up to now...

we are once again in Siem Reap.  The gods have smiled down on us for the past several weeks and brought Mrs. Charlotte(Austin's mom) out here to grace us!!!  THANK YOU!!!  We have been enjoying her company very very much!  While she's been here, we have tramped through beautiful Laos and the Temples of Angkor!  We started in Luang Prabang, Laos.  Luang Prabang is loved by everyone I talk to...and now I know why!!  It is a sleepy French colonial city and now World Heritage Site.  Monks float throughout the city, dressed in their beautiful saffron robes collecting alms or moving from temple to temple for chants and meditation sessions.  Just a beautiful place to relax!  We also swam in waterfalls and rode the cutest elephants:)

After L.P. we headed to Vang Vieng-backpacker heaven-known for its lazy river tubing and wild drink fests.  You should have seen the fit Mrs. Charlotte pitched when we told her she couldn't do it...that it was too wild and crazy of a partay!  ahhah!!  Just kidding!  We all decided to cut the tubing and kayak instead...and rock climb...and just enjoy the beautiful scenery.  You know, perhaps if some of you guys would get your booties out here we could play in rivers and tubes....you know Austin and I can't do everything by ourselves:)

So after all that we went over to the capital...Vientienne, which can surely be skipped for anyone planning a future trip.  But we were there for Laos' largest festival...the Full Moon fest. I must add, that I am a pure SUCKA for festivals...but these people have a totally different agenda....selling goods, clothes for a dollar, and companies forcing their employees to dance and sing for advertisement!  Fun...oh yeah...and did I mention that they truck em in by the thousands from all over the country???  "That Luang Festival" is the name and it is a religious festival that starts and ends with monks from all over the country walking around a temple collecting alms(offerings).  Don't know much else about it. 

After all that jazz...we went down to the South of Laos and played around near the most beautiful waterfalls EVER!!!  They were by far the best I have ever seen!!!  HANDS DOWN!  We also went down to what is known as the 4000 Islands which are islands in the Mekong River. Here, the river stretches out 9miles wide!  Mrs. Charlotte and Austin took a small boat and searched for the Mekong River Dolphins....they are called Irrawadday Dolphins...I had the world's worst headache, so I stayed behind!!  

So now we are just back in Siem Reap hanging out and viewing temples:)  So kool!!!!!!  Chat soon!