It's a small world ...

I got delayed leaving Chiang Mai because the other people who were on my mini-bus were too hungover to travel. I didn't mind and so I left on Tuesday morning. The people who were too hungover to travel turned out to be the most annoying threesome of gormless irritating English gap year students, who just behaved like total wankers and trailed me about for three long days. As I type this they are sitting beside me in the Internet cafe being loud obnoxious and really stupid.

The bus ride to the border was pretty uneventful other than having to listen to inane prattling behind me. I put on my ipod and that worked at dulling the pain. We got to the border the town itself was cute but empty it was as if there was no-one there. Had a lovely dinner and met a very nice English woman called Sarah who I was able to have a couple of drinks with and a chat. The setting was lovely along the Mekong with Laos just across the other side. The following morning there was mass chaos at the border, mainly due to really stupid people not being prepared. And I heard one person actually ask a befuddled Lao person was this immigration? Sometimes you just have to take deep breath and smile. Then I heard a voice behind me and for a moment I was sure that it was my friend Gina but I thought I'm sure someone would have mentioned it if she was heading to Laos. So I turned around and said, you from Cork, the girl smiled and said yes just outside Cork city. I said oh my god you sound exactly like my friend Gina, and the girl said Gina??? I said Fitzgerald, and she burst out laughing apparently they were in the same class in school and were friends. How totally random.

Once we got through immigration myself and Sarah tried to loose the English threesome, but failed and we boarded the mini-bus to head to the boat. The boat was much nicer and bigger than the one that i was on in Vietnam, it carried about 140 people all tourists, although it is the regular taxi ferry for the locals. The scenery along the route was gobsmackingly beautiful. High jungle covered mountains, sandy beaches with children playing and fishermen at work. The river was narrower than it was in Vietnam, windier and rougher. The boat wasn't so comfortable but i didn't really notice the numbness of my bum as I was just so enthralled with the surroundings. There was a little shop at the back with two little girls making baguettes, and serving Beer Lao and water. I don't think I have ever bought beer from anyone so young. In the back of the boat where there were no seats was where the Lao people were, on the second day I headed back there and we had so much fun, they were sharing their local delicacies, (i refused the deep fried rat,) with us and we were giving them beer. It was so funny. Always smiling and always laughing while the most fabulous scenery passed us by outside and as the sun began to set and lower in the sky the river turned a glistening golden colour i was entranced.

We got into Luang Phrabang yesterday evening at around 6.30. and found a lovely guesthouse with a restaurant beside it. So far i have managed to short circuit the electricity and flood my bedroom. Not a good start.

Luang Phrabang lies on the banks of the Mekong it's a protected world heritage site and a very pretty town. The money here is called the Kip but they'll take everything for payment if you have it. The people here as so poor. Their clothes are old and tattered and many are either barefoot of wearing falling apart shoes. The is a devoutly Buddhist country and the people are very very gentle and very timid. It's just lovely to be here and spend some money and help their people. I am going to stay here for a couple of days to see it properly and then I'll probably head down south.