| and was running down the walls past the electric sockets and fans too. Then it started hailing ice and the noise from the thunder was deafening, we couldn't hear each other speak! It lasted almost an hour and then calm and peace was restored! The curry was delicious though - ate far too much as usual! 9th May 2006 Left Vang Vieng and instead of getting a bus to Vientienne we all decided to do a two day kyaking trip there. So we packed up and headed off in a large tuk tuk for an hour before getting to the river. Holly and I decided to share a double kayak and struggled to go forward - we just kept zig zagging! I think we were paddling for about an hour and a half before we stopped just before a huge rapid. Holly and I were last to get there obviously and spectacularly capsized in front of everyone as we turned into the side of the river! Everyone went seperately over the rapid after instructions from our guide. The girls went in the double kayaks with a guide - thank goodness, because there's no way I'd have made it on my own! Most capsized, but Terry didn't and thanks to my guide I didn't either - phew!!! Holly got caught in a whirlpool after she capsized and was a bit shook up, but fine! We sat on the bank for lunch and kept dipping into the river because it was so hot. When we continued Holly and I each got a double kayak and a guide which made it a lot easier! Stopped again further down stream to do some cliff jumping - took a lot of courage and there was no way I was going up, especially after seeing the boys hesitating! Terry just went straight up and in, Holly did it for the girls, and poor Ollie jumped and then got bitten by a fish so came up with his toe teeming with blood! Further along we stopped for the day and all sat in the river while the guides loaded the kayaks onto a tuk tuk. We all jumped into the tuk tuk with all our bags too - very squashed - and were taken to our guesthouse for the night, which overlooked some lakes. 10th May 2006 Back to the river for three hours more kayaking! Carla & Cliff had the kayak without a cover for the back storage compartment and so capsized on one of the smaller rapids, so because I was in a double with a guide we had to swap with them mid river! So I ended up in the sunken one with the guide and therefore had to stop frequently to empty it out! Was hard work in the heat, but the guides kept splashing everyone and then Tracey negotiated a couple of beers on the bank for us! After lunch we had two/three hour journey, crammed in the tuk tuk to Vientienne - the driver kept stopping to pick up locals even though wasn't really enough room for us as it was! Took ages to find somewhere to stay in Vientienne and discovered it is a lot more expensive. 11th May 2006 Met the girls and Ian to go to the market while Terry had a massage. Market wasn't very good and it was extremely hot, so in the afternoon Tracey, Carla, Cliff and I went to the swimming pool in a posh hotel to laze around until another thunderstorm! Terry and the others went for a 'few drinks'...... our last night together, but they didn't make it to the meeting point so half of us had dinner together before stumbling across the others a couple of hours later - slightly worse for wear. A rather messy night ensued what with Ollie's antics - I gave up and went to bed while Terry stayed out to make sure everyone was ok! 12th May 2006 Our last day in laos - met everyone for lunch and found Dorothy too (she'd been on the boat and in Loung Phrabang with us - an 'older' lady, who decided to travel after her husband died). Then said sad farewells as we all went in different directions. Terry and I caught an overnight bus to Bangkok - first one since South America. Managed to sleep but not very comfy and we stopped for dinner at 1.30am! 13th May 2006 Arrived in Bangkok at 5.30am and got to our guesthouse and slept for a couple of hours. Spent the day sorting things out and spending lots of money! Booked a flight to India, a flight to Phuket, confirmed diving and accom in Phuket and then found ourselves being measured for suits! Finally got back to the guesthouse with a much lighter purse and went for dinner at the organic place down the road - been waiting for their yellow curry for ages! After, we managed to watch the FA cup final at our guesthouse - can't believe how well West Ham did, gutted that they lost! 14th May 2006 Decided to go to Chatachuk Weekend Market as it had been recommended, but found it huge, crowded and overwhelming, but despite the size we managed to bump into Rachel (from the Laos group) and discovered it was her last day and she was trying to waste time before going to the airport! So she joined us and after getting fed up with the market we headed for Khoa San and bumped into Dave, Alan and Ollie! Had a beer with them and Terry got his hair cut rather short and then we decided to go to Patpong to experience the local culture! As soon as we stepped out of the taxi we were badgered by people offering us 'ping pong shows'. When we went into one it was the most seedy, degrading thing! An experience that everyone does when in Bangkok, but it won't be repeated by any of us! Back to Khoa San for a drink before waving Rachel off to the airport and leaving the boys again! 15th May 2006 Spent the morning sorting out our bags and all the bits we've bought, then hung around the guesthouse before leaving for the airport (with plenty of time to spare so we don't miss the flight) and flying to Phuket! Arrived in Phuket and easily spotted the package holiday makers with their football shirts! Got the bus into town - it didn't feel like Thailand, too westernised! Checked into our hostel, which was a lot more money than usual, but had a nice room and free internet and DVDs. 16th May 2006 Hung around the hostel making full use of the free internet etc unti lwe got picked up and taken to Khoa Lak and from there to the liveaboard boat headed for the Similan Islands. |