Laos, a return and an end to asia

When we last joined our hero, he was entering into Laos, about to finish his 40 day journey into the greater Mekong....

Laos was amazing. I didn't quite know what to expect from it at all, but it was awesome. We started of in the capital, vien tien, though it doesn't look much like a capital, very small and silent, everything closes very early. We did discover that if you order 3 pitchers opf beer, most places will give you your own mobile beer tap to pull em yourself! amazing fun! It was here that I had my first encounter with the scandinavian bakey chain (I say chain, but there are two in Laos. But that is a chain in Laos apparently). Its like subway but better. enough said.
Laos is an incredibly scenic country, breathtaking monoliths and mountains rise up of the ground everywhere you look, the rivers are wide and gorgeous and the jungles come straight out of indiana jones. Its a beautiful country.
In our next destination Vien Vieng, I didn't quite realise the backpacker-fest that was about to occur. You see, it has this wonderful invention of tubing. You rent a big inner tire tube, and float down the most beautiful river you've ever seen with mountains and jungles all around you. However, there are also 20 or so backpacker bars with cheap alchohol and the biggest, baddest rope swings you've ever seen, launching you into the water!!! plus plenty of party people around to play volleyball and table tennis, etc. The town itself is also very party central, A place called the smile bar is full of the party spirit and plenty of fun and interesting (though completley intoxicated) people to chat to and have a good time with! Plus I bought a batman jumper of a street seller! The rest of the town is hangover central with most of the cafes showing endless friends and the office episodes, and serving pizzas and sunday roasts and full english's. The party spirit really captured us all. Plus I got to update my Ipod! (Dane Cook , O Brother Where art THou Soundtrack, Johnny Cash Greatest Hits, and of course GTA Vice City Flash FM and VRock!)
After that we hit Laung Prabang, another national heritage site. The quiet market town mixed bookshops and bakeries (including another scandinavian one). It was here Me sam and a few others embarked on a 3 hour trek through the Laotian jungle, to get to the gorgeous waterfalls where we swam and swung on rope swings, it was a really magical experience.
Afterwards we started our journey to Chiang Mai in Thailand, where my asian journey would come to an end. It was my very own apocalypse now as I journyed down the river towards the Thai border.
We stayed a night on one island where the electricity turned off at 1030. Mix that with a huge thunderstorm, wind blowing things around the street, plus several dozen horror movie cliches and It felt a little unnerving. But I survived what was going to be 'I can hazard a guess at what you did last summer' to travel on to chiang mai. The border crossing was very easy, we were in Thailand mid morning and in Chiang Mai by mid afternoon.
On the way there, I visited the white temple. Now, I've seen a lot of temples in asia, I'm sure you've all seen plenty of pictures and know what your basic asian temple is or is meant to look like. Not this one. Its modern, and made compelty our of some white stone that glares in the eyes thanks to the intense sunlight. There are IMMENSLLY detailed statues of ferocious demons about to attack, a lake of hands coming out of the ground, looking as if they're grabbing at life itself, but its when you get inside the temple things get freaky. A massive, horrific fresco painting of a very modern hell, the familiar massive demons and dragons, but the've got m16's and bio-missiles for fingers and tentacles, and the twin towers stand burning, oil flowing our of them to feed some demon heads, and then at the bottom, a pair of converse shoes. A huge demons left eye had george bush in it and the right osama bin laden, and just when you think this is an anti west thing...is that...Neo? Thats right, Neo, Keanu Reeves from the matrix stands on a demons finger ready for action, an alien sits one end of the painting, a predator on the other side, pod racers and jabba the hut float oddly amongst the hellish chaos...what the hell is going on? is this a predicition of hell, a vision of the future, an anti west painitng, a buddhist temple, or one big pop culture painting?
Whatever it is, its the best temple ever.
For those that do want to look into it further it's called Wat Rong Khun and it has a wikipedia page.
First day in Chiang Mai, and me, Sam and one other meber of the groupp went elephant riding which was AMAZING! so much fun, the elephant reminded me of Poppy Langan (disobidient lazy and ALWAYS demanding food). We had our last group dinner that evening as most of the group was leaving the next day (today). I wandered around the night market, buying some black raybans for Cath (do you want some red ones too? and which size did you want small medium or large?) and an awesome Tin Tin T-shirt (well I'll of bought it by tonight hopefully).
Today me and sam had a capitalist day, starbucks (iced mochas with whipped cream rule), subway and of course, mcDonalds (DOUBLE BIG MAC!)
We fly tommorow, late afternoon. This is the end of our asia trip, I'll do a summarizing blog in the next day or so. This is a real crossroads for me and sam, in my mind we're halfway through, and yet theres so much to come and so much to look back on. Its gone so quickly...but I'll try and think of some meaningful stuff to put down in the next blog. Most of my entries are very brief diary entries essentially chirpy what I've been doing segments, so I'll try and make the next one a bit more personal. By the by Photos ar ebecoming harde rand harder to put on these blogs, so although I have lots of good ones, its just starting to take up too much damn time! Sam is especially frustrated with his useless card reader and websites, but we shall show you some good ones soon, he certainly plans to spend a day in an internet cafe as hes eager to show you some of his great shots. thanks, chums.
Now, which way to the airport...?

There now follows an intermission...