bake in the hot sun in the quiet residential streets.

Wandering along the main street, we also visited the former Royal Palace.  Built at the turn of the 20th century, it was a mix of Lao and French colonial style with lots of white-washed walls, dark wood furniture and large airy rooms.  The main reception room was decorated with intricate and colorful glass mosaic scenes, a theme reflected in the decoration of the temple in the palace grounds.

A colorful mosaic five-headed snake protects the royal temple.

Each evening at dusk, dozens of local vendors flock to the sidewalks of the main street and set up displays of their wares - bedspreads, scarves, clothes, jewelry, lampshades, etc... - creating a colorful tourist night market.  This night market is truly unique in Asia as none of the vendors shout to attract attention or badger tourists to buy things, in fact it is so quiet you can still hear the crickets.  The market was full of very 'buyable' things, all at extremely cheap prices; unfortunately, limited space in our bags and a tight budget prevented us (Nikki) from buying much... Nikki has vowed to return on another trip along with an empty suitcase!

From Luang Probang, we took a day trip to the nearby waterfall of Kuang Si.  We traveled there by jumbo taxi along extremely hot and dusty roads through the villages surrounding Luang Probang. 

The waterfall was a majestic, multi-tiered cascade of fresh clear water tumbling over limestone rocks into a series of turquoise-colored pools.

We took the opportunity to cool off from the overbearing heat of the midday sun by taking a long refreshing swim in one of the lower pools.

From Luang Prabang we also took an overnight trip to the fishing village of Nong Khiaw, traveling up the Nam Ou river by slow boat.  What was advertised as a five hour cruise soon became a 9 hour odyssey.  Our wooden boat seated 10 tourists on small child-size wooden chairs under a  rickety wooden  hood.  The boat ride went fairly smoothly for the first few hours which we spent admiring  the views, reading, and chatting amongst ourselves.  Then the mishaps began.

At this time of year, as the peak of the dry season is fast approaching, the river becomes very shallow which soon caused problems for our vessel.  After a couple of near misses, the driver succeeded in grounding the boat and enthusiastically made all of us passengers get out to push the boat along the rocky riverbed.  It took about 10 minutes until we were suitably afloat again to continue on our way.  This mishap was hardly an ordeal as it was  nice to get out and stretch our legs and even to wade in the cool river water.

Our small boat scraped its way over the rocky riverbed before finally grounding itself, forcing its passengers to bail out and help with the pushing.

After about an hour we ran aground again, this time breaking the boats' propeller forcing us to stop at a nearby sandbank for urgent repairs.  Propeller fixed we were back on our way and making good time cruising alongside another tourist boat headed for the same village.  The acrid smell of burning plastic was the first sign of the next mishap, followed by black smoke billowing out of the bow of the other boat.  Its' engine had caught fire and the passengers and driver were completely oblivious.  We hailed them and got them to stop, then, with the fire under control, towed them to a sandbank.  Whilst the two drivers and crew spent the next half an hour patching up the engine we were left to paddle in the river and swap travel 'war' stories with fellow travelers, this boat trip being swiftly added to everyone's list. 

Waiting for the propeller to be fixed....and then, a few hours later, the engine.

The Nam Ou river varied slightly from the Mekong, its' banks were greener and sloped up at a greater angle into the surrounding mountains.  As we made our way up the river we saw more and more limestone cliffs jutting out over the water, many with alluring caves on their faces.

We passed quite a few fishermen and children swimming and wading in the river.  Many seemed to be hunting for fish and crabs using home made spears and old fashioned diving masks.

On arriving in Nong Khiaw we marched up a steep sandy bank to the village which consisted of about 3 dirt streets and spread across the river via a large bridge.  For a little while we became the enemies of our fellow boat passengers as we all competed and scrambled to secure the best accommodation in the fading light.  We ended up at a guesthouse on the banks of the river, staying in a small bamboo hut.  That evening we brushed our teeth by torchlight under the stars and the leaves of banana trees, then fell asleep under a glow-in-the-dark mosquito net listening to the noise of various animals and insects scratching around and calling out to one another in the bushes.

Our small bamboo hut nestled amongst the trees, looking out over the river.

After returning to Luang Prabang for a couple of days we ventured on to Vang Vieng.  The 6 hour bus journey was a nauseating route up, down, and around mountains.  There was little to see along the way as the yearly practice of 'slash and burn' by the farmers was in full swing making everything grey and hazy.  In Vang Vieng we checked into a very relaxing bamboo bungalow set amongst lush green gardens alongside the river....a great spot for g&t's and sunsets. 

The view from the front porch of our bungalow.

Vang Vieng is a town circled by mountains and limestone cliffs famed for harboring numerous caves and natural springs.  The town itself does little to reflect the surrounding natural beauty, and is instead scarred by dirt roads in a constant state of being dug up and rows of hastily constructed bars and restaurants. The town is renowned amongst backpackers for its 'TV street', a road lined with restaurants which screen TV shows such as 'Friends' and 'The Simpsons' all day long. 

The cushioned seats and TV's of the local restaurants entice in travel-weary backpackers on the town's main road.

Refusing to be tempted (for now) by the very welcoming TV bars, we rented some bicycles from our guesthouse and rode a kilometer outside of town to the famous Tham Chang cave.  The cave was formed by a natural spring running down inside a mountain and opening up to form a deliciously cool, clear pool at its base.  

We splashed around in the pool for about an hour, swimming up inside the cave some 20 meters before it became too dark and spooky to explore further.

The following day we took part in what is quickly becoming a rite of passage for any backpacker traveling through Laos: tubing.  Tubing involves floating down the river whilst sitting in the inflated inner tube of a truck tyre.  An essential part of the Laos tubing experience is to stop at one of the many riverside bars to sip on a nice cool Beer Lao and watch fellow tubers float by or jump off/swing from high makeshift wooden platforms falling with a huge splash into the river.

Tubing down the river looking for the next Beer Lao stop.

On the river, a gentle current pushed us along, in fact, at times it was so gentle we had to paddle with our arms in order to get any sort of momentum.  It was very pleasant floating down amongst the jungle and surrounding mountains chatting away with other tubers.  After the first hour we decided to stop for the 'mandatory' Beer Lao and allowed ourselves to get pulled into the riverbank via a long bamboo pole by a waiting barman touting for business.  Eric took part in one of the riverside kamikaze swing jumps, which he successfully splashed down in one of the deepest parts of the river, much to Nikki's relief.  It took us 4 hours to cover the 4 km route back down to our guesthouse bungalow.

Another cave on our agenda was the Tham Nam Water cave 15 kilometers outside of Vang Vieng.  We hired 2 mountain bikes (in fairly good condition if you don't count the inability to change gear 50% of the time as a flaw) for the day and rode the hilly route out to the cave, avoiding the cows, chickens, turkeys, and dogs, which had wandered out from nearby villages, along the way.  Parking our bikes by the river, we made our way through dried up paddy fields to the cave entrance.  The cave has been formed by a tributary of the Nam Song river which flows down inside a mountain before breaking out under a foot high overhanging rock to flow the rest of the way through open fields to the river.  Outside the cave entrance we hired 2 tubes and headlights and dragged ourselves into the dark cave using a guide rope.  

Eric leads the way to the cave which was visible only by it's narrow opening above the river.

Inside the cave it was pitch black...particularly for Nikki as her torch flickered and died within a minute of entering the cave. We followed a guide rope deeper into to the cave admiring the overhead stalactites and trying not to think about bats, spiders and other nasty creatures.  The guide rope we were following stopped about 100 meters into the cave, it was possible to abandon the tubes and continue on foot at this point; but with only one (flickering) torch between us we decided not to venture any further.

We dragged ourselves into the dark depths of the cave.

Growing tired of always having dinner with 'Friends' we decide it was time to leave Vang Vieng and took the bus to Vientiane - the capital of Laos.  Vientiane, it seems, has little to boast about when it comes to budget accommodation (not too bad, but the worst we've had in Laos) but more than makes up for this with its food.  Vientiane probably boasts the most French restaurants in the whole of Asia...and of a very good standard too. 

A Lao street vendor selling local delicacies competes with one of the capital's french wine cellars.

Indeed the French colonial influence remains in the city not only through cuisine;  the royal palace has a decidedly French country-mansion feel to it, as does the Patuxai which bears more than a passing resemblance to the Arc de Triomphe in Paris.  The city streets and wide, fairly clean, and often tree lined, making it possibly one of the nicest, and certainly most relaxed, capitals in Asia.  We spent a couple of days wandering the streets and taking in the city, visiting the occasional temple, stupa, and Parisian bakery along the way. 

The main boulevard in Vientiane leads to the Patuxai.

The city's oldest stupa is surrounded by colonial houses.

One of our main ports of call was the Beer Lao factory.  We visited the factory with a couple of Canadian friends (whom we first met in Myanmar) Mark and Katie, and were treated to a quick tour of the factory followed by a nice cold free beer (always the best part!!).  Beer Lao follows tourists everywhere in Laos, though this doesn't prove to be a problem as it actually a great beer and one of the few 'local brews' of our trip that we are happy not to have to turn down.

The factory produces 54,000 bottles of beer an hour.

Eric proudly endorses one of Laos most popular products.

Although we could easily spend a few more weeks exploring the rest of this beautiful country, the heat of the dry season is becoming oppressive so it's time for us to head south to Malaysia and it's beaches.