After the wet weather in South western China just prior to reaching Laos, it was a welcome relief to have some sun shine in Luang NamTha, albeit for a few hours. Most of us just spent the day relaxing or catching up with emails.We then got driven over to Nong Khiaw (Moung Ngoi). The road was windy and a few of us were very groggy (symptom of sea sickness). Moung Ngoi is a small village on the Nam Ou River which is one of the tributraries of Mekong.
Because of the size of our group, we were split up and stayed on either side of the bridge. The following morning we boarded two boats and sailed down the Nam Ou River (meeting the Mekong just before we reached our destination) to Luang Prabang. Here is Tim and Cheryl seeing us off at the boat ramp. 
And a quick wave from the other boat, and they were off:
Attached are some photos taken along the Nam Ou/Mekong River: 
Luang Prabang is touristy and their emphasis is on eco-tourism. With international help, they are doing it quite well. Le and I hired a couple of bicycles and went to the waterfall about 32km away.
It was challenging going there as it was mainly up hill as we got nearer to the waterfall. The killer was the heat and humidity that afternoon. The waterfall is truly beautiful. There is no other way of describing it. Pools formed by the limestone tarraces are deep and large enough for swimming.
Here is a photo of a flower taken at the waterfall park. Someone will be able to identify what it is:
The local market is always an interesting place to visit. Here some photos of the unusual things they sell: god knows what this is - looks like grubs in honeycomb
; mini crabs in circular cane baskets
; here is a live animal
and here are a couple of very dead ones
; this was Le's favourite food store (grilled fish).
The rain followed us into Laos and it rained most days. In Vang Vieng we checked into eco-conscious chalets over looking the Nam Song (river) and the limestone karsts - really pictureque.
In Vang Vieng, Le and I went out on a couple of hired bicycles again doing the loop recommended by the Lonely Planet. The road, for most parts, was similar to a dried river bed of stones and rocks. At minimum, the bicycles need to have very good shock absorbers. We lost our way a couple of times because it was not sigh-posted. Some sections of the "road", like these, are passible:
even though the locals had problem crossing
; and some streams (rivers, really) are simply not passible (if you are risk averse)
Next post .... Phu Hin Bun national park, boat ride through tunnel river 7km long .....
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