Luang Prabang, and a bit of Vang Vieng

Yeah, sure I could post pics of the brown Mekong that looks just like the Fraser (except with catfish and frogs), but I'd rather try to post some pics of what really goes on in Laos. So I regularly pass out at 4pm if I start drinking beer at noon ($1 gets a 640ml beer) and valium is legal (no...I don't take it every day....).
Oh, and also we went to cooking school.
Basically, I think Laos is awesome - You just relax, drink beer, and enjoy sleeping. The bars shut early but the fridge is easily stocked. I haven't even been to the turquoise waterfalls surrounding Luang Prabang (although I intend to go). So far it's just been temples, caves, scenery, and bars. And yeah, Laos is awesome. People say Thailand is overdone, and I agree. Vietnam has a bit of bad rep, and that's what I've heard from others. Laos is best described as forgotten. It's just cheap, beautiful, and, well, everyone should visit at least once.

As for Vang Vieng...Well, that place is just insane. The most expensive hotel is $14 a night, and most bars give you free whiskey. It's insane, you're always drunk, and there are far too many aussies (in my opinion a bad thing). I dislocated my shoulder on a rope swing, but I don't regret it at all. Everyone has to do a ridiculously high rope swing in a country without proper hospitals...

Vientiane, Laos

Vientiane. The capital of Laos. Everything is closed by midnight. The city is beautiful, the people are friendly and relaxed, and the beer is wonderful (and costs $1 or less).

Two more days in this city then we're heading north to Van Vieng for some drunken river tubing

Koh Samui...

Beaches, bars, food, mopeds. That's Asia I suppose. But Thailand is just a little bit different...
I'm only posting this pic because I think it's absolutely hilarious. And before you even think it, the only thing I bought was a photo (30 cents)

And....Then this landed on our table one evening

What a shot, huh?

Back in time posting...

Ok ok so I didn't do a lot of updates in Indonesia. We're in Thailand now, so this post is a little bit chronologically askew. It's not that I didn't want to post blog updates, it's just that in Indonesia the word "internet" is slang for "please just print your pics/letters, put them in a bottle, throw them into the ocean and hope they arrive. It will be faster."

I just wanted to post a quick pic (for the sake of making others jealous) of the beach in Gili Meno, Lombok. The island is essentially deserted besides for a few locals and some really rustic beach huts. The beaches are simply stunning. The only way to get there is via old, rickety half-sunken boat.

Please disregard the fool with the tanned beer gut.

Koh Samui, Thailand

I'm so glad to be out of Indonesia. Don't get me wrong, it was awesome, but I was getting a little depressed by all the garbage and the expensive hotel rooms (plus the locals are ruthless). We left Bali on August 23rd, spent one night in Singapore (I love Singapore), then took a train to Kuala Lumpur (also an amazing city!). From Kuala Lumpur we took an overnight sleeper train ($40 each for a private cabin with A/C, 2 beds, a sink, and snacks) to Hat Yai, Thailand. From there we took a bus and ferry to Koh Samui. The total journey was almost 1400km and took 2 days, but was worth it. Koh Samui, in my opinion, is just plain awesome. Our hotel is incredible even by western standards (and a steal at $10.50 each per night). We're 100m from the beach, which is pretty spectacular in itself (although the water is a bit cloudy this time of year).
Today we're just exploring, tomorrow we'll catch a muay thai boxing match, the day after is elephant riding day, and then we'll be hopping over to the island of Koh Phangan. Expect more blog posts now that the internet isn't slow-as-shit-indonesian-dial-up.

our daily snorkeling/beer drinking/pineapple eating spot

This is Senggigi Beach in Lombok, Indonesia. It's high season, so there might be 12 people there hahaha! The water in the background is a sheltered lagoon. The waves break about 200 feet off shore, leaving a protected reef that's fairly shallow and full of fish.