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.
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