still in Laos, and more pictures, you lucky readers

Pictures for your enjoyment. Enjoy, and hey, isn't it like, cold and stuff in Korea and Canada?

Swimming in my privage lagoon :) it was awesome, Rachael and I had it all to ourselves. Marvelous things happen when you wander away from the masses and down random unmarked paths!
Jess ordered tuna salad. This is only one of the cats that wouldn't leave our table alone as a result. too funny, and too cute.

Budda images in a cave - Luang Prabang

I swung off that :) got good video too, although there's no way I'm gonna try to load THAT on here with this connection

I got a great sunset picture after climbing up this little mountain (see my favorite sunset pic below)...so it was worth the climb


view of tubers from one of the river-side bars

My favorite sunset picture


I know it's sideways....but this stupid program won't let me delete it right now, so, deal.

doing a whole lotta nothing

Vang Vieng, Laos - under construction

This update is JUST for Traci ;)

so....I had a big chunk of this blog entry finished and then the power cut out in the whole bloody city. I lost said blog entry. I was mad. I drank good Lao beer (Beerlao). I'm less mad.

I should get used to power outages, they've been happening here. I'm just guessing, but it may have something to do with the fact that the ENTIRE city is under construction. I use the term "city" loosely. Right now I'm in the town of Vang Vieng, Laos. It's a dirt road village that reminds me a lot of Woss, BC, with more stores, less loggers. The scenery is just as striking except quite a few more Limestone cliffs, and palm trees...oh, and it's hotter. It seriously is completely under construction.

I was talking to someone who had, apparently, talked to a local about this and they explained that, instead of building quality houses and roads, they built shotty stuff because it was cheaper, then just replaced everything every 5 years or so. I happened to visit on the odd fix-it year. I threw it out there that possibly it would make more sense to build quality buildings and roads, just an idea. Alas I was shot down. This is SE Asia, you can't change it, and really, it makes for better stories.

Anyways, stories. I'm in Laos, in a city called Vang Vieng. I was in a MARVELOUS city called Luang Prabang for a few days. I. Love. Luang Prabang. It's so beautiful, so chill, so...easy. The buildings are all old French architecture, punctuated by palm trees and beautiful sunsets. We did a lot of nothingness, rode our bikes around to the beaches, drank and tanned, went and visited beautiful waterfalls, swam in the crystal clear lagoons under said waterfalls and planned our evenings around the sunsets so we could ensure picture perfect moments. It was awesome.

After a few days we took a bus to another city, Vang Vieng, where I am right now. Vang Vieng is definetly a tourist oriented town. In Luang Prabang, although there were a million tourists there, you couldn't tell. Everyone just kinda blended in, it wasn't obvious. Here though, ya, I feel like I'm on Spring Break. It's ok though. I've tubed down a river, kayaked down a river, ziplined and swung into a river, seen a cave, gotten attacked by a swarm of wasps (not so much fun), got burned (again, not so much fun), but over all had a lot of fun ;) . Every night there are huge bonfires down on the river at the various bars that are down there. The same bars also pull you in with bamboo poles while you're floating down the river on your tube during the day. It takes forever to get down the river that way, but you have a LOT more fun. Veeerrrrry Spring Break-ish, but it's all good.

I don't really know what else to say beyond that. I havn't done much exciting, just done a lot of nothing. I have good memories, my tan is progressing quite nicely and I've met a ton of cool people. I continue onto the Laos capital tomorrow, fly outta there on Wednesday to head down to Pakse in Southern Laos. I fly out of Pakse and into Siem Reap on the 17th. I hope you enjoy the pictures, really you have no idea how much of a pain in the ass it's been to upload them tonight. Internet in a city completely under construction is...shall I say, less than stellar.

Take care!