Laos

Very sad to be leaving Phuket and all the dogs in B4 run especially Strawberry but looking forward to exploring Laos and our new adventure. Our flight to Luang Prabang was uneventful apart from a big storm once we had landed, thank God. It's visa on arrival in Laos and for $35 you get a 30 day tourist visa and it's very quick. Grabbed a tuktuk to our accommodation which was very central and only a short walk to the night market. Our room was meant to have a fridge but it didn't so after a long chat with owner they supplied us with one and then the shower was only running cold but they soon sorted it. Once the rain had stopped we went for a walk to the night market and it's a great market with nice street food, cheap too. The next morning after breakfast we walked over the Bamboo Bridge that gets washed away every year with the rain so you pay 50p to cross it and that way it helps with the rebuild the following year. The river is very fast flowing and very dark in color, not sure I would want to swim in it like some local kids were. We booked ourselves onto a tour out to the Kuang Si Waterfall and Bear rescue Center which left at 11am and took about an hour.
The waterfall was beautiful and one of the best I have seen in a long time, we climbed up the right hand side of the falls to the top. It was a hard climb but worth it once at the top and looking down at the falls but coming down the other side was a different story. The way down was slippery and yes of course I fell but a guy grabbed me to stop me falling any further down, my camera and elbow took a knocking but all ok. Back at the bottom you are able to swim but as my elbow was bleeding I decided not too but Sally was brave and went in.
The bear rescue center was a really good place where the Bears are cared for that have been rescued from the zoos and food traders. One bear had an arm missing but it didn't seem to have any effect on him and was playing with the other bears just fine. That night we went to the night market and ate a lovely bbq chicken and rice and no funny tummy the next day. This place is also famous for the monk ceremony, this is where they walk the streets and locals give them food to eat, Sally was up at 5am to watch this while I stayed in bed.
So now we are on a mini van for 8hrs to Phonsavanh, it's a funny little place but a must see as that's where you find the Plain of Jars on three different sites. Our accommodation was basic again but central to the town centre for eating and booking our next bus. Across the road was the UXO office which is where the people of Laos who have been affected by the millions of unexploded bombs dropped by the Americans in the Vietnam war 1964 to 1973 get assistance. It was called the Dirty/Hidden war as the world was unaware that America was dumping its excess bombs on Laos, also they were hoping to destroy the supply route into Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh trail. The MAG office is next door and this is the office for the program to trace and destroy the unexploded bombs so that the people can farm and use their land safely. Even today people are finding these bombs and salvaging them for scrap but unfortunately many explode killing or maiming before they even get out the ground. We wanted to visit the Plain of Jars which are scattered everywhere but only 3 sites are cleared of UXO's by the MAG teams. We paid for a driver to take us to the sites as its low season and lots of tours are not operating yet. While at the sites there are markers on the ground and you are advised to walk between the markers as this area has been cleared. The jars are unknown and they have lots of ideas what they were used for but I'm with the idea that they were funeral jars. The bodies are placed inside a jar and once they have decayed the bones are then buried. At site one is a large cave where the locals used to hide when the bombing raids were being carried out. Sites 2 and 3 are in much better condition and they are larger but site 1 is the biggest site with one of the biggest jars ever found.
So Phonsavanh done and time for another 7hr bus ride to Vang Vieng the party capital of Laos. One hour into the trip our mini bus broke down and we had a stop of an hour while the local garage put it back together. Our guesthouse was a dump, the worst we had stayed in so far but for two nights we would make do. We were just outside town but it was still only 10 minute walk, so off we go into town to see what's up. Lots of bars and companies offering kayaking and tubing down the Mekong, we found a nice bar on the rivers edge and watched the sun go down behind the mountains. Today is very hot but we wanted to do a hill walk that has amazing views but we needed to cross the river and no bridge. We saw a guy coming across in his boat so I asked him how much to take us across, £1 a bargain so we jumped in this very narrow boat that swayed a lot.
Once across the river and after a long walk around the paddy fields a local lady informed us the the hill was closed due to the rainy season. So after a drink and something to eat we headed for the Namsong toll bridge which was meant to lead us to a local cave but after walking around for an hour and no cave we gave up. That night was a huge thunder and lighting storm and we had to take shelter in a ladies shop until it eased up. We had decided that we were fed up with all this crap accommodation so we booked a 4* hotel for our next place, Vientiane the capital of Laos.
Still raining the next morning while we waited for our bus for our last bus ride to Vientiane which took 4 hours. The bus stops in the city centre where there are tuktuk's waiting to take you where ever you wish, we negotiated a fare for them to take us to our hotel and in 5 minutes we were there. By western standards the hotel is not a 4* but it's very nice and great having the 2 pools to choose from. As we were staying for 4 nights we actually unpacked and made ourselves at home, once sorted we headed out for a walk and something to eat as we hadn't eaten much. Once back at the hotel we headed for the pools and a cool off, very nice.
So we have 3 days of sight seeing and there is a lot to do and see. First stop was a short walk to the Patuxai which was built by the French and resembles the Arc de Triumph. Just across the road was a temple that's not on any tourist map and it should be. It was the Phat Tich Temple which was like a pergola and stunning in rich colors. A guy came out and said we could go to the top up some winding stairs, it was really high but the city view was amazing and we were the only ones there. We made a small donation at the top and lit a candle like I so often do at these holy places.
The next stop was the Pha That Luang, the most famous and visited land mark in Vientiane. This took 40 minutes to walk to on a very hot day so after the visit we had a drink at a local cafe to cool down a bit. The heavens opened up while at the cafe so we took a tuktuk back to the hotel and jumped into the pool. Vientiane has a huge night market along side the Mekong River so as it had stopped raining we headed there that evening. It's strange standing on the edge of the Mekong and you can clearly see Thailand on the opposite bank. On our evening walk we found That Dam a very old cone like structure now used as a round about, such a shame. Overlooking the Mekong is the Cho Anouvong statue, as if his surveying his land and looking out for attacks from the river bank. So after a nice cold beer and a meal we headed back to the hotel to relax and plan our day  tomorrow. There is a place called Buddha Park which is 26km outside the city which we wanted to get too but needed to catch a local bus from the bus station. Like most bus stations they are crazy unless you know the system of getting the right bus, but we found our bus and told driver where we wanted to get off which happened to be the last stop anyway. The bus also goes to the Friendship Bridge which is the border crossing between Laos and Thailand, very busy border. Buddha Park is a collection of Buddhas of different sizes and meanings. It only takes half hour to walk around and was a bit of fun. After flagging the bus down to get back into town we wanted to get off early so we could visit the COPE center. The COPE center is a hospital for the victims of all the unexploded bombs around Laos, they also help people who have been in accidents or were born with a deformities. They supply the artificial limbs and wheelchairs and set up support groups for patients and their families. Once we had finished at the center we found a new shopping mall and headed in for a huge ice cream. Back at the hotel for a swim and a chill before heading out for some dinner. My evening meal wasn't that good so I saved the meat to give to the local street dog outside the hotel but he wasn't there but we did see a dog who must of recently had pups as she was in a right state so I gave her the meat as she needed it more than the other dog. Such a shame here as there is no help for these street dogs, no sterilization program so they just keep having pups.
After breakfast we hit the tourist trail again with the Presidential Palace then a walk to Vat Sisaket Temple followed by the Hor Phakeo Temple. All of these temples are different in size and structure but they are all used to worship Buddha. After stopping for a coffee we headed back to our hotel as we are flying out tomorrow and need to get packed. After breakfast we chilled for a bit until the hotel driver was ready to take us to the airport for our flight to Luang Prabang. Strange airport where there is no belts to take your luggage just a guy with a trolley to take them to the plane.
After 45 minutes we had landed and then waited for our small prop plane to fly us to Chiang Mai.