Why did the chicken cross the road?

On a given bus journey in Laos, you will encounter more chickens/pigs/goats/dogs/cows/ buffalo crossing the road than you will see other vehicles. I found that rather amusing. Travelling in Laos is wonderfully easy and generally hassle-free. That is not to say the public transport always runs smoothly but that is hardly surprising. Our final ride to the border was the most memorable as we were crammed into a truck with about 20 other people, various live chickens, dead fish and a few hundred coconuts. I would not have been surprised if the roof had caved in (there was a motorbike, many rucksacks and a few more people up there) so I was certainly not surprised when one of the tyres blew. We made it to the border eventually where we were sorry to leave Laos but happy at the prospect of visiting a Seven Eleven store.

We began our journey through Laos by crossing the Mekong from northern Thailand to the small town of Huay Xai. It was immediately evident that Laos is a country in which you can relax. From there we boarded a slow boat for a two day trip down the Mekong to Luang Prabang. We passed through some beautiful scenery and glimpsed numerous small villages in the hills. Our arrival into Luang Prabang coinsided with a rather lovely sunset.

Soon after arriving, we bumped into our Hungarian friend Gary whom we had met at the Cambodian border. From then on we had a very sociable time as we also met up with Rosie and Neil (who we spent time with in Cambodia) and a whole bunch of other people. Our sightseeing activities around Luang Prabang included a day exploring on bicycles and a visit to Tat Kuang Si, a stunning multitiered waterfall. It was possible to walk up the side of the falls and stand in the water at the top. Below the waterfall were a number of natural pools in which we could swim.

After Luang Prabang, we headed south through the hills to the activity centre that is Vang Vieng. Laos is an incredibally beautiful country and Vang Vieng has a good share of the scenic spots. We spent a day on motorbikes exploring the tracks through rice fields, villages and limestone peaks. One of the major activities in Vang Vieng is tubing- floating down the Nam Song river in a huge inner tube. Along the way are various bars, volleyball courts, ziplines and swings over the river. Naturally we gave it a go! We also exerted ourselves by doing a day of rock climbing. It was the first time I've properly climbed outside and I loved it.

Next stop was Vientiane, a city which feels more like a town than the country's capital. It was pleasant enough although I shared my skanky dormitory bed with a large family of bed bugs who feasted on my blood as I slept. Not so nice. Here, we bid farewell to Rosie and Neil and headed south. Right down near the border with Cambodia, the Mekong stretches 14km across and houses a network of small islands. The area is therefore known as Si Phan Don (Four Thousand Islands). We opted for Don Det, a very laid-back island where we spent three days reading in hammocks, exploring on bicycles and making friends with Buffalo- a lovely way to end our time in Laos.

We are now back in the crazy city of Bangkok where we shall do a bit of shopping before flying to Hong Kong on Monday.

My family and other animals

On our return to Bangkok, Matt and I spent a couple of days eating street food and soaking up the carnival atmosphere of the Khao San Road before being joined on the 18th by our parents ans sister Liz. We had saved some of the main sights to explore together so the first day consisted of a scenic boat ride and a visit to the Grand Palace and surroundning Wats (temples). The main thing to say about these buildings is that they are insanely shiny! So much gold and sparkle- very impressive.

Once the others had recovered (well partially) from their jet lag, we begun our journey north. First stop was Phitsanulok, an unremarkable town which we used as a base for visiting the historic city of Sukhothai. We spent a lovely day riding around on bicycles past ancient temples and taking in views of the surrounding countryside.

From Phitsanulok, we bussed up to Chiang Mai, gateway to the northern hills. The city itself was much bigger than I'd expected and not as atmospheric. We did, however, find an amazing vegetarian restaurant where we happily washed down delicious veggie food (not massivley abundant in lots of Thailand) and BROWN rice with our Chang beers. Very nice. We also visited a nearby handicraft village that specialised in ornamental umbrellas made from paper or silk. They were so beautiful- I wanted to buy one for all my friends but had to settle for just one.

We then headed along windy roads into the hills to the town of Pai. Now Pai really is charming and laid-back and generally a great place to spend time. We did as many people do and headed off on a 2-day 'trek' which involved a day of walking and a day of white-water rafting. We spent the night in a forest camp where our guide Jacka entertained us with his party tricks and music. The scenery was absolutley stunning and the rafting was good fun. Some bonus extras included a spot of cliff-jumping and a 'visit to a cave' which turned out to be more like potholing- all good! Our rafting trip ended very close to Mae Hong Son so we wound our way back to Pai through some incredible scenery. On our third day in Pai, we hired motorbikes to explore the local area. I didn't take to well to driving so promptly handed my bike back to the rental place and opted for the passenger seat. I love being on the back of a bike- such a sense of freedom. Also, it is possible to see small villages and out of the way places that you would not otherwise see. On our excursion we passed a few elephant camps where we got trunk hugs in return for bananas. Liz and I had a minor scrape due to some tricksy gravel taking out the front wheel but no real harm was done.

Sadly, we had to leave Pai to return to Chiang Mai. We spent one final night there before Mum, Dad and Liz took their bus to the southern beaches. Then there were two again. Since then Matt and I headed a bit further north to some small villages. We ditched our walking plans due to the relentless rain so could not make the most of being in the middle of nowhere. Today we headed for Chiang Rai, our final stop before moving on to Laos tomorrow.