23rd April

A three hour bus ride today in a VIP air conditioned bus. They squeezed people into every seat. At least it was just tourists and we didn't have to share with any wild life. 

We arrived to a very hot Vang Vieng and went straight to our accommodation at Lao Valhalla Bungalows. The rooms are lovely and spacious, decorated in bamboo. There are only six bungalows at Valhalla, but it also has a restaurant. 

Each room has a king size bed and they added in an extra single bed for Addison. The rooms have heaps of windows that you can open for a great breeze - no need to worry about the mozzies as the bats eat them all.

The views from our accommodation are stunning. The gardens are lush and tropical while in the distance you can see the limestone karst mountains.

22nd April

Our accommodation in Vientiane is very simple - a backpackers hostel. The town of vientiane is not very impressive - quite dusty. 

We arranged a tour with a local man in an air conditioned mini van. It was a nice relief to have the col as outside it was about 38oC. 

We travelled to many of the local tourist places - Buddha Park, Pha That Luang (Temple), Wat Si Saket, (Great sacred Temple), Patuxai (copy of the arc di triumph in Paris), 

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For lunch our driver took us to a local restaurant where we had the local soup. It was very delicious - except for the trip and osoephagus! Not that they tasted bad - but the had a strange texture.

One of the places we visited was the cope centre. This is where the victims of disused mines are able to get prosthetic limbs. 

In the afternoon Peter rented a bike while we stayed in the room beneath the air conditioning. In the evening we ventured out to the night markets - Nick was able to get himself some soccer tops, so he was very happy. We were able to get some fresh coconut drinks and locally cooked chicken. Many touristy souvenirs and locally made items. A mix of local items and knock-offs.

21St April

Jordyn and I went for a bike ride this morning to see the countryside. Of course - when we saw that a local masseuse was open we knew it was a good opportunity to relax. An hour later we were back on the road after a foot massage and nail paint.

When we arrived at the airport (2 hours before our flight) we found out the flight was 3 hours late. Not such a big problem except we had a connecting flight to Laos. 

Well - the Vietnam airline staff were very helpful. They arranged for us to be on the next flight. Unfortunately boarding had closed and the flight had to be delayed just for us. Bags quickly transferred on and then we were off to Hanoi to get our connecting flight. A very quick goodbye to the other families and then we were gone.

From Ha noi we flew with Lao airlines to Vientiane.

20Th April

Today is a special day - Addison's birthday. This morning we caught a boat to Cham Island to do some snorkelling and relaxing on the beach. On the way the boat stopped so we could have a snorkel. When the kids exclaimed how cold the water was I knew it was definitely too cold for me. I stayed in the boat and watched Peter and the kids snorkelling. Apparently the water was also murky and visibility not too good. Although Peter still managed to chase some poor surprised sea creatures.

At Cham Island we were allocated an area of seating for our group and we went for a swim. Large areas of the beach are fenced - I think because so many of the visitors are from Asia and can't swim.

The boat ride

Sticky rice with coconut

In addition to the cold swim the kids all got to parasail - Nick and Lachlan Wells were the first to go up. Then everyone wanted to have a go. 

When we got back to our accommodation - the hotel had arranged a cake for Addison. So pretty and the kids loved to share it with her.

A big group to wish Addison Happy Birthday

For dinner our group of family and friends travelled into Hoi An to see the full moon festival - where the town is decorated in papers lanterns which are light up . 

Hoi An - full moon festival

Rice Pancake

The full moon

Addison Birthday dinner @ The Chef Restaurant

Sunday 17th

The flight to Da Nang was short - only 1 hour. The car travel from Da Nang to Hoi An also one hour. The motel is very impressive. Lots of marble and shiny surfaces - the pool looks great.

Today we caught the shuttle bus into Old Town Hoi An. We paid a small fee to be able to see into the old historical buildings - although the kids didn't have to pay. The historical bridge was made by the Japanese about 300 years ago. The buildings are very nice - even though most of them are full of tourist items.

We all met together - the 47 of us and had dinner at the motel.

Nick is keen to find more soccer shirt shops, but there don't seem to be many here.

Monday 18th

The next day we made a trip to My Son sanctuary - a world heritage site. It is very beautiful and they are still excavating which you can witness. Some of the ruins are between 600 and 1400 years old.

Tuesday 19th
Our trip to marble mountain was interesting. We were taken to the obligatory marble factory where they encouraged us to buy some locally made item. Nick wanted a pig for $43 but we convinced him to buy the cheap $3 owl. Not the same quality - but much easier on the pocket!

Inside the caves it was very different to what you see in Australia - the cave has been converted into two sections. One area (the bottom) is for hell- complete with sculptures of people being tortured or killed in many horrendous ways. Of course - the top section is heaven - depicting some much more pleasant scenes. Walking on the marble is a challenge - so smooth that it is slippery.

The lighting of the caves is amusing. It is like a disco in bad taste...the pictures son't show how gaudy it is.

That evening Peter and Jordyn joined the others to do a cooking course, so Addison, Nick, Shane and I headed into town to have dinner and a look around town. We even splurged and went on a touristy cyclo ride.