Canoeing in the mountains of Northern Laos...Solitude

This was my favourite day of the trip so far. We rented a traditional Laos canoe and headed up the Nam Ou river and into the mountains. Heading upstream proved really strenuous on some stretches where the current was stronger...but we made it a couple of km's upstream and spent the afternoon on a sand bank with a picnic of bananas and biscuits!

There was not a soul in sight and the only sounds were bird calls, the chattering of monkeys and the echos of our own voices. The journey back down stream took a third of the time and towards the end we rode the rapids, as i was sitting at the front at this point i got drenched!

Luang Prabang and North into the mountains

Whilst back in Luang Prabang we chartered a tuk-tuk 35km south to Kuang Si Falls where we spent the day swinging into pools, swimming and generally relaxing.

As the surrounding area was made up of mostly limestone the pools shone a brilliant blue and looked man made. The fall above is the lower tier of the main waterfall which we were able to walk up and around, affording amazing views of the surrounding area.

This is one of millions of UXO (unexploded ordanance) that litter the Laos countryside. During the Vietnam war US Air Force dropped millions of tonnes of exposives in the northeast of the country, 30% of which didn't go off. These cause thousands of accidents each year causing loss of limbs, sight and life. We found this at the edge of a village in Muang Ngoi.

Water buffalo our everywhere in Laos, usually crashed out in the shade of a tree or sumberged to escape the punishing heat. As a side note; water buffalo noodle soup is delicious!...though i'm not entirely sure which one in this picture (Muang Ngoi) i ate!

This shot was taken in Luang Prabang from a restaurant overlooking the Mekong.

These delapidated Buddha statues we're in an outbuilding at Wat Xieng Thong in Luang Prabang.

Falling in love with Laos

This photo was taken in Luang Prabang, the second largest city and original capital of Laos. It's an incredibly peaceful town littered with temples and teeming with monks. I spent a day down by the river watching a group of young monks taking a break from chores and swimming in the Mekong.

This was taken in Vang Vieng, a town between Luang Prabang and Vientiane. It's a dichotomy, whilst one side of the river swarms with drunk young travellers falling asleep in the 'Friends bar', the other is dotted with limestone peaks, caves and lagoons. We hired one speed ladies bicycles (with basket!) for the day and did a 35km circuit, stopping at villages along the way.

Also in Vang Vieng, we had to cross this bridge to go between the town and the veritable sanctuary of our bungalow. Only once did we make the crossing whilst 'under the influence'...and never again!

This was taken deep inside a cave somewhere inside the mountains that surround Vang Vieng. The main reason I have added it though is so you can keep check on 'Project Beard'..so far I deem the mission an ongoing success!