Still in Vang Vieng...

This place just doesn't let you leave! We originally planned for 2 nights here.. but after tonight, we'll have been here for 6! I blame the 2 days of crappy rainy weather though. I can see why some Westerners just stay here permanently and work in the bars for free food & accommodation. As much as I really want to leave and keep on going.. I also kinda want to stay..... hopefully the spell will be broken once we hop on the bus to Luang Prabang tomorrow.

Our time is running out waaaaaaay too quickly. The first half of our trip we took so slowly because we felt like we had soo long overseas... and now it's like AAARGH where has our time gone?! We need more time!! We're definitely going to have to come back! Why can't we just be millionaires now and just travel as often and for as long as we want?? I do miss friends & family back home.. but we've just made so many awesome friends over here as well!

We had a really fun time last night when we arrived back at our guesthouse from tubing, went to pick up at our key at reception, only for them to tell us that they don't have it. They then proceeded to tell us that WE had actually taken the key.. which was all lies, because we distinctly remember putting it on their counter, and there is no way we would have taken it tubing with us! So they continued to blame us for losing it, and to top things off... there was no spare key!!! Steve and I then proceeded to freak out because we thought someone must have taken the key from the counter and taken all our money/passports/cameras/ipod etc from our room. The only English speaking Lao woman at the office informed us that she remembers us leaving WITH the key (BULLSHIT!) and that we had to wait for a locksmith to come (God knows how long that was going to take!). Steve and I weren't very happy at this point.. and very worried that all our stuff would be gone, so Steve decided to climb in through the bars in the windows (I have absolutely no idea how he managed to fit!). PHEW.. all our stuff was safe.. but we still couldn't leave to go have dinner because we couldn't lock our room. I went and found the main guesthouse woman to try and explain that we had managed to get the door open, but we still needed a key, but failed to do so because she spoke pretty much no English whatsoever. I tried to get her to go and get the English speaking woman so I could talk to her, but she didn't understand that either. We got her to come so she could see that we had got into the room... but that then made her think that we had the key afterall! So we then tried to explain that no we did NOT have the key, and that Steve had gotten in through the window. To achieve this, Steve had to demonstrate going through the window again, which made the woman yell a lot and threaten to call the police and have Steve arrested, for 'breaking in' to our own room. Another Lao girl came out who spoke a little English and said something about the possibility of a drunken family member of the guesthouse owners taking our key by accident before going out to party, and yet the other 2 main guesthouse women were still angrily blaming us for losing the key and denying any possibility that they had lost it. Confusing stuff. So then we had to wait for a 'locksmith' to come and fit a new lock (no doubt at our expense!). I went and met our friends for dinner while Steve waited and helped the locksmith. Finally we had a new lock and a key (+ 2 spares for the guesthouse!). Just as the locksmith finished.. the non-english speaking guesthouse woman (the one that had been yelling a lot) came out sheepishly with a key she had found and asked if it was ours. Which it was. Apparently the key had been in the drawer of the reception counter the entire time. She said sorry, but I am still not happy with them! And this morning, the guesthouse women have been glaring at me! God knows what for, considering it was entirely their fault! Gah. Fun times had by all, but at least it worked out for us in the end!

Steve has gone rock climbing for the entire day today, which should be amazing. I opted not to go to save money (plus a whole day would be a bit too long for me)... Steve's the main rock climbing enthusiast. After I finish posting this I'll probably be really original and go and watch some Friends! Haha.

Having a great time & loving life.
Amiee xx