If the world were run by teenagers, it'd look something like Vang Vieng, Laos.

Off on another Southeast Asia adventure.

Tuesday night we left for Vientianne, the capitol of Laos.  We only stayed there a few hours before heading up to Vang Vieng, our final desitnation for the day.  We saw a pretty sweet archway though that looked very European.  Another "France was here" emblem, similar to the Hotel de Ville in Ho Chi Minh.

After a few harrowing hours trying to find transportation, we made it up to Vang Vieng.  This is a magical place where you can sit and eat and watch Friends for hours and then head over to the Mekong and go "tubing" whilst looking at beautiful limestone formations.  There are bars along the liver and you can either just go to those, or tube along the river as well.  Our group tubed the first day but got way too late a start and had to get out I don't know how far down the river because it got dark and cold.

The next day almost our entire travel group left for Luang Prabang, a UNESCO World Culture Heritage Site.  I stayed with two others and met up with other Thammasat kids who had just arrived.  We just hit up the bars the second day, which was also a ton of fun.

Vang Veng is a very cool city.  I get that it's not everyone's cup of tea, but it's so laid back and relaxed that you could totally get stuck there for awhile and not notice the days pass you by.  I've never seen more backpacks and dreadlocks in my life, or watched as much Friends.  I am now a huge fan of the show.

Saturday morning we all headed up to Luang Prabang.  That was the absolute worst bus ride of my life.  We got on the jankiest bus without AC, only windows, for 7 hours of the windiest, bumpiest road I have ever taken.  Then it started raining and we had to close the windows and it got SO stuffy.

Once in the city I was so relieved to see everyone.  I was only there for 24 hours but still fit in the most beautiful waterfall in the world.  We had to climb up the steepest hill in the world to get to this "secret spot."  It also involved climbing up a waterfall.  Yes, I, Lindsay Jean Orr, climbed up a mountain and a waterfall.  Just call me Mother Nature.

We're now in Chiang Mai and the trip here was intense: 13 hour bus to the border, sketchy boat ride across the river, and a 7 hour bus to Chiang Mai.  Traveling in Laos is difficult to say the least, but I loved my time there.

Now we're just preparing for Songkran: the Thai new year which turns into a nationwide water fight.  Chiang Mai is supposed to be the cultural hub of Thailand and from what I can see it's living up to it's name.

Pictures to come once I get home and upload them to my computer.  Happy New Year!