SLOW BOATS & MONK BUSINESS

After 3 days of full-on action in the jungle, the 2 day slow boat to Luang Prabang was just what we all needed. Not the most comfortable of rides, but a few beers and games of chess & backgammon took our minds off the small, hard wooden benches. The overnight stop was spent in a small riverside village, where the electricity was only on between 6pm-10pm everyday. We had a great curry in an Indian-run restaurant overlooking the river, followed by a few night caps & banana pancakes, then back to our guest house for a pitch-black, cold shower! That night, we could hear the geckos in our room, but we couldn't see them...

After another 9 hours on the boat, dodging whirlpools, jutting rocks & driftwood, we arrived in Luang Prabang (the old royal capital of Laos) the following evening and headed out to the pretty little streets for a water-buffalo steak and a wander through the market. The next morning, Dave & Ben got up at the crack of dawn to see the local monks collecting food & candy from the locals - a daily occurrence. They would eat most of this themselves, for breakfast & lunch (they don't eat after midday) and, if they felt like it, hand some out to the local poor kids.

After this, Dave & Ben walked up to a temple overlooking the town & rivers and then down into the grounds of the main temple, where they stumbled across a young novice monk, who was doing his English homework. He asked for some help and for the next hour or so, they found themselves answering many questions, such as 'Are there monks in England?' and 'What do they wear?'. The rest of the day was spent pottering around the town, visiting the Royal Palace and doing some shopping, before jumping into our privately-hired mini-van for the 7 hour journey through the mountains to Vang Vieng. This was a spectacular journey, whilst it was still light, and another one we shall never forget...