I've been planning this trip in typical Cathie style. It's an ever evolving hodge podge of ideas, plans and ridiculous notions that don't really stand up to the reality of my small budget.
So heres what I'm thinking:
March 3-18 in Thailand: a couple of days in Bangkok then jump on a train down south and take a few days at the beach to recover from the trip and the big city. Slowly make my way north to Chiang Mai to do a little exploring and maybe a cooking class and a massage or two. Then make my way south east to "the friendship bridge". This bridge is over 1km long and is the main passage way between Thailand and Laos over the mighty Mekong river.
March 18 - April 2 in Laos: I'm looking forward to exploring Vientiane, the Capital of Laos - it has such an interesting history with french colonial influence intertwined with the local culture, I look foward to seeing Patuxai, a local monument based on the Arc de Triomphe as well as Buddha Park, a massive Buddhist sculpture garden. I'm also hoping that Vientiane will provide me with some opportunities for a cafe fix! From here I plan to travel north to Vang Vieng, slightly less cultured Vang Vieng is know for is river tubing, or more accurately, Backpackers getting more and more intoxicated at they visit the riverside bars on the way downstream. After a couple of days of relaxation at Vang Vieng I plan to travel on to Luang Prabang, the imperial capital of Laos, famous for its architecture,(it is a world heritage site) food and museum.
