Laos-Rain,rain and more rain...we loved it!

After a rain soaked day spent in our tarp shrouded longboat we arrived in Luang Prabang anxious for a hot shower and warm food, instead we were greeted by a hard, steady downpour. A smallish town inundated with tourists, it took a few hours of walking around in the rain before we found a room, which we shared with a couple we met on the boat, Patrick and Debbie from the Netherlands. We moved the next day, but spent the next ten days travelling with them. The town, a world heritage site, was quaint and a bit more polished than expected. The temples and historic sites were nice, but not exceptional or particularly striking. The highlight was the outdoor night food market. Grilled whole fish, donuts(neither of which we tried), bbq, beer and assorted oddities were prepared in stalls lining a small alley off of one of the main streets. Everything we did have was great and only wish we found it sooner. Our next stop, praised among backpackers we met as an oasis of outdoor fun(rafting, rock climbing, tubing, biking, caving) beckoned. After a ten hour bus ride, a winding tour through jagged, lush mountains and valleys blanketed with clouds, which included a five hour rest stop(it broke down)and a wicked game of Uno, we arrived in Vang Vieng and so did the rain. A massive storm swamped SeAsia and China and us with it. Six straight days of cold rain had even the locals shaking their heads. We weren't able to do anything we went there to do,but that turned out to be just fine. It may be hard to understand for most everyone, but it was a much needed break. Constantly on the move, this was the first time in quite a while that we were able to settle down and find some sort of perspective. That said, we would have taken at least one day of nice weather to do something. Another bus ride, a sick Bevin and a nights stay in Vientiane and we were off to our next stop...Saigon and Tet, Happy New Year, or as the Vietnamese proclaim Chuc Mung Nam Moi!