Laos, Laos-Luang Prabang to Vientiane

Ok, when I last posted I was just entering Laos from the Thai border. I came in via a short ride across the Mekong to Huay Xai and from there it was a 12 hour bus journey to Luang Prabang. A locals bus again and not without incident (as usual). The roads in Laos are dire and there was little chance to sleep other than in fits and starts as it was so bumpy. At one point I awoke to find we had stopped and asked one of the few travellers on the bus what was happening. We decided to go and find out, only to discover they were trying to change a wheel on the bus from the light of a couple of mobile phones! My maglite came to the rescue.. A while later a further stop as the police had blocked the road due to an accident. They appeared to be spraying circle on the road -CSI Laos? - but luckily no one was badly hurt and we were soon on our way again...
I arrived in Luang Parabang just as the town was coming to life. Walking around to find somewhere to stay I could see it seemed pretty smart. I couldn't believe it when after I had checked in and been for breakfast I saw Chelsea crossing the road. They were hiring bikes so I joined them and we cycled a few kilometers to a nearby waterfall.
Luang Prabang borders the Mekong and its setting is dramatic in itself. Add to this beautiful cafes and restaurants with a mixture of traditional and fusion food, funky bars (Utopia was a particular favourite) gleaming Wat and crumbling French villas and you get an idea of the magic of the place. I grew to love it especially after allowing myself a few days to explore (both by bike and on foot) and I agree with the Lonely Planet that it will 'linger in the imagination long after the visit'.
I spent one day cycling around the various temples, another doing a Laos cookery course (more about that in my upcoming food blog) and a trek to local villages through stunning scenery. I even took a couple of days to venture further north to a place called Nong Khiaw which reminded me of Halong Bay in Vietnam. Although I only spent a night there it was a memorable one (not least by the fact that I had to pull a leech off my leg in the shower, found the biggest spider EVER on my bed and had a disturbed night wrapped for dear life in my mozzie net listening to the cockcroaches scurrying across the floor!) and the highlight was the slowboat back to Luang through what is often viwed as the most dramatic scentery in the whole of Laos.
I've been lucky on this trip to meet so many people so far and Laos has been no exception. English girls Gemma, Mary, Rachel and myself had dinner together for a couple of nights, enjoyed cocktails in the cool ambience of Utopia and even managed a very dodgy Laos disco! Last night on my way to Vientiane, I met lovely American Cascade. Our meeting is a story in itself.  When booking my overnight bus for Vientiane, I noticed there was VIP and Express. What's the difference other than 30'000 kip Toilet came the reply. I reflected on this as I squatted by the side of what can loosely be described as a road in the pitch black somewhere en route to Vientiane. Next to me was the only other Westerner on the bus. We introduced ourselves...

The pics I've included here, from the top: a view from Luang Prabang, a temple,the ingredients we used on the Laos cookery class, three views from Nong Khiaw (including two from my balcony) and, lastly, local Hmong children on my trek in Luang.