MIRROR ME

We arrived at Chiang Khong in Thailand on the evening of day 26.
On the morning of Day 27, we departed from Chiang Khong to Chiang Mai by bus and stopped on the way at this White Temple. I must have seen about a million temples by this time so when we were told we were stopping at a temple, I wasn't very interested.
And then we stopped and saw this white beauty and I was completely in awe.

These two days were the most inactive of my trip and quite annoying to be honest. We spent them on a slow boat travelling from Laos back to Thailand. Boring and uncomfortable, I would not do it again.

The highlight was stopping at a village to meet the locals, find out about their ways of life and buy school supplies for the beautiful children.

Luang Prabang was less touristy than Vang Vieng. It seemed more religious, quit, reserved.
On Day 23, we arrived at Luang Prabang from Vang Vieng by bus. We had a nice dinner and went to the night market. The night market at Luang Prabang is really good! If you ever visit SE Asia, never ever pay full price for anything in markets and stalls! The rule is to offer half the amount the seller asks for and then haggle from that.
At 5am on Day 24, we woke up to give alms to the monk. I never knew about this tradition before this. The monks collect alms every morning at about 5am and that is all the food they are allowed to eat for the day. I peeped into their baskets and saw all sorts from medicine to rice. I decided to spice up their diet a little with some Kit Kat.



The rest of the day was spent with elephants. We were trained on how to climb onto them and then we rode and bathed the elephants.

Vang Vieng I think is Laos's most exciting destination for the young or simply young at heart. There are a vast amount of activities to do, and the nightlife is great too! However, it is more touristy and full of backpackers so if that's not your style, you might not appreciate it. I loved Vang Vieng!
So we travelled from Vientiane to Vang Vieng by bus and that afternoon, I went Kayaking and into some caves in the forest for the first time ever! I've never really been an outdoor person but I certainly enjoyed doing something I'd never done before and to be honest, I think I do have some outdoor in me!










Tubing is the most infamous activity in Vang Vieng. Basically, you go in a tube and sail on the river. Sounds pretty basic right? Well throw in about a 100 bars on the river which you stop at for free shots, drinks and the best music and dancing. After a lot of thought about life, I decided I couldn't come to Vang Vieng and not risk my life going tubing. Just kidding, as long as you do not get drunk, or do any swings or slides (due to shallow water and rocks), and get out of the river before it gets dark, you will (should) be fine! Oh, make sure you can swim too just incase! I did not take my camera tubing but here is a picture of one of the bars just to give you an idea:

What a name. If you ever go tubing, completely ignore any such advise and remain in control.