Nov 9, 2009 - Laos, Luang Prabang

Hi All, Well what a crappy day, the Fokker flight was supposed to leave Siem Reap at 12.50pm but was delayed and didn't leave until 16.10 (what a Fokker)hahahaha, so basically I had to bum around at the airport for 5 hours as I got there a little early. They didn't have internet access...unbelievable...they have the computers there but it is not up and running...you gotta laugh!! On top of that I got peed off not only do you have to pay an airport tax....Siem Reap actually charge a person tax...bloody hell about $28 aussie dollars...man...

Nov 1, 2009 - inLP

Enfin apres 9 heures de bus sur la route sinueuse en montagne, nous voila arrive a luang prabang, la cite qui dans le unesco world heritage. on attend de decouvrir demain. les photos ca marche tjr pas malheuersement. mais pte demain chez notre couchsurfer, esperons. a bientot enfin ca a marche, alors voici comme promis qqe fotos a part ca a luang prabang on a fait un trekking de deux jours, comme vous voyez sur le fotos. cetait vraiment super. 5 heures de marches dans la jungle le premier jour, avec un homestay pour la nuit dans un des...

Sep 14, 2009 - Laos is Amazing

I realize that I'm officially the worst blogger ever (thanks Kerri!)but I'm going to cover everything, I promise! SO, about a month ago I was on my way to Laos from Cambodia. And thank goodness for that trip because Laos is one of my favorite places in the world. It's absolutely GORGEOUS in every way. 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. It has many buddhist temples that are brilliantly decorated with LOTS of gold...

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. The ride was cool, the Thai girl sitting next to me introduced me to a bunch of food I prolly would have never tried if it hadn't been given to me... cool stuff. The next morning we got onto the slow boat and began our two day adventure on the Mekong. The views were spectacular from the boat with huts built right into the hills. The boat was quite an experience, meeting people exchanging stories and making travel friends. Our first night in Laos the drug...

Jun 17, 2009 - Luang Prabang

I guess it's been a few a while since my last entry eh? Well that's because we've been making the long, slow, painful journey from Pai to Luang Prabang, Laos. First, we had to backtrack and make that horrible trek between Pai and Chiang Mai AGAIN! It was worse than the first time, if that's even possible, because it was in the middle of the night. Our driver was also INSANE! I got to sit up front because I was elected by the other travelers Most Likely to Puke. Well, I made it to the halfway point, Garreth BARELY made it since he had to...

Apr 27, 2009 - Luang Prabang

I like this place alot! I took a mini bus up here yesterday and on the ride I met this great Scottish couple. They are doing almost the same trip Adam and I are, except they went to Africa before coming to south east Asia/China/India. Adam and I are going to South America after. We found a cool guest house and chatted about our experiences. They wrote me a whole list of places to see and things to do in Africa (the way backpackers travel-cheap!). I discussed India with them. So next trip is so going to be to Africa. Can't wait! That night...

Apr 25, 2009 - Vang Vieng

After telling Jed and Max about my travel plans, they decided to join me on my way to Vang Vieng to go tubing, as it was on the way towards their destination of Luang Prabang. We arrived around 2pm, and quickly found a hostel. Jed and Max, who are on a major time crunch (they want to see Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, and Australia in one month- too crazy for me), went off quickly to go tubing. I wanted to check out the town first and do the tubing the following day. To go tubing, you pay a tuk-tuk driver to take you and the tube you've rented to...

Apr 19, 2009 - Luang Prabang, Laos

Luang Prabang is a beautiful little city - the city itself is a World Heritage site - that is tranquil but packed with Buddhist faith and Laotian culture. Every morning monks collect alms from the local people and a walk through the centre at night takes you past breathtakingly illuminated temples. The city has great markets, quiet cafes, Mekong river views and a mix of amazing French and Laotian restaurants. Paradise! We arrived in Luang Prabang just in time to celebrate Pi Mai Lao (The Lunar New Year). This is a huge celebration across...

Apr 9, 2009 - Best New Year Ever!!!

Je commencerai en disant que Luang Prabang est sans aucun doute le point culminant de mon voyage. Je vois difficilement comment je pourrais battre ce que je viens de vivre ici comme expérience culturelle. En faisant nos recherches avant de partir, Erik était tombé sur un article traitant du Water Festival. Il s'agit d'un festival ayant différent nom selon le pays où il est célébré. En effet, le même type de fête a lieu en Thaïlande, au Laos et peut-être même au Cambodge sensiblement aux mêmes dates. Il s'agit du nouvel an selon le...

Apr 4, 2009 - Luang Prabang, Laos

04/04/09 Got into LP at about 530pm - though long, the bus ride wasn't really that bad. The seats were relatively comfortable. There was quick stop about 2 hours into the ride, then lunch (included in price of bus ticket which we didn't know) and beautifuly scenery the rest of the trip. We didn't have reservations but Jim talked with a rep from Muanlao Guesthouse and we decided it give it a try. We arrived and checked out the room (2 huge beds) which we actually ended up switching to a smaller room upstairs with a balcony so that 4 people...

Mar 31, 2009 - Elephant Mahout Camp

The Elephant camp was FANTASTIC! It is hands down the best thing I have done since leaving home 2 months ago. It was only a short bus ride from Luang Prabang down twisted and bumpy dirt roads, then we arrived at a river which we crossed via a little flat bottom boat. Even from the far side of the river I could see these gorgeous little bungalows set in the hillside but didn’t want to get too excited in case the façade let me down. But no, they were every bit as wonderful as they looked from a distance. A balcony overlooking the river,...

Mar 30, 2009 - Celebrating my birthday in Luang Prabang

I chose the town of Luang Prabang as the site for my birthday based on the description in the Lonely Planet, and let me tell you I wasn't disappointed! I also splashed out a bit on accommodation to treat myself, so I have both air conditioning and a TV... what more could a girl want? Luang Prabang is a gorgeous colonial town on the banks of the Nam Tha river. It is dotted with golden wats and stupas, and hosts the most colourful night market I've had the pleasure of visiting since coming to Asia. The food is also really great, and...