Crossing Borders

Awesome waterfall.  Yes my shirt is buttoned wrong...

We said goodbye to Thailand and sabadee to Laos.  We stayed exactly 30 days and ran out our visa in Thailand.  There is still so much more to see and curries to discover, but I'm fairly certain we will return to this part of the world.

Life on the Mekong

We crossed the river to Laos (pronounced Lao) and from Huay Xai took a two-day slow boat down the Mekong river to the french influenced town of Luang Prabang. Its dry season so the river is lower than usual and the captain of the vessel impressively navigated through the small rapids and weaved around exposed rocks. This is quite a feat considering these boats carry approximately 100 people and are about 10 feet wide and 100 feet long.  A typical boat is completely loaded.  The front of our boat was packed with six dirt bikes and luggage strategically placed together like the blocks in Tetris. The seating is in the middle portion (as well as the lady selling BeerLao, one of the finer lagers around) and made with whatever can be a suitable chair including, but not limited to, van seats and church pews.  In the back of the boat, after passing through the boiler room, there's a "smoker's lounge".   For two days you pass by the smallest villages that are sustained by harvesting rice and peanuts, fishing, and the occasional water buffalo.  The children often run along the shore waving and yelling "hello".  After two long days, we were greeted by Luang Prabang with a gorgeous sunset.

Van seating on the boat

Pew seating on the boat

Arriving at sunset

Cave temple

Karsts, Karsts, everywhere!

We spent the next few days hanging out in the city and getting around by push bike with daily stops at the corner for a baguette sandwich and Laos coffee, visiting the local temples and waterfalls, and eating at the daily night market.

Buffet alley...all the vegetarian food you could want for $1.50

We got to know the people we met on the boat over some beers.  Laos enforces a strict curfew of 11:30pm except for the one bowling alley in town.  I thought after the family Wii bowling nights at home my game would have improved...wrong!

Wiiiiiiiiiiii!

Bear Hammock

A beer on the Mekong

A day in the life of a monk

We were taken down by the locals in this volleyball tournament

Christmas decorations

One of the finer blankets we've slept with :)

One of about ten aqua blue swimming holes at the Kuang Si waterfall 

Cobra + whiskey

The quintessential Lao evening for a backpacker trying to figure out what tomorrow will hold.

Above the Mekong.

We're headed to Vang Vieng for the holiday, tubing, and rock climbing!