After an enjoyable 3 nights in Luang Prabang, we are off by high speed train to Vang Vieng.

The train experience proved to be very eventful, but not necessarily for the best reasons. After arriving at the Chinese run train station, we had an hour to spare, so Andy, Marc and Ryan (two of the other guys on our tour) decided to find a table to play cards to idle away the time. After 5mins we were approached by one of the security officers who proceeded to ask for the cards and innocently Andy thought they might want to play. The truth was altogether different, they explained to our guide that we needed to go to their interview room as they claimed we were gambling, an illegal offence in public. Next thing the boys are off in a room with 2 officers talking about who knows that, with threats of being taken to jail! As it turns out they were looking for money in order for us to ‘get out of trouble’. After 15mins in the room, we each had to pay a ‘fine’ of 200,000 kip (£10) to be released. Not a pleasant experience and to make matters worse they kept the playing cards……!

Once on the train the 1hr journey was thankfully trouble free and we soon hit a travelling speed of 161kph – lightning fast by Laos standards.

It was a hot day on our arrival in Vang Vieng, so within 10mins we had unpacked and we hit the hotel pool to enjoy the views of the river and mountains.

Lunch was at a nearby cafe called Naked Coffee where we indulged in a proper caffeine fix along with a proper chicken sandwich.

After a little downtime back at the hotel pool, it was off to do some kayaking on the river.

And then we were off, down the river for a 2hr/12k route back to our hotel.

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What a fantastic way to see the countryside – also good fun mucking around in the water, with the occasional water fight with the instructors & Marc et al.

Andy being the competitive type, got a little cocksure through one of the rapids and he and his co-pilot ended up turning the kayak over and they went for an early swim in the river. Thankfully no damage done and they were soon back at the front of the pack.

This evening we went for dinner at a restaurant in town. On the way we had a look around and took in a night market and watched the kids playing in the street.

As we reached the restaurant the skies turned dark and within a matter of minutes the heavens opened and a biblical rain descended.

As the rain fell, we indulged in some cocktails from the dry of the restaurant.

The Laos rice dishes were a big hit and we tucked in accompanied by Andy’s new find, Laos IPA.

Tomorrow we are off on a morning walk along the river and to some nearby caves, before having the rest of the day to go solo and either chill by the pool or try out another water sport.