Luang Nam Tha, Nong Khiaw, Journey to Luang Prabang (11-12 Feb)
The Gibbon Experience was over too soon, and we found ourselves sitting in the blazing sun by the side of the road at Ban Donchai trying to arrange transport to Luang Nam Tha in the north-western corner of Laos. We eventually found a sangthaew (usually a flat-bed truck with an enclosure with benches along either side installed on the back, but in this case it looked like it had been converted from a minivan rather than a truck), which took a half-dozen of us and another half-dozen locals up the highway. Needless to say, this was more than the vehicle could cope with, and we soon found out that it couldn't travel uphill! No chance that the driver would off-load passengers at this stage, so we had to take turns getting out and pushing it up the gravel road – and there's a lot of hills between Ban Donchai and Luang Nam Tha! A four-hour trip took almost twice the time and we arrived late at night, exhausted and filthy and only interested in a hot shower and sleep.

We were up early the next day to catch a bus to Nong Khiaw (also called Muang Ngoi?). Wouldn't you know it; our third vehicle in Laos and our third breakdown – was it my bad luck or Adam's? For some reason the driver goes looking for help, and while he's gone someone fixes the problem – alas, with no driver we're going nowhere... Eventually he returns with another bus which looks less mechanically sound than the one we were on, and is also smaller – so some of us spend the rest of the trip sitting on little bendy-legged plastic stools in the aisle, trying to remain upright. Unfortunately our new bus has an on-board entertainment system, and we're “treated” to blaring Thai karaoke for the remaining couple of hours of the trip. Once again we arrive at our destination late at night, scrambling to get accommodation, and just beating the ten o'clock curfew!

While the others hung around Nong Khiaw to check out the caves, I joined Louise (a different one – from Canada) for the boat trip to Luang Prabang the following morning. Another two breakdowns of sorts (first a chewed-up propeller and then a beaching when the pilot misread the river), and I'm becoming convinced that I am the jinx. Aside from these hiccups, it's a beautiful and relaxing trip down the river, which eventually joins up with the Mekong as you approach Luang Prabang. On the boat we met two Finnish guys, Jarno and Marko, who we travel with in Luang Prabang and later in Vang Vieng.

Luang Prabang (12-16 Feb)
This place shows you how quickly successful tourism can change a place. The whole of Luang Prabang is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and is now connected directly by air with many European cities. A consequence is that the dining and accommodation options in Luang Prabang are steadily becoming more up-market, and the prices you'll find quoted in travel guides are quickly obsolete. Initially, we were struggling to find anywhere with available rooms under US$30 a night, until an 11 year old kid gave us the hard sell on his family guesthouse at $5 a night for a two-bed room (we found out later from his dad that the rooms should have been $8 – but a deal's a deal!).

While walking along the river, we encountered a guy in a beanie staggering through the market stalls, who we thought might have some sort of mental disability. He turned out to also be Finnish, and his nickname is Mushroom Man – so we weren't far off with our guess... We spent our first night bowling (the only place open after midnight) and boozing, which ended messily for me. Adam and the others arrived the next morning, and we headed out to the Kuang Si waterfalls for a swim and some daredevil diving, during which I jarred my shoulder and almost hit dry land instead of water on the rope swing – embarrassing! That night was more drinking and bowling, followed by a bit of tuk-tuk skiing on the way home – as you do...

On the final day, I happened to bump into the other Louise (who I'd last seen in Bangkok) riding past us at lunch, and we had a quiet day watching Reservoir Dogs (somehow I've conspired to have never seen it before) in one of the movie rooms. The following morning we took a mini-bus to the backpacker hotspot of Vang Vieng.

Vang Vieng (16-19 Feb)
This place, about midway between Luang Prabang and the Laos capital, Vientiane, is famous for its beautiful mountainous backdrop, tubing down the slow-moving river, all day and night movies and tv reruns (Friends seems to be a favourite) in the numerous cafes, and an assortment of “special” pizzas and shakes openly sold by cafe owners – some of whom are clearly indulging in their own product, as I found out to my misfortune...

This is a fantastic place to chill out, in a country which is pretty chilled as it is for western tourists. The tv cafes and drug scene do make Vang Vieng a bit of an anomaly in Laos, so I can understand the criticism in some guidebooks, but you can still have a great time in Vang Vieng without indulging in either. But for me, after a few months without regular telly, it was good to watch a few Family Guy and Simpsons episodes while I ate.

The river tubing is fantastic if you stop at the bars and huge rope swings along the way – but if you've got a weak complexion, for god's sake remember the sunscreen! I saw a few too many pink/purple Scotsmen at the end of the course... I don't think they would have been enjoying things for the next few days at least. I wish I'd been able to take some photos, but my camera was in the dry bag that Adam was in charge of. We thought he was the responsible one, but the drink and sun seemed to frazzle his brain and he took a funny turn on the final stretch of the river – telling us that he was the tugboat who would help us beat the others back home, and absolutely knackering himself trying to freestyle swim while on top of the tube for the last half hour! It's hard to describe, but it was hilarious at the time and a little freaky to look back on now. He was alright after a long night's sleep, anyway.

We followed Mushroom Man's lead for entertainment the following night. Another bizarre experience, which showed me just how open your brain can be to suggestion – amazing but a little scary in hindsight. I can understand how it has a lasting impact on people's minds. The few people I met while travelling who used this stuff regularly were pretty messed up as a consequence. Be careful kids!

My mini-nightmare began the following night. After chewing on a dodgy piece of chicken served by a stoned waitress – even though I spat it out – my stomach started to feel dodgy. I decided to go back to the hotel and take an antacid – big mistake! My stomach immediately bloated and something had to give. To start with, I projectile vomited for the first time in my life with so much force I thought I'd take off! Thankfully the toilet is situated below the showerhead, so I was able to wash it off the floor, the walls, and my legs... I was glued to the toilet, for one end or the other, for the following day and a half, with my poor room-mate Adam having waking nightmares listening to it. I struggled to eat anything for quite a few days after that, and couldn't wait to put Vang Vieng behind me.

Vientiane (23-28 Feb)
In my delicate state, it was just my luck that I had to share the mini-bus to Vientiane with a group including a couple of Mancunian blokes and a Spanish pensioner and his mail-order Russian bride – all of whom were badly hungover and reeked of alcohol. They decided on hair of the dog, which made for an entertaining journey – for them and me anyway, but not for the poor Japanese guy sitting between them or the middle-aged English ladies in front who were trying to sleep...

The going rate in Vientiane is about US$12 for a basic but decent-sized room with aircon and tv in a cheap hotel – I didn't event check out the hostels, since I really wanted some privacy (after a couple of weeks of sharing rooms) and the chance to recover from my food poisoning. A couple of nights later I was feeling fine, and found a great sports-bar (never caught the name of it, since it's written in Lao) to watch a bit of football, play a bit of pool, and meet some of the locals. Sitting, minding my own business and watching the match, I was kicked in the bum by a Vientiane girl called Pooky, who said I wasn't allowed to drink alone, and made me join their table. These were the first locals I'd met in my travels, just having a regular night out with their friends drinking and relaxing. The whole night was a great laugh, ending with more drinking and some dancing at an illegal nightclub inside one of the international hotels, and this became my routine for my remaining nights in Vientiane.

While the nightclubs, restaurants and shopping in Vientiane are probably the best you'll find in Laos, the city itself isn't exactly pretty or culturally interesting. Along with the relatively high cost of accommodation, a lot of tourists therefore don't spend very long in Vientiane. But I really like this place; in fact, I made time to come back to Vientiane for the Lao New Year on my way to China. The New Year is identical to Thailand, and is celebrated with drinking, water fights, and visits to temples. As a foreigner, it's impossible to walk past a party without being invited in, getting soaked, and plied with alcohol. I spent all of the 6 days I was back in Vientiane either drunk or hungover – it was actually a bit traumatic towards the end, but I can highly recommend visiting one of the major cities in either Thailand or Laos at this time of year (starting April 13).