A little video to summarise an ordinary bus journey in northern Laos...

Vang Vieng has so much more to offer than just the infamous tubing and I'd even claim that the landscape around the city is the best we have seen so far. There are countless activities in the area: visiting caves, biking around majestic limestone mountains, hiking, cooling down at the Laos Blue Lagoon. That's pretty much what we've been up to here! Additionally, hot air ballooning is available for only 80$ (if you trust the Chinese operator...)! 

Tubing in Vang Vieng is not was it used to be and that's probably better that way.  Number of bars has quit along the river and all the zip line, ropes and dangerous games have been completely shut down.  As a results the amount of backpacker in the area has probably been divided by ten! Since last year there have been no death occurrences, and the atmosphere in the remaining three bars has gone from trashy to friendly. It's now possible to take upon other activities (aside from getting *hit faced) such as pétanque, volley ball or basket ball.  And you can still get a pint of nice cold beer while you're at it! We preferred it this way ;)!

Kids in Laos are so happy and genuine. Everywhere you go and whatever you are doing, there are always kids waving at you and yelling a loud "saibadeee" (hello in laotian) with big grins on their faces.  It makes you think how the people who have the least of things are the happiest of what they do have...an important lesson for all, I think.  

An one hour away by Tuktuk, the Kuang Si Water fall is the perfect half-day trip to escape the heat in Luang Prabang. This place really reminded me the Krka National Park we visited a couple of years ago in Croatia! I'll let the pictures do the talking...

Nest stop in our agenda after Nong Khiaw was Luang Prabang - often advertised as the jewel of the Mekong. Luang Prabang is probably one of the nicest city in South East Asia and not without a reason; Buddhist temples and monasteries, low traffic, gorgeous colonial buildings and great scenery along the Mekong river and the Nam Ou river. Not to mention the little coffee places and restaurants where one can find the exact same atmosphere as in Paris ;). 

Also, one of the most known things about this town is the Buddhist ritual of collecting alms, where every morning a number of monks gather to the street to collect food that people offer them. It's certainly a thing to see and experience, but keeping in mind that it's not a show for tourists but a real religious event...

After a scenic 4-hour bus ride we arrived in Luang Namtha. The town is located next to the Nam Ha National Protected Area where one can undertake many sorts of activities. We decided to go on a 1-day kayak trip, which turned out to be a fun day out! Here's some GoPro footage from the river...

Hello Laos! Crossing the boarder from Thailand to Laos was quite straightforward without any hassle or scams. We arrived to Huay Xay, a place on the other side of the Mekong, and stayed there for the next two nights.