Laos.. what a great place for excitement and adventure. I spent about three weeks there and had a brilliant time. I had a week in an area called the 4000 Islands on the mighty Mekong River (about four hours by bus from the town of Pakse). It is a part of the river that stretches from Southern Laos into North Eastern Cambodia and is dotted with tiny little islands all along the way. There is not a great deal to see in Pakse itself but lots to see out on the islands. I stayed on Don Khong which was okay but the two most popular islands are Don Det and Don Khon, a little further down stream with their pretty river front guest houses and little villages . Everybody commutes between islands by long boat and it's the cheapest way to go. Note.. most places do not have the facilities for credit cards so bring cash. The people are quite friendly but perhaps there is a larger language barrier than what I experienced with people in Cambodia. The picture at the top is of the largest waterfall (in Asia) along the Mekong called Khone Papheng and the power in that water is just immense. You can get tours to the waterfalls and other attractions from most guest houses and tourist spots on the islands. After leaving the 4000 Islands I caught a flight out of Pakse up to Luang Prabang in the north of Laos. Now that is a charming place. I headed out to the old French quarter on the peninsular (where two rivers merge) and it was simply beautiful. All the old French Colonial buildings have been Heritage listed and converted into the most exquisite guest houses you could ever come across (second photo). They start from about $10.00 USD a night (no breakfast and not too classy) to $350.00 USD for something over the top but you can get a beautiful place for around $25.00 USD per night including breakfast and a friendly smile. The Mekong meanders through the hills and highlands and it is so picturesque. There is lots to do including boat tours up the river, visiting the temples, arms for the Buddhist monks at six in the morning (recommended) and beautiful clubs and restaurants for the nightlife. Here's the funny part.. the whole town shuts down at 11.30pm every night. It's a communist country and they run a curfew along with the fact that they need to keep the place tranquil for the monasteries. But the good part is the bowling alley stays open till 3am! It also doubles as the nightclub and is the only place in town you can continue to party. That's great because everybody ends up going there to kick on and you sure do make a load of new friends easy. I was partying on with my new friends Kyla and Christie from Canada and the good Dr Jeff from the US. Note the bowling pins in the back ground of the third photo.. how funny. What ever you do, you must not miss out on the Kuangsi Waterfall Park about 25 kilometers out of Luang Prabang. The fourth picture is of the Kuangsi Waterfall and it is so beautiful. Don't forget your towel and bathers because the swimming holes are a little walk down river and it is perfect relief from the tropical heat. Do not.. climb up the track heading up the side of the waterfall.. it's a killer climb in the heat and there is absolutely nothing there. Hey, I hope you guys get to see some of the things I've seen and Laos is definitely right up there in the top ten. Cheers..