Northern Laos

We cycled two days north of Vientiane, stopping in Na Nom, to Vang Vieng, where we spent three days.

The view from our balcony.

"Ohmygaw! Rachel dumped Ross!

Vang Vieng is either a backpackers dream, or nightmare. It is covered with tour companies, internet cafes, massage parlors, souvenir shops and restaurants. Many eateries are like the one above with beds and TV's running western movies and TV shows... why somebody would come all the way to Laos to sit around, eat pizza and watch reruns of "Friends" is beyond me. We met a Lao tourist that said she felt like she was in a different country because there were more westerners than Lao people.

Vang Vieng is located next to a river and surrounded by dramatic karst limestone cliffs. There are tons of outdoor activities to enjoy. Most people take tubes down the river picking beers up at bars along the water. I spent a day rock climbing were I climbed the hardest grade I have ever climbed, did my first lead climb, and later had my first fall off a lead climb... but I'm okay! Thanks to Adam and Sy.

After Vang Vieng we headed north into the mountains of Laos for three days towards Luang Prabang. The last few days were the most challenging days as they were mostly uphill and we averaged close to 100 kms a day. But the challenge was well worth it as we experienced some spectacular scenery and came into contact for the first time with the colorful H'mong people.

Hello!

Mondo's cousins

We think we found which specific H'mnog village Mondo (our dog) came from. The entire village was populated almost exclusively with Mondo clones! Other villages had versions of him too in this region.

It just keeps going up.