Long Time No Chat

Well hello from Laos.

Been a while since we've posted as been up to a lot recently. Since Nic's last post we've moved on from Vietnam, stopping in Ha Long Bay on the way. Seems the best way to see Ha Long Bay is using a tour, and we'd heard that you should try to get as expensive a tour as you can afford, so stayed on board the luxury VIP junk boat (The Dragon Pearl) for two nights - it was awesome. For anyone who has been they will understand just how amazing and mystical the place seems to be - stetches of ocean punctured by gigantic limestone monoliths, covered in jungle. The pics Nic has taken are amazing, but still do not convey just how beautiful and eerie the place is. Anyway, got a tour around the bay and then spent some time on a crowded beach, then before dinner we were told we could go swimming of the back of the boat. Nic and I were the only ones of the 30 people on board to do it so got chatting to some of the crew and they took my up on the top deck to do some jumping off the side - really cool!!! Second day went sea-kayaking around the bay and through some caves. It was really funny - 4 kayaks trying to blindly find their way through the dark, accompanied by swearing with English, American, Scottish and Spanish accents!! On the tour met a really nice American couple, and when we got back to Hanoi they took us out for dinner at this great local restaurant they had found. Food was amazing. Then we went on to a bar they had in their guidebook, which says that the bar is famous for its 'medicinal' shots of local liquor. We were the only Westerners in there and ordered there '5 times a night' special - not exactly sure what that means :-). It was disgusting!!! All 4 of us really had to struggle not to empty our stomachs all over the table. Fun anyway and ended staying till closing time before being chucked out by the bar staff.

So, next day, moved on to Luang Prabang in Laos. I have got to say that this is the most beautiful city I have ever seen and blows anything else we have seen right out of the water. It is difficult to put your finger on why exactly I love it - probably a combination of the laid-back atmosphere, the amazingly friendly locals, great food, good pubs, outstanding views etc etc. So, as a result, we have had a slight change to our plans. Instead of staying only 1 week in Laos and 2 nights in Luang Prabang, we have cancelled our last stop in Nepal and pushed back our India flights (India will now be the last stop before home) so that we can spend longer here. Booked our hotel for a week, but still not convinced that it will be long enough. Some people talk about getting to places and not wanting to or never leaving, and we can sympathise. Will definitely be back here in the near future.

Anyway, yesterday and today were particularly good days, as we stayed at the Elephant Lodge just outside Luang Prabang. Got there yesterday morning and was very quickly introduced to a baby elephant, before having an elephant ride on a bench on the back of a very large female. Most tourists visiting the lodge stop there and head home, but we'd paid extra to stay overnight. As a result, Nic and I, along with two other German woman got to ride an elephant each bare-back back into the jungle where they stay overnight. They were very easy to get on to as you use a podium at the lodge, but to get back down from them in the jungle, you had to order your elephant to bend down and then basically jump off. Then, this morning at 6am we met up with the elephant trainers again to go and fetch the elephants back from the jungle. Climbing up on top of each elephant was even harder. I managed after a lot of help from both the trainer and the elephant (she lifted her leg up for me to use as a step) but Nic was last to get on hers, while we were all away in the jungle, and she said that if I had seen her trying to get on I would have needed a change of underwear from laughing so much!!! Once we were all on, we had to march the elephants to the river, where we took them for a bath. Each elephant waded in the river with us on their back and lowered themselves in so we could wash and scrub them. It was brilliant!!! The tour guide shot some great video for us and it was definitely one of the best activities we've done so far. Finally, Nic and I kayaked back to Luang Prabang with our tour guide, on a 3-hr journey through alleged rapids and whirlpools (although i've seen more white water while flushing the toilet than I did on the river today!!) .

Unfortunately, Nic is unable to post any photos, as she is currently sitting feeling sorry for herself after getting some sunburn while kayaking. She says it's a little sore, so she's taking plenty of cold showers, I've given her plenty of painkillers (2 every 4 hours - just in case you're thinking I'm trying to do her in!!!) and bought her some good after-sun cream. She's currently laid on the bed, reading and getting slowly drunk on a very large bottle of Beer Lao!!! Think she'll be a lot better after a good nights sleep.

Anyway, got to go as it's getting dark and Nic will finally be able to leave the hotel (and people said that I would be the Night-Walker!!!).

Will post pics asap.

Dene