Oct 26, 2009 - Getting the Tube

I finally managed to haul my sorry-ass, beachbum behind off Ko Phan-Ngan. I made a sharp exit the next day (after a night drinking with 2 Dutch guys) on the 4 hour bus to Vang Vieng. ... Tubing! Vang Vieng seems now only to exist for one reason. ... Tubing (google it).I finally managed to haul my sorry-ass, beachbum behind off Ko Phan-Ngan. I made a sharp exit the next day (after a night drinking with 2 Dutch guys) on the 4 hour bus to Vang Vieng. ... Tubing! Vang Vieng seems now only to exist for one reason. ... Tubing (google it)....

Oct 10, 2009 - Udomxai

stopped off here for about an hour before paying a whopping 500,000 Kip between 4 for a private minibus to Nong Kiaow.we prefered to pay more than spend a night in Udomxai as its mostly a ...

Sep 30, 2009 - Very Vibrant Vientiane

29 and 30 Sept Bus from Vang Vieng Search for cheap accommodation Run on the river Nsam Phu fountain ''Luxury'' accommodation Run 10km Patuxai - arc de Triomphe.29 and 30 Sept Bus from Vang Vieng Search for cheap accommodation Run on the river Nsam Phu fountain ''Luxury'' accommodation Run 10km Patuxai - arc de Triomphe....

Sep 27, 2009 - Laos

Well I have been so very slack with keeping up with the trip journal this time and now I have to try to think back to what we have done and I know I will miss out on so many important things and it wont be my usual passionate style of writing, but I know most of you just like looking at the pictures anyway! So we had been to Laos on our last trip and enjoyed it so much we decided to go back to our favourite spots, Luang Prabang and Vang Vieng. ... Vang Vieng was everything we remembered it to be and thanks to its repretation for drunken tubing down the river it will always be busy with the ‘banana pancake trail’ backpackers. ... Once again though there was so much construction of guesthouses going on.Well I have been so very slack with keeping up with the trip journal this time and now I have to try to think back to what we have done and I know I will miss out on so many important things and it wont be my usual passionate style of writing, but I know most of you just like looking at the pictures anyway! So we had been to Laos on our last trip and enjoyed it so much we decided to go back to our favourite spots, Luang Prabang and Vang Vieng. ... Vang Vieng was everything we remembered it to be and thanks to its repretation for drunken tubing down the river it will always be busy with the ‘banana pancake trail’ backpackers. ... Once again though there was so much construction of guesthouses going on....

Sep 22, 2009 - Slow, slow, slow your boat, gently down the Mekong

Taking the Slow Boat down the Mekong from Huay Xai in Northern Laos to Luang Prabang is pretty much a Must Do for travellers along this route. We overnighted in a little town called Pak Beng where the locals pretty much attack you as you come to shore to get you to stay in their guesthouse. ... The electricity generator shuts down there at 10pm so you are pretty much guaranteed an early night.Taking the Slow Boat down the Mekong from Huay Xai in Northern Laos to Luang Prabang is pretty much a Must Do for travellers along this route. We overnighted in a little town called Pak Beng where the locals pretty much attack you as you come to shore to get you to stay in their guesthouse. ... The electricity generator shuts down there at 10pm so you are pretty much guaranteed an early night....

Sep 21, 2009 - Crossing over to Lovely Laos

I had read about The White Temple a few days before reaching Chiang Rai and hired a red taxi to bring me to it. You will notice the only gold building are the loos which were definitely the fanciest I had seen since arriving in Asia :-) From there on it was a local bus to Chiang Khong to cross from there into Laos, into the border town of Huay Xai. ... I spent a beautiful evening drinking LAO BEER and watching boat races on the Mekong.I had read about The White Temple a few days before reaching Chiang Rai and hired a red taxi to bring me to it. You will notice the only gold building are the loos which were definitely the fanciest I had seen since arriving in Asia :-) From there on it was a local bus to Chiang Khong to cross from there into Laos, into the border town of Huay Xai. ... I spent a beautiful evening drinking LAO BEER and watching boat races on the Mekong....

Sep 17, 2009 - Kayaking the Nam Song

We're in Vang Vieng now, which is about a 6 hour bus ride south of Luang Prabang. ... And what a bus ride it is! The scenery alone was worth the money for the bus.We're in Vang Vieng now, which is about a 6 hour bus ride south of Luang Prabang. ... And what a bus ride it is! The scenery alone was worth the money for the bus....

Sep 16, 2009 - An Epic Journey

Our journey began when we decided to head to Laos from Chiang Mai. We just caught the boat over got our visas at the border and we continued on to the bus station on the Laos side at Huay Xai. ... Huay Xai was a very quiet town, you could count the foreigners we saw on 2 hands. ... We just had some dinner, a couple of Beer Lao’s and went to bed.Our journey began when we decided to head to Laos from Chiang Mai. We just caught the boat over got our visas at the border and we continued on to the bus station on the Laos side at Huay Xai. ... Huay Xai was a very quiet town, you could count the foreigners we saw on 2 hands. ... We just had some dinner, a couple of Beer Lao’s and went to bed....

Sep 14, 2009 - Laos is Amazing

We only had about 6 days in Laos so we spent time in Luang Prabang and then a day in Vang Vieng. ... Luang Prabang is a quaint little town right on the Mekong river. ... Vang Vieng was breathtakingly beautiful and I would have loved to have stayed longer to explore it, but we had to get back to Luang Prabang so we could fly to Thailand and meet Lindsey! Bottom line: Laos is absolutely amazing and I can't wait to go back. ...

Aug 3, 2009 - Slow boating and Laos

After another day in Chiang Mai, Pat, Dan and I took a bus to a border town with Laos. Luang Prabang was amazing. ... It's essentially a little french town except the french people are swapped for Lao people.After another day in Chiang Mai, Pat, Dan and I took a bus to a border town with Laos. Luang Prabang was amazing. ... It's essentially a little french town except the french people are swapped for Lao people....

Jun 22, 2009 - Vientiane

Due to the sprained ankle, and that Garreth now has a cold (ohhh Garreth. We're now in the capital Vientiane, which is a surprisingly pretty-ish town that is more French that we've seen anywhere else in Laos. ... We just had breakfast at the most AMAZING scandinavian bakery and we plan on going to see Buddha Park this afternoon.Due to the sprained ankle, and that Garreth now has a cold (ohhh Garreth. We're now in the capital Vientiane, which is a surprisingly pretty-ish town that is more French that we've seen anywhere else in Laos. ... We just had breakfast at the most AMAZING scandinavian bakery and we plan on going to see Buddha Park this afternoon....

Jun 20, 2009 - Vang Vieng

Well, what can I say, I mean who really believed that Garreth's bad luck would hold off for the entire trip? He's sprained his ankle. The bus trip from Luang Prabang to Vang Vieng was uneventful and quite painless actually, and Vang Vieng is touristy but amazingly beautiful. ... We were rushed away in a tuk tuk (not a pleasant ride with a sprained ankle) to Vang Vieng Hospital, where Garreth got an x-ray, a shot of painkiller and an anti-inflammatory. ... The hospital wasn't as bad as I thought it would be but the only other patients it seems they get are other zip-liners (some guy came in 10 minutes after us getting x-rays for a dislocated shoulder).Well, what can I say, I mean who really believed that Garreth's bad luck would hold off for the entire trip? He's sprained his ankle. The bus trip from Luang Prabang to Vang Vieng was uneventful and quite painless actually, and Vang Vieng is touristy but amazingly beautiful. ... We were rushed away in a tuk tuk (not a pleasant ride with a sprained ankle) to Vang Vieng Hospital, where Garreth got an x-ray, a shot of painkiller and an anti-inflammatory. ... The hospital wasn't as bad as I thought it would be but the only other patients it seems they get are other zip-liners (some guy came in 10 minutes after us getting x-rays for a dislocated shoulder)....