Hannah and Jase's World Tour

Hi guys
>
>Hannah and I are now currently in Vientiane, capital of Laos and
>back on the thai border, on the Mekong River. As we are using this
>as a stop over, we will be staying here for one more day and we will
>then be getting a night bus to Vinh in Central Vietnam. Setting off
>late tomorrow night to arrive at 5 in the morning on 7th March.
>
>We arrived in Vientiane from Vang Vieng yesterday. We ended up
>staying in Vang Vieng for 6 nights because we loved it so much.
>Literally 2-3 streets out in the middle of nowhere surrounded by
>fantastic limetone peaks and brilliant views of the Nam Song river.
>We went tubing twice down the Nam Song, which was fantastic and we
>stayed in a nice bunglaw on the riverside for 6 dollars a night.
>
>Tubing - hired a tube (35,000 kip each - 2 quid) and a dry bag,
>dropped off by a tuk tuk up stream and just floated down the Nam
>Song in amongst these great limestone peaks - fantastic photos. As
>you floated, down stream there was various bars to stop off at and
>have a beer or two. Easily a 5 hour float down the river and such a
>great way to get a tan and keep it cheap. Some great currents made
>it an enjoyable ride whilst in the calmer waters, Hannah liked to
>hold onto my tube as I tried to paddle for two! We went tubing
>twice, on the 27th and then on the 2nd March. Hannah and I both
>tried the water swings, whereby I came off with a bruised rib or
>two!
>
>As we allowed the paddling muscles to relax, on alternate days,
>Hannah and I did some art on the riverside. We met a group of nice
>people on our second day whom we then spend most of our time with
>and Hannah taught a few of them how to paint. We loved it here but
>the dark side to Vang Vieng was that all had to close at midnight
>and it was often the case that the plain clothed police would wave
>their AK47's in your face and politely ask you to 'party tomorrow
>night?'. Apparently, bandits are rife in these areas of Laos and
>Vang Vieng has been scared into shutting up early, by one local
>murder in the last few weeks. Interesting though.
>
>On the 4th Hannah and I packed our bags and on leaving Vang Vieng
>did a kayaking trip down the Nam Song to Vientenne rather than just
>take a boring bus all the way, it was great. There were 3 kayaks
>with Hannah and I sharing one with 2 guides in their own respective
>kayaks and we were probably on the water for about 4 hours. Fantasic
>scenery. Very funny as Hannah and I found it incredibly difficult to
>get the Kayak to go in a straight line at times which meant that we
>crashed over some rocks twice. The guides made us all stop up stream
>just before a grade 2 rapid in order to explain and advise us on how
>to manage them - we were both really nervous as the guides kept
>emphasising to us on what we must do if we capsize. So back in the
>kayaks and down the rapids - wow. It was really wierd watching
>Hannah fly out of the Kayak and into the water as it seesawed up and
>down. Her lifejacket ensured she had a good ride.
>
>So here in Vientiene it seems a lot quiter despite being the
>country's capital. We have been to the national museum which is very
>much like a victorian museum, hannah says. Badly painted scenes,
>pcitures from the 70's and everything in glass cases. However, its
>coverage of the french rule in the early 19th century and the wars
>in the 60's and 70's, we have found really interesting.
>
>Cheers my dears.
>
>Jason and Hannah.