Vang Vieng - Vientiane

I went back to the organic farm restaurant for breakfast, this time ordering a mulberry pancake, which was quite tasty. After breakfast, I took all my luggage and went to the travel agent to wait for the pickup that would take me to the river for kayaking. I was dismayed to see that we would be using a songthiaew for the transportation. For some reason, every time I have gone in one for a long drive, I have gotten severe motion sickness. It was no different on this trip, and I felt quite ill by the time we arrived. We began kayaking on the river and went through a total of three rapids, which were quite fun, before stopping for lunch at some rocks on the side of the river. The two guides grilled kebabs for us, which took ages. I would have preferred a sandwich so we didn't have to wait for so long with nothing to do! While waiting for the food, we saw several other groups come down the river, including one that had most of their kayaks capsize on the rapids nearby. Apparently capsizing is a regular occurrence, and I am very glad that our group managed to avoid it. Following lunch we took off again on a rather placid stretch of the river. Ir was incredibly sunny at this point, and I felt my legs burning, but had not put any sun screen on. I've never been burned on my legs before, but the nature of the kayaks (with the legs sticking out front), ensured that they were fully exposed to the sun. I went swimming in the river for a bit as well. For the transfer to Vientiane, we were picked up by an overloaded Songthiaew. I had to share a seat in the front with a Lao woman. It was very uncomfortable. I also began to feel my legs burning at this point, and knew I had a horrible sunburn. after two hours of agony, we finally arrived in Vientiane, where I wandered around, looking for a hotel. The first one I went to was full, but the second had one single room left. I was very lucky to have gotten this room, because I saw lots of people wearing backpacks wandering around the city while finding a place to eat. I ate a Lao restaurant recommended in the Lonely Planet. I ordered a noodle dish, and the waitress laughed at me when I was eating it wrong. Apparently, I was supposed to mix it up first before eating.