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Leaving the sheltered world of Siem Reap behind we flew to Luang Prabang, nestled in the Northern Laos hills. The flight in took us right over the Mekong river and the views of the surrounding lush jungle were stunning. The town is a sleepy provincial capital, full of French colonial buildings and dotted with orange robed Buddhist monks from the many local monasteries. We were shocked not to be mobbed by any tuk tuk drivers upon our arrival at the airport and actually had to ask for directions to the taxi stand. This was our first taste of the laid back national culture and was a breath of fresh air after the frenzy of salesmen we encountered it Cambodia and Vietnam. Eager to see some of the country before we succumbed to this chilled lifestyle we signed up for a two day hike and kayak tour.  It took around 30 minutes of trekking through the sweltering jungle to wish we’d taken the easier option straight away. However, despite being drenched with sweat and sharing our home stay bed with a variety of giant spiders, visiting the remote village tribes was a great experience and seeing the hardships of their daily lives really put our own cushy routines into perspective. Thankfully our guide spared us the barbecued rat supper.

The following day we kayaked to a beautiful set of cascading waterfalls for a welcome opportunity to wash off all the salt we’d accumulated during the trek. A three hour peaceful paddle in the kayaks took us back to the outskirts of Luang Prabang and that’s when we hit the rapids. The guides gave us some brief tuition but didn’t ease our fears with their now very serious attitudes. Paddling furiously in an attempt to keep the kayak upright we blasted through the waves and even started to enjoy ourselves after we’d survived the first few terrifying sets.