LOUANG PRABANG

8TH - 18TH DECEMBER

The bus was leaving at 9 a.m. and we got a free tuk tuk from our beautiful little bungalow. We were told that it would take around 6 hours but in truth is was slightly longer due to the amount of stops we encountered on the way. It was an Ok journey and we passed through some amazing countryside, but I guess I just prefer to get there as fast as possible rather than stopping every couple of hours for a good half an hour and then an hour for lunch!!! It was definitely an ipod moment for most of the journey which helped pass the time, but it was also helped by some fabulous views of the Laos countryside.

We finally arrived about 8 hours later and didn’t have anywhere pre-booked so it was a case of lugging our bags around whilst looking for a room, not so great after such a long mini-bus ride but hey its still better than working 8.30 - 5.00 everyday!!! It was quite
busy and we found a place which was right opposite the Royal Palace and although the room was fairly small it was in a great location and the staff were lovely and friendly.

After a bit of chill we went out for a wander and also to get something to eat. We were immediately impressed with the place and we had our first encounter with the famous night market. WOW this is a place and a half, now although Laos is one of the cheapest places we have been too, believe me, I could have spent a fortune at the night market. The fabrics were to die for and all of the handicrafts were amazing. If ever we bought another house I would seriously consider a trip to Southeast Asia especially Laos to furnish the place. The stuff you can buy would cost an absolute fortune in the UK and wouldn’t be half as good, I could waffle on for hours about how great the stuff was on that market. The place oozed charm and