Muang Ngoy Neur is a small village that has no cars. The only easy way to get to the village is by boat. A Car would be fairly useless as the village only has one main raod (about 1km long) and few side streets that run off that road.

This vehicle is common to Muang Sing and is called a 'Chinese Tractor'. Possibly the latest in SUV with 4WD, air con, and large storage area at rear.

This cinema boasts latest release DVDs on a big screen in an airconditioned room. I went one night to see what was showing but although the doors were open, there was nobody there to take money or to run the movie.

This is a roadside marker in Muang Sing - 0 KM to Muang Sing.

I was the first paying guest to stay at this new guest house. The owners are very friendly and they run a very safe, clean and comfortable guest house. At night the local tour guides would often come to have a meal and a drink at the restaurant in front of the guest house and it is simply the best place to get tips about what to see and do in the area.

This bridge is the only way for vehicles to cross the Ou River in the area. Under the bridge, you can see debris that has accumulated after the rainy season. Often the local people will take the debris for fire wood or to use for building purposes.

This was taken on the slow boat trip from Huay Xai to Luang Prabang about 5 hours into the trip on the first day. The boats are often overcrowded but not on this trip. The people on board were so wonderful - kind, friendly, and full of fun. Here some passengers are playing cards, reading, or just catching up on some sleep.

This picture is of the steps that lead to the historical Pathok Cave entrance. This cave provided refuge for the local Laos people during the bombing of the region by the USA as part of the Vietnam/USA war. The lady that sells the tickets near the entrance invited me to share her breakfast - sticky rice and fish with bottled water - so often I am impressed with the kindness of Lao people.

At Pak Beng. The fisherman on the boat just caught a large cat fish. He was pulling the fish into the boat as I took this picture. Families live comfortably on these boats and transport goods up and down the Mekong River. At the other end of the boat, a woman was boiling rice for breakfast on a stove.

This is a very lovley buddhist temple close to Ban En - near Luang Prabang (across the river - about 3km south near the bank of the Mekong river). On the right hand side of thye temple is a model of a cave that has a statue of either a monk or buddha. The temple colours (especially the use of light blue) don't appear to be typical of the area.