Its so good to be back in Laos! As we crossed the border from Thailand a nearly 2 weeks ago in a little long tail boat my heart swelled up with happiness and I felt overcome with joy. This country is My Paradise - not because things are perfect here - far from it - but I guess because I find the beauty in the small and simple things here so easy to see. That is what life is often all about in Laos! The peaceful life style and the slow, gentle flow of things here is like medicine for my often chaotic mind and psyche. Now I wont profess to truly understand the culture or even know the 'Real' Laos - Im just a visitor here and thus will probably never really 'know' Laos , but I do know this is a place where I feel safe and welcome and very, very happy. The people are kind and unassuming, and Mother Nature is a real show off! After crossing the border from Thailand into Huay Xai we spent the nite and then headed off on what was to be one of the best experiences ever - The Gibbon Experience! Vic & I set out with a group of 6 others in the back of a 4whdr into the Bokeo Forest Reserve. This is a huge lush mountainous jungle where we drove over some pretty rough road and then treked right into the thick of it. Once in the midst of the forest we stopped, strapped on harnesses and swung ourselves into the trees on zip lines taking in some of the most breathtaking views Ive ever seen. Some of the zip lines swung you into tree houses that were to be our homes for 2 nites. Vic & I got the 'honeymoon' suite - a private two person tree house that was unbelievably awesome!. Showering in a tree 100 ft in the air with nothing but a few railings between you and the beautiful forest is an experience that is hard to beat! And waking up in the misty morning to the sound of Gibbons singing to each other not far in the distance is something I wont soon forget. This was by far one of the best experiences Ive ever had We were even lucky enough to spot some adorable gibbons playing in the trees which is something that is far from guaranteed as they are pretty shy. On day 3 we treked out of the forest and made it out just in time for the rains to start - we piled into the 4whdr covered in mud and smelling far worse then we did on the way there and set out on the muddy roads for a ride I also wont soon forget - If the roads are too muddy they are simply not drivable and we barely made it. We were hoping and praying the whole way, fingers crossed that we would make it up each hill and going down wasnt much better - the tires slid rather then rolled and we were thrown about in the back big time! But we pulled through and eventually hit paved road with a round of applause for the driver We made it back to Huay Xai absoulutely exhausted, found a room, washed the mud off ourselves and our stinky boots and collapsed until morning. Since then we have been taking it pretty easy. We had hoped to do more treking but as we are in the midst of the rainy season the weather has been a little off putting to say the least. In fact I have seen more thunder and lightning in the last few months then Ive seen in my entire life. (Kampot wins for the most dramatic but Laos is currently winning for the most wet!) There is nothing like working up a sweat, breathing in the fresh air and soaking up the sights, smells and sounds of a South East Asian forest...but sitting on the deck of your bungalow, and watching the rain come down and the river flow by with a good book is nothing to complain about. And we have been doing alot of just that We were initially planning to head to the north eastern side of Laos to visit a province called Hua Phan - said to be both stunning and little visited by tourists (a combination we have come to find most enjoyable and wonderfully easy to find in Laos) but alas it was not meant to be. When we heard that busses often get trapped on the mountain roads for days waiting for landslides to be cleared at this time of year we decided to give it a miss - there has been so much rain lately and there are just too many lovely places to see - time is precious indeed! So we have slowed our pace and spent a few days in a small town called Luang Nam Tha, and a few days each in the lovely little riverside villages of Nong Khiaw and Muang Ngoi Neua (the latter being only accesable by river boat). We have spent a lot of time on buses travelling from place to place on windey and steep mountain roads (so windey and steep that for the first time in my life Ive felt motions sick!) But I dont mind a bit as I dont think I could ever tire of the wonderful roadside scenery here (and Ive found that dried ginger really does help with a queasy tummy!) We have now found our way to the wonderful Unesco World Heritage cite that is the 'city' of Luang Prabang - I use the term 'city' here losely as in a place like Laos even the capital of Vientienne feels like a pretty quiet small town. Luang Prabang is hard to describe to those who havent been there - it is teeming with tourists but is says a lot about the wonders of this small country that the culture does not feel 'damaged' in the way the way it usually does in such tourist meccas. The locals are so very kind and culture and heritage oozes from every corner. We have nearly a week to spend here which may sound like a lot but I wish it could be much longer - the atmosphere of this place is something I think I could drink up and savor forever! As an example, here is how today is shaping up: Wake up in our beautiful guesthouse($10 for a room that could easily cost $35 or $45 in Bangkok) and enjoy a hot shower and catch the BBC world news while getting dressed. Walk down the lane (smiling and greeting the adorable and very friendly local kids who are out playing) to the most amazing bakery that I am officially addicted to - breakfast is fresh baked bagels, homeade jam tropical fruit and glorious coffee for about $2.50 Then chill out on the internet for a while (writing this blog!). Next we head to the national museum and then off to visit a Temple or two (I think there are about 60 here!) Perhaps we will climb Mount Phou Si at sunset and take in the view over town and the Mekong river. Then a classy dinner that is sure to cost less then $15 for us both. Maybe Ill finish off with dragging Vic around the absolutely glorious 'Nite Market' shopping for shockingly cheap local handicrafts. Wouldnt you want to stay forever too?
We were even lucky enough to spot some adorable gibbons playing in the trees which is something that is far from guaranteed as they are pretty shy. On day 3 we treked out of the forest and made it out just in time for the rains to start - we piled into the 4whdr covered in mud and smelling far worse then we did on the way there and set out on the muddy roads for a ride I also wont soon forget - If the roads are too muddy they are simply not drivable and we barely made it. We were hoping and praying the whole way, fingers crossed that we would make it up each hill and going down wasnt much better - the tires slid rather then rolled and we were thrown about in the back big time! But we pulled through and eventually hit paved road with a round of applause for the driver 
