Laos

well we made it to beautiful laos, where every bend continues to surprise me with its beauty. our two day boat trip down the mekong was amazing, the river huge and strong, the land surrounding us was so untouched the whole way. Granted there were the white beaches that we would pull into to pick up someone from their village. stairs leading up to places that we could not see, children playing in the water, house boats, fishing boats lining the edge of the land. we stopped for the night in pak beng where the power went out at 11 and our attached bathroom smelled horrible even with the door shut. we gleefully got on the boat for our second day of travel onto luang prabang, happy to be in the fresh air, and gaze out at the lush mountains. we arrived in luang prabang and found a place with clean sheets and bathroom, no bugs and sweet owners. of course we loved LP, maybe it is the french influence or the clean streets or the delicious food for 50 cents..or the smiles on everyones face....or maybe it is my western upbringing that influences my perspective on places sometimes....
we stayed a couple days in luang prabang, riding our bikes around the little streets, looking at temples and shopping at the night market. one day we went up to some waterfalls where the pools were a minty blue color. absolutely beautiful.
we hopped on a bus yesterday that was 6+ hours of windy roads, enough to make anyone sick, but yet again dumbstruck by the beauty of this country. as we drove by mountains beyond mountains, some dotted with patches of rice and corn fields so strategically placed on those steep slopes, i couldnt help but wish that we could stop just long enough to soak it all up...the small towns made of bamboo perched on the edge of the mountains the naked children playing gleefully with each other or by themselves. where cows leasurely make their way from grass to grass, chickens chirping their way across the road and goats making their way up the mountains.
we arrived in vang vieng yesterday uninspired by the town, but definately impressed with the (YET AGAIN) mountains and river:) we went and visited some caves today...so quiet large and clean, no bat guano in these ones, thank god!!! tomorrow i think that we will go tubing and then continue on down through laos, hoping to continue to be inspired in all that we encounter.
i hope that everyone is well...much love
acazia