We started our trip up to north Laos in the Capital - Vientianne. We only had a day there but managed to squeze in a delicious steak with pepper sauce, fries and a glass of red wine. Bliss. There's a big French ex pat community there so lots of places to get good steak! We also visited the Laos arc de triomphe, also known as the concrete monster, which on closer inspection becomes clear. It was built from concrete donated by america to build an airport runway, but they built the arc instead. If nothing else though it was a great place to see a panoramic view of the city.
After Vientianne we got a bus to Vang Vieng which went on some very windy roads through all the mountains. One poor local kid got bad motion sickness and threw up all over his seat. His brother and the driver shouted at him, but wiped him down and we continued on our way. The scenery on the way was stunning though, and we whizzed past loads of local villages built right on the edge of the road with a sheer drop beneath them. Evenutally we arrived in Vang Vieng, and found a guesthouse to crash for the night.
The next day we hired some bikes and went on a beautiful bike ride through the nearby countryside to some caves, one of which had a lagoon. The cycle ride was pretty bumpy as most of the road there was just a rocky dirt track, but after about an hour we arrived at the lagoon and cave, and jumped straight in the lagoon to cool off. It was gorgeous clear blue water and felt like something out of never never land. There were some rope swings and trees to jump off too, so this all added to the fun! After this we found a guide to take us up into the cave which was up some really steep steps at the side of a mountain. It was pitch black inside so we were grateful for our guide and free headlamps. With the aid of our torches we saw some amazing crystal formations and stalagmites and stalagtites. It was quite spooky walking around though, so i was glad of fresh air and daylight when we came out.
After stumbling back down the mountainside we hopped back on our bikes to cycle back to the town. On the way we stopped at an organic garden and had some delicious fruit and mint shakes, as well as homemade lime wine. I really liked it, but andrew was confused by the strange lime pickle type taste. Suitably refreshed we continued our journey, and made it back to the hostel in time for sunset over the river.
Our faces runining the Laos Arc De Triomphe in Vientianne
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