We are currently in Vietnam. Before coming here we were in Laos for about 11 days.  This was much longer than we planed on staying in Laos but since I got ill for 6 days we hung around Luang Prabang and then Vientiane, the capital.

We enjoyed a dip in the waterfall just 45 minutes outside of Luang Prabang.

Sadly, besides the waterfall, in Luang Prabang and Vientiane we only saw what went by while we drove in our tuk tuk from the bus station to our hotel and the shops on the hotel street. I was bed ridden. My symptoms included chills, slight fever, aching body, horrible constant headache, jaw pain, ear pain, eye pain, soar throat, occasional nausea and eventually diarrhea.

Chris swimming against the waterfall current.

Luang Prabang waterfall.

A tourist is brave enough to swing from a provided rope. Unfortunately he was not brave enough to let go and only milliseconds after this photo was taken he smashed into the tree. Â Rebounding off, he finally gathered the nerve to let go with the encouragement of onlooking tourists yelling at him to let go. Ouch! Painful.

Now eight days after first getting sick I am 98% cured. I finally feel like I have the energy to put up a blog post and to see more than one street of the city we are visiting.

During our long, long, long bus rides in Laos I tried to take a few photos out the window of the bus. Some worked. Most didn’t, but either way I wanted to share some with you. I find that even though they may be blurry they still tell a very interesting story.

Fields of Laos.

The nightly market of Luang Prabang. I could have bought so many things in this market like amazing bracelets, quilts, skirts, hippy pants, wooden masks and wall hangings. Everything was beautiful and attractive. Fortunately for my wallet, I got sick and didn't spend a cent.

An elderly Laos women waits by the side of the road.

We passed this family in our bus. I tried to capture a glimpse of their life.

Some young men and a toddler hang out by their vehicle parked on the Laos highway. The highway passed through many small towns. Their bamboo houses mere feet from the pavement and the roar of the bus.

Look at the size of this hanger! There were two of them in our hotel restroom in Luang Prabang, Laos. (crappy point-and-shoot photo by Chris)

Bears in a rehabilitation centre near Luang Prabang, Laos.

This statue is part of a temple in Vientiane, Laos.

Vientiane and the Mekong River from our hotel window.

Loas transportation and rice fields.