Laos

After my jungle experience, I decided to join the rest of humanity in what Laos calls a big city...Luang Prabang. Previously named the capital (until Vientiene took that title over), it was so nice to be back in a place where my neighbors had opposable thumbs. Luang Prabang was very enjoyable squeezed between two rivers and sprawling with french cafes. I continued my journey with my British friends through most of Laos playing cards and enjoying our evenings dining at the Veggie Buffet for 8000 Kip (8000 Kip = $0.93). We spent most of the day bicycling around to see the sight and after we travelled to the most well known tourist attraction of Laos, "Tubing in Vang Vieng". I liken it to the lazy river at any water park in the states, but with drunken college age kids swinging from ropes and diving into the river. After tubing, everyone goes back to spend their evenings watching marathon Friends episodes showing in every restaurant in town. Since I was never much of a Friends watcher, Harry, Elle, and I watched the new X-men 4 (Wolverine) movie. Since it was clearly the pirated version, we had a couple of scenes where all we saw were the digital graphics (either way still enjoyable!). Needless to say, I spent very little time here. After moving on from Vang Vieng (or as I called it Spring Break 2009...Old School Style), we took our first local bus to Vientiene (sharing the journey with all sorts of farm animals and clearly going past the capacity limit after 1 stop of 50. Quite the adventure and certainly not one I plan on doing again. I had to say goodbye to my British friends as they were off to Vietnam and I was making my way back to Bangkok. Laos was beautiful, filled with incredible scenic drives through the mountains and enjoyable conversations with locals...although definitely a place that runs at a slower speed than I'm used to.

http://picasaweb.google.com/lturnof/LuangPrabang#

http://picasaweb.google.com/lturnof/Vientiane#