Leaving Laos

Well, we just arrived in Ventiane, the capitol of Laos, after a 10 hour bus ride from Luang Prabang. We decided to skip touristy Vang Vieng altogether, and we're both feeling ready to leave the country. It's been an amazing time, particularly the boat ride and the trekking experiences. The mountainous scenery here is absolutely spectacular, and the ride between Luang Prabang and Vang Vieng in particular was gorgeous.

Yesterday, our last day in Luang Prabang, I went to Kwangsi Waterfall, which has numerous drops totalling about 300 feet. Lime-gray pools of water, trees growing from the rocks, the limestone warped into strange and beautiful shapes by the flow of water. It was exactly what I needed after a few soul-searching days in Luang Prabang. After being so off the beaten path with our boat ride, the amount of tourism in L.P. was quite a culture shock. It's fortunate that the town has so much charm and I enjoyed wandering around the city's temples and along the Mekong River.

Ventiane, on the other hand, is gritty and urban, at least for Laos. It's full of strange Communist propaganda, moldy motel rooms, and eclectic but interesting cuisine (we watched a beautiful sunset while eating at a Lao-Russian place on the Mekong).

We've been debating what to do next-- either crossing into Cambodia or going down to Ko Chang in Thailand. We'll spend the day in Ventiane tomorrow and then go from there. Spending some time at the beach is sounding appealing to both of us.