After a two day, 300 kilometre journey down the Mekong River we've arrived sore arsed in the ancient temple city of Luang Prabang, Laos. Packed like white sardines, Ellen, I and about fifty Europeans made the trip sitting on hard little plank seats in a boat that was built for thirty people.

When we entered Laos, we changed $80 worth of US money into Kip, the currency
of Laos . In return we got two pounds or about 3 inches of paper money- just
over $800,000 Kip. For another twenty bucks we could have been millionaires.

Today we spent the morning visiting Buddhist temples, which are called Wats. Wats all have first names of course, and we narrowly missed getting into an Abbott and Costello 'Who's on first' skit when we visited one called 'That What'.

In Laos, they've come up with a nifty solution in dealing with their closet size bathrooms. They got rid of the shower stall idea altogether and placed the shower head on the wall beside the toilet. You can make toilet and give yourself a good cleaning all at the same time. Just what we need back home for those busy people on the go.

While eating lunch today at an outdoor cafe by the banks of the Mekong, I wondered aloud why there were so many cute little puppies but no big dogs.
"Isn't the Mekong snapper and rice great. I think that we should order it again for dinner." Ellen said, with an eat your food and 'be quiet' look on her face.

Why does she keep making me eat the snapper? She knows I don't like fish.