Luang Prabang, Laos

We awoke early in Pakbeng...surprisingly the power had stayed on all night as we'd been advised it would be switched off at 10.30pm, although maybe it was some kind of mix up because the water was off instead!

We boarded the boat about 8am and while everyone else made there way back on board too, we noticed there were several Laos policeman keeping an eye on procedings. Apparently that had been called overnight about the fight between the locals and the tourist. The only upside was that the 120 passengers were now split across two slow boats instead of one the day before...I'm guessing that it is illegal to overload these boats and with the police keeping an eye on things they tour operators were keen to avoid anymore trouble.

By about 9.30am the last person to board was the American tourist who had been in the fight last night. He was battered and bruised with a big black eye and a limp, but I was relieved to seem him alive and that he had a chance to recover his backpack and give his account of events to the police. Later we heard that the fight started over one of the locals trying to sell marijuana to the American and a subsequent argument and escalation arose over what might be a fair price...didn't reflect too well on anyone I guess but left me vowing to never return to Pakbeng again.

The days boat trip was much like yesterdays although less crowded thankfully, but again with many stops along the way. We eventually arrived in Luang Prabang in the late afternoon and wandered around for a while before tracking down a little guest house that had been recommended to us...but that one was full so we had to find something else nearby instead but no drama with that.

We opted for some pizzas for dinner for a welcome change to rice and more rice and enjoyed a couple of drinks with two young Swedish guys named Robin and Simon who we'd met back in Chaing Khong and had been on the slow boat with us the past two days. It was a great relief to finally be back to some kind of civilisation and the best food and accommodation we'd enjoyed (and hospitatlity) since Chiang Mai.

After breakfast at Laos Laos we had a stroll around Luang Prabang and made some enquiries about transport options to Hanoi and also about day tours. It seems that getting to Hanoi there are really only two options: overnight bus for 23 hours or a 1 hour flight. Obviously flying is more expensive but as we spent so much time on the slow boat and still have quite some ground to cover to get back to Bangkok by the 1st of April we eventully decided to go with the flight. Choosing to fly also left us with a full day tomorrow in Luang Prabang and we decided to book a day trip which includes kayakking, visiting the Pak Ou caves, some more elephonant riding and finally a visit to a local 'whisky village'.

In the evening we headed down to the Utopia restaurant not far from our guesthouse which is a big vaulted ceiling bamboo strucutre with cushions on the floor and a nice vantage point out over the Nam Khan River. Dinner was great and we also lapped up the atmostphere and and even watched a little bit of the beach volleybal comp that was being run that night too. We stayed until the 11.30pm closing time (all bars must shut by 11.30pm to allow everyone to be home by 12pm by Laos law).

Today we had a day trip planned through local travel agency Phone Travel...it was pretty cheap and included quite a few things we were keen on such as kayaking and seeing the Pak Ou caves.

We had breakfast at Laos Laos before being picked up by minivan for the hour drive to our starting point for kayaking on the Nam Ou river. Along the way we passed through some local villages and countryside and collected the kayakking equipment. We decided to opt for two single kayaks rather an a double as it seemed like it might be a bit more of an experience and a bit more exciting given the river was reportedly quite low and rapids a little ho-hum. This turned out to be a good decision though it took some getting used to paddling, and did allow us to find our own way and take some photos of each other too.

Along the way we saw local fishermen, some small boats and stopped off for a swim and a break at some amazing cliffs. Back on the river we continued until where the Nam Ou meets the Mekong and stopped on the bank to check out the Pak Ou caves. There are two caves, an upper and a lower, both dating back hundreds of years and used for various purposes including living, temples, refuge from American bombing and these days a sacred Buddhist site. Both caves are filled with hundreds of little Buddha statues and quite an interesting stop.

After the caves we were back on the kayaks to battle the current and fight our way to the other side of the Mekong to the elephant camp. I wasn't too revved up for more elephant riding but the scenery was diffferent to Chaing Mai and it was quite different in that this time our little elephant convoy was being run by local kids (no adults) who were really enjoying the whole thing...they were obviously very experienced and very familiar with all the elephants and it made for a more enjoyable ride overall. The highlight, however, was after the ride when we took the elephants down to the Mekong for some swimming. It was great fun seeing them romp around in the water on a hot day, and to climb up on the them and be playfully thrown off from time to time on the command of the local kids.

Our final stop was to a so-called 'whisky village' where they produce rice based licquor and bottle it with scorpions, snakes and millipedes and sell them as souvenirs to the passing tourists. The whisky was pretty rough and cultural value limited but all part of the trip.

Back home we were exhausted so after a quick shower headed out for dinner at Laos Laos Beer Garden where we were very pleased to run into our fellow kayakers and day trippers Philip and Marie from Switzerland. We enjoyed dinner and a few drinks and a walk over the Nam Khan bridge. They were good value and we exchange emails and they even invited us to go skiing with them in Switzerland some time when our trip is finished.

All in all a very nice day.