My first two days in Laos were spent cruising down the Mekong River to get from the Thai border to the beautiful city of Luang Prabang. While this "slow boat" option certainly was slow, it gave plenty of time to look at the river scenery and I met three people on it with whom I would spend the rest of my time in Laos. So overall it was a good introduction to my third South-East Asian country.
Luang Prabang is a riverside city that I found perfect for drinking fruit shakes in the morning, cycling in the countryside during the day, then strolling through the night market before drinks in one of the bars overlooking the river. My afternoon relaxing in the multi-level natural pools that are at the base of a waterfall outside Luang Prabang
was only topped by the day I spent at an elephant sanctuary. There are plenty of opportunities for elephant riding in Asia, but often the elephants seem to be kept in relatively poor conditions. Therefore I was happy to pay a bit extra at the sanctuary for a full day of riding, feeding and bathing the elephants. Sitting on an elephant's head as she fully submerged herself in a river was an unforgettable experience. 
Then it started to rain. And it didn't stop for three days. The typhoon that left scores dead in southern China caused the Mekong to rise rapidly washing away bridges and, to the grave disappointment of backpackers, the riverside bars in Vang Vieng. Like the full moon parties on Thai islands and Khao San Road in Bangkok, tubing down the river in Vang Vieng while drinking at the bars along the way is known by all backpackers travelling in this region as a place to party. For many it seems tubing is the only reason to come to Laos. Despite my mis-givings about some of the people that Vang Vieng attracts, I decided to go because I had heard so much about the tubing and, to be fair, it sounded fun.But alas the river was too dangerous. So I went there, spent a day playing cards looking at the the flood, and then my bus out was held up for nine hours in the middle of nowhere due to a landslide blocking the road. Oh well, at least I now have a typhoon and landslide story.
Given that I have so much time overall, I feel bad that I only spent eight days in Laos, all very much on the tourist trail. But I have just one month left before going back to Australia so I decided to spend most of it in my next stop: Vietnam.
and the new (the open air Dome Sky Bar on the top of a skyscraper, as featured in The Hangover 2, is the bar with the best view that I've ever had a drink in).
This juxtaposition of old and new was most clearly evident when I got the traditional canal boat to an area full of modern shopping malls. Shopping, whether in the maze of stalls in Chinatown or those modern malls, is a big part of life in Bangkok.
Continuing with doing my mind and body some good, I went three hours further north to the town of Pai for two days of yoga. While realising that I've a long way to go in terms of improving my flexibility, I enjoyed doing yoga, although the head-stand was a bit painful and disorientating.
I had thought that I needed to take a break from constantly travelling. But now that I'm in South-East Asia, there is so much to do and see that I want to keep moving to see as much as possible. So after doing the meditation and yoga, I've decided to head east from northern Thailand to Laos.
sharks, turtles, octopus (and so much more incredible marine life during two days of scuba diving around the world class islands of Mabul and Sipidan - a highlight of my entire travels to date), and Borneo's most famous wild residents - orang-utans.
I failed to see the elusive Pygmy Elephant, but coming across its footprints in the wild on the banks of the Kinabatangan river was surprisingly exciting.
