Our final stop in Laos, a picturesque UNESCO-listed town where we were bewitched by the local scenery, dazzled by the local food and made utterly relaxed by the local Lao massage
Once a small village, then an American air strip, later a traveller's heaven, now a black hole for backpackers who want to watch 'Friends'... thankfully the scenery was not spoiled
We enjoyed a home-stay in a lovely, friendly village named Ban Kong Lo for a few days... exploring the famous cave and underground lake, and carving up the dance floor at the local temple festival!
Our first dip in the Mekong to explore the mystically titled 'Land of Four Thousand Islands', or in Laotian - Si Phan Don. (I think we managed to find 3 islands, just 3997 short...)
Described as the most relaxed capital city in the world, Vientiane - on the Mekong - certainly lived up to its reputation for life lived at slow-boat's pace