Vientiane house bum

In Vientiane hanging out for a week before Nick and I go to Nepal. Nick goes to work every day. I don't- 

Face masks and Orange is the New Black. Alllllll dayyyyyy

God so bored

Patuxai (again)

Lit at dusk

Vang Vieng (again)

Back in Laos for the week, mostly because (a) I missed Nick, and (b) we need to do some planning / prep for Nepal. 

Which meant we got to spend the weekend in my 2nd favorite Lao town (after Pakse), Vang Vieng! And finally went to the fancy hotel, the Riverside Boutique Resort :) It was beautiful

Rice paddies and mountains

View from hotel

Riverside Boutique 

Relaxing at a Friends cafe (one of the many cafés in VV that just plays episodes of Friends all day)

Bungy-jumping from 50m

One of the things on my "backpacking bucket list" was to bungy-jump, which I did in Chiang Mai with my friend Tara.

At the "Jungle Bungy" (X Centre, just north of town) you pay 2,000 baht (about $60) for a jumping "package", which includes a jump from 50 m (165 feet, optional dunk in the nasty pond water at the bottom), 40 photos on a CD, a bungy-jump T-shirt and a "Certificate of Courage" stating where you jumped.

The Thai guys responsible for setting us up were incredibly professional and nice, and were very supportive (they even pushed Tara off the bungy platform from the top, per her request)

At the top of 50 m, super nervous

The jump...

... and the fall

I asked to be dunked in the water. In hindsight that was a bad decision- the water was really dirty and instead of enjoying the bouncing up and down at the end, I was too busy clearing the pond water from my nose!

Certificate of courage! (plus nasty wet clothes and hair)

Tara and I (after she got over her shock...)

Durian

Durian is a spiky little fruit whose meat smells like a rotting corpse and tasted like a moldy yellow onion

This is why I do NOT understand the appeal in Asia

Coldstone

Coffeeshop

Chiang Mai days 1-2

Got to Chiang Mai on Sunday ! 

Tara and I were originally staying at B2 resort- good rooms but bad staff and awful location.

So we moved to Chana Place in the city center. Our room is a private but it has BUNK BEDS! 

(So much room for activities)

Bungy jumping at the X Centre 

50 m of terrifying free fall

(We got photos with our jump but they are on a CD and I have no way of reading it right now)

Scootering- Tara drives and has no helmet. I ride 'bitch seat' with helmet on because I'm a wuss (and a 'danger to others' when I'm driving...)

Visiting Doi Sutthep on the mountain

Huai Keao waterfall- no swimming

But senior portrait pictures are ok

Koh Tao scenery

Hot damn this place is incredible

Shark Island (there were no sharks)

Chalok bay on Friday night

Mojito

Looking to the west 

Heat lightening

Fire dancer at Babaloo bar

Last morning - sunrise from Taraporn bungalow (you're paying for the view...)