Took a break from the bars and temples to spend a day sauntering down the Mekong aboard a local "slow boat". Armed to the teeth with bags of revitalising local fruits - most look scary but taste great - we edged ourselves onto our precarious ride for the day, an up-turned tree that felt like it would capsize every time we sneezed.The two-hour trip upstream to Pak Ou Caves - studded with more than 4000 wood and gold Buddha images - was, as you'd expect having caught a "slow boat" slow. Felt a bit like Martin Sheen, from Coppola's epic Apocalypse Now, as the tree chugged its way 25km up the river, flanked either side by towering limestone karsts, and expected a screwed-up Marlon Brando to pop out of the undergrowth at any moment to the tune of The Door's "The End"!
High up in the cliffs along the edge of the Mekong is 
the Buddhist pilgrimage site of the Pak Ou Caves. Accessible only by boat, the caves have, over centuries, been filled with thousands of Buddhist figurines, of all shapes and sizes, by locals who believe the caverns are home to guardian spirits.
the Buddhist pilgrimage site of the Pak Ou Caves. Accessible only by boat, the caves have, over centuries, been filled with thousands of Buddhist figurines, of all shapes and sizes, by locals who believe the caverns are home to guardian spirits.On the way back - which fortunately took less than an our as the river's currents came to the aid of our cramping bum cheeks - we stopped by Xang Hi village where locals (those not too whacked up on opium 
that is) work tirelessly to produce the infamous Lao Lao whisky- a kind of moonshine coloured gunk that overpowers any choice of mixer - and fermented rice wine, which is sold illegally to passing monks. Not intent with destroying intestines with their
that is) work tirelessly to produce the infamous Lao Lao whisky- a kind of moonshine coloured gunk that overpowers any choice of mixer - and fermented rice wine, which is sold illegally to passing monks. Not intent with destroying intestines with theirhideous concoction villagers go a step further, during distillation of this putrid liquid, by, somehow, adding whole reptiles such as snakes and scorpions. They claim it adds to the drink's "medicinal powers"!?
Safely back on land, we set out in search of another popular attraction, the Khouang-Sy waterfalls, where millions of gallons of water cascade over limestone into turquoise pools of varying size. Igazu Falls this ain't, but it's a delightful place to escape the burning sun and quaff a chilled Beer Lao while frolicking about in the freezing cold water. 
Hot Stuff!
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