We knew as soon as we arrived in Laos and Luang Prabang, a French colonial town on the river, that we were going to like it. We walked straight down to the Mekong to sit and watch the sun go down with our first Beerlao and then headed to the night market for some food.The choice was quite diverse, the smells delicious and, of course, Callum loved the fact that we could get meal for 2 with drinks for less than a fiver!

The next morning, we hired a scooter from the hotel and made our way to the famous Kuang Si waterfalls which were extremely impressive and beautiful. You can swim in the waters there and it was quite quiet which was a real bonus along with the fact that these pools did not have fish that would take huge bites from Callum’s feet! Sadly, there was also a bear sanctuary which housed rescued moon bears. We disagreed in the ethics around this as I felt that their enclosures were far too small but Callum felt as it was such an improvement on the cage that they lived in where their bile was collected for medicines, then it was ok.

The road we had travelled on there was the worst potholed one ever and thankfully, for my behind, we stopped at a rice field for a bit of lunch and a drink. In the evening, we bumped into a couple that I had earlier taken photos for in the night market and spent a fantastic evening chatting to our new German friends who had just started their full year of travel around the globe.

After a slow start, we headed out on, thankfully, the near perfect road to Tat Sae, a local waterfall with the help of our trusted Google maps. We had to take a small boat and pay our £1.20 entrance each to get in but were met with equally as beautiful falls with even less people. There were 3 levels and, though the top one was a bit of trek through the jungle in our flip flops, it was worth it as there was only one other couple there.

Museums and temples were on the agenda the next day in the town where we walked into one amazing place after another. All of them had accommodation for the monks and we saw so many young monks ( some who looked about 6) sitting together, wandering the streets as well as making rice cakes. We didn’t go to the alms ceremony which takes place each morning where monks walk barefoot through the streets and are given offerings of food by local people for the 35 temples in Luang Prabang. Tourists watching this ceremony has become more frowned upon locally as so many Chinese tourists behave inappropriately during it. Discussing it with the hotel owners, they didn’t tell us not to go but suggested that it just feels a bit invasive as it is an actual religious part of life here and not a tourist attraction. Whilst we have always been welcomed by the monks into the temples with big smiles and bows, we would hate to do anything disrespectful so we left the Chinese to it.

The following morning, we took a minivan (full of 20 somethings and us😂) north to Nong Khiaw- a small town in the mountains. We stayed in floating bungalows which, though basic, were very clean with the most amazing views. We did some fantastic hikes to viewpoints here which were totally worth it when we got to the top. Callum nearly walked into the biggest spider ever on one but has now proved that he’s over his fear of heights as he hopped up onto the concrete block for the photo no bother at all.

Despite our tired legs and the fact that the free mountain bikes had no gears with concrete feeling tyres, we headed out into the undulating countryside to a cave that was used by the locals to hide out in during the Indo-Chinese war between 1964 and 1974. They were both cavernous in places and also very tight and windy. Poor Callum; heights and small spaces in one day – I really pushed him that day 🤣! What made it worse, was when we were in the second small cave, we spotted leeches on our ankles that were far more attracted to Callum than me. He renamed the cave and we had to stop and deleech when we arrived back at the bomb crater at the start. Must be love, if I’m willing to deleech my husband!

Next, we’re returning to Luang Prabang for a night including a trip up Mount Phousi and a massage for our calves before heading, with the 20 somethings I’m sure, to Vang Vieng by Chinese bullet train!