Laos... in a single post.

So, what with the extreme lack of posts recently, Laos must be summarised in a single blog post, and what a post it will be.

James and I arrived in the capital city of Laos, Vientienne, about two weeks ago.  We only stayed on night as it was a sleepy place with little to do.  We then travelled up to Vang Vieng, home of notorios Tubing in the Vang Vieng, an excuse for tourists like ourselves to get plastered and jump off platforms, swing from ropes and shoot along zip wires into the merky waters of the river below.  I'd probably be lying to you if I said it isn't as dangerous as it sounds.  But hey, don't worry Mum, we're alive, it's just our livers we have to worry about.  It really was a great thing to do.  We met up with the girls from Hanoi Backpackers Hostel, Anna and Elie, and they were with two of their friends from home.  The whole thing was basically yet another opportunity to meet a lot of backpackers and just have a good time.  Another treat that Vang Vieng provides is Friends cafes (which play Friends all day), which is where you spend most of your time when your not on the river or at bars.

After eight days of tubing, we decided that we'd call it time, so we headed to a beautiful town called Luang Prabang, in the North of Laos.  This town shares many similarities to Hoi An in Vietnam.  They are both ancient Frech colonial towns, and both are UNESCO World Heritage Sites.  Quite understandably so, the architecture and location of Luang Prabang emphasises its beauty further, on the riverside, surrounded by lush green forests, the town is a maze of Wats (temples) and museums.  It was a much needed rest stop that we appreciated no end.  The highlight was visiting some spectacular waterfalls, located next to a Sun Bear Sanctuary.  Here, not only were we able to admire the picturesque yet powerful scenery of high waterfalls, but we were also able to jump off the smaller ones into the lagoons below, where we swam to cool down.

Laos really was a treat, and one of those countries that a lot of travellers visiting South East Asia simply skip.  There is so much more to the country than just Tubing, many hidden traditions, and even the simple things, like greeting locals makes the whole experience that little more special.