A return visit to a favourite destination, this time with my friend, Leonie, and leaving Philip behind in Bangkok after his own journey to Nepal.

Leonie and I took a first class sleeper carriage on the overnight train from Bangkok to Nong Khai in Thailand, just near the Mekong River border into Laos. Another train carried us the short distance over the Friendship Bridge into Laos, where we alighted to pass through immigration with tourists from different parts of the world. A shared taxi delivered us to the door of our hotel in Vientiane. Late in the afternoon we joined the strollers on the newly built and very extensive paved promenade and steps, high above the rather distant Mekong, and watched a spectacular sunset.

We spent two full days exploring Vientiane before leaving on the day's bus journey to the beautiful city of Luang Prabang.... the bus journey a wonderful experience in itself, winding up and around through misty limestone mountains and small villages, the halfway point being Vang Vieng, an increasingly popular destination in Laos.

Luang Prabang is a UNESCO World Heritage listed town and sits at the confluence of the Mekong and Nam Kahn rivers. We stayed at Villa Santi, the old restored and converted home of the last princess. Our room on this occasion was in the newly and sympathetically built annexe. We particularly enjoyed the excellent breakfasts served upstairs each morning in the dining room leading on to the balcony which overlooks the main street. Exploring the town is easy walking,down the main street and to either side where the roads follow the banks of each river.