NADOLIG LLAWEN // MERRY CHRISTMAS

Nadolig Llawen bawb! Merry Christmas!!

Ry'n ni wedi mwynhau'n diwrnod Nadolig brafiaf erioed ar y traeth yma yn Coogee, Sydney. Mae hyd yn oed cwn yn gwisgo hetiau Santa Clos mas fan hyn! Gobeithio'ch bod chi'n mwynhau le bynnag y'ch chi'n dathlu! Dymuniadau gorau i chi gyd!

No turkey for us this year, but a lovely all day barbeque on the beach in Coogee, Sydney instead. Whenever and wherever you're reading this, we hope you have a wonderful day.

Hywel & Gwenfair xxx

KRONG KOH KONG and KOH TAO

In many ways it was the perfect place to be ill. Our bungalow looked out over the green jungle of the Cardamom mountains and the shimmering blue river which had brought us to the isolated 'eco-lodge'. There was nothing but the sound of bird song and the call of the gecko to accompany the violent burbling, beltching and groaning of my aching stomach. The lady who ran the lodge was quite keen to suggest I had most likely picked up the bug before travelling from Phnom Penh - to be fair, she was probably right. But for two days there was not much I could do but drink water, sleep and ride out the storm.

It was hardly the best preparation for the 20 hour journey that followed out of eastern Cambodia, up, around and down the other side of the Gulf of Thailand. To get to the island of Koh Tao, we then had to take a bumpy catamaran that made us both quite green. But it was worth coming here. In three months of travelling around Asia, we'd only spent about a day and a bit on the beach, knowing that we'd end up by the sea for a week. Koh Tao is well known as the cheapest place around to learn to dive -drawing hundreds of other travellers too. We noticed quite quickly that we have fewer tattoos and dreadlocks than is currently the fashion - but we're not planning to change this.

And so for the last four days we have been learning how to use dive tables and calculate nitrogen levels with the help of our French dive instructor Vince (who has a slight cockney accent, thanks to watching too many episodes of the Mighty Boosh). We have seen beautiful banner, butterfly and parrot fish, groupers and even Christmas Tree worms and blue ringed angels- which were festive. By now we are officially qualified Open Water divers -which has involved lots of reading and quite a lot of time bobbing up and down on boats, avoiding sea-sickness. I'm pleased to report my stomach is fully recovered however, and was even able to enjoy a very nice celebratory meal on my birthday, thanks to the generosity of my wife...

Phnom Penh a'r Khmer Rouge

"Pam?... I beth?" Roedd llygaid ein tywysydd ni yn fflachio wrth holi'r cwestiwn. Roedd e'n gweithio yn amgueddfa hil-laddiad Tuol Sleng yn Phnom Penh yn tywys pobl fel ni o amgylch yr ystafelloedd arteithio, y celloedd cul, heibio lluniau'r meirw bob dydd. Ac eto roedd ei ddicter o fethu deall pam i Pol Pot weithredu cynllun erchyll y Khmer Rouge yn y saithdegau dal yn glir.

Roedd tad ein tywysydd yn fyfyriwr meddygol ym 1975 pan ddaeth y Khmer Rouge i rym. Bu'n rhaid iddo esgus ei fod yn anwybodus a thwp, a dysgu sut i blannu a chynaeafu reis ar frys er mwyn osgoi cael ei ladd. Wireddodd e fyth ei freuddwyd o fod yn feddyg, ond cafodd swydd yn amgueddfa Tuol Sleng S-21 yn lle hynny, a daeth ei fab i'w ddilyn. Ysgol Uwchradd oedd Tuol Sleng cyn i'r Khmer Rouge ei droi'n garchar, a phrysuro i arteithio 10,499 o bobl a thua 2,000 o blant ar y safle cyn eu hanfon i'r caeau tu fas i Phnom Penh i gael eu lladd, a'u claddu blith drafflith ar ben ei gilydd.

Cafodd ein tywysydd ni ei eni ym 1981, ar ol i gyfundrefn 'Angkar' ddod i ben. Ond ddaeth e ddim i ddeall yr hyn ddigwyddodd yn Cambodia tan iddo weld ffilm Hollywood The Killing Fields. Roedd e'n grac iawn nad yw plant yn cael eu dysgu am yr hil-laddiad yn yr ysgol o gwbl ar hyn o bryd. Does yr un grwpiau ysgol yn dod i ymweld a Tuol Sleng chwaith, a dywedodd ei fod yn achos pryder ofnadwy iddo.

O'r swyddfeydd NGO's a'r SUVs mawr elusennol: Oxfam, Y Cenhedloedd Unedig, Y Groes Goch.... I'r cardotwyr o blant a'u mamau, a'r dynion heb goesau na breichiau - mae arwyddion ymhob man o sut mae Cambodia'n dal i ddioddef yn ofnadwy yn sgil y Khmer Rouge. Ond mae datblygiadau ymhob man. Ar ol ond gosod tarmac ar strydoedd y brif-ddinas yn ystod y blynyddoedd diwethaf, mae Phnom Penh ynghanol cael system garthffosiaeth newydd hefyd. Mae elusennau lu yn gweithio i wella gofal iechyd, i ofalu am blant amddifad, i sicrhau addysg i'r plant tlotaf, a hefyd i ddysgu cynaliadwyedd ecolegol...

Ond tra bod ymdrech fawr i geisio diogelu flora a fauna prin Cambodia, roedd hi'n ddiddorol darllen erthygl yn y Phnom Penh Post ynglyn a'r pryder am ddyfodol ieithoedd lleiafrifol y wlad. Mae 12 cymuned lleiafrifol yn Cambodia i gyd - pob un a'i iaith ei hun. Tra bod 24,000 yn siarad Tumpuon yn nhalaith Ratanakkin, dim ond 500 sy'n siarad So'ong, 400 sy'n siarad Samre, 300 yn siarad Poa, a 150 yn unig sy'n siarad Sa'och. Roedd yr arbennigwyr wedi gorfod derbyn y byddai rhan fwyaf yr ieithoedd yma'n diflannu o fewn y blynyddoedd nesaf. "The next century will see the loss of half the languages on earth," meddai'r athro ieithyddiaeth Jean-Michel Phillippi, "Centuries of experience will be wiped out. The effect will be the same as burning down a library." Roedd e'n ei ddisgrifio fel 'loss of human patrimony.'

Yr hyn sy'n drist yw mai dim ond traddodiad llafar sydd i'r ieithoedd lleiafrifol yn Cambodia. Tra bod cenhadwyr o Ffrainc wedi helpu lleiafrifoedd ethnig yn Fietnam i ffurfio ysgrifau i'w hieithoedd nhw yn y 1920au, chafodd lleiafrifoedd Cambodia ddim yr un fraint. Mae'n debyg bod llythrennedd yn broblem ddirfawr, a'r gwaith o ddatblygu gwyddor newydd drwy'r iaith Khmer yn dasg enfawr fyddai'n cymryd gormod o amser mewn sawl achos.

Yr unig ieithoedd oedd yn ymddangos fel pe bai dyfodol iddyn nhw, yn ol yr erthygl, oedd ieithoedd fel y Teochew yn nhalaith Guangdong yn Cheina. Dim ond 181,000 o siaradwyr Teochew sydd, ond mae'n cael ei ddefnyddio fel iaith yr economi. Mae llywodraeth Cambodia yn cydweithio a mudiadau rhyngwladol fel Unicef a CARE i geisio arbed ieithoedd lleiafrifol y wlad ond dim ond hyn a hyn allan nhw wneud. "The crucial point is whether or not the children speak among themselves," Dywedodd Gerard Diffloth, cyn-athro ieithoedd Austro-Asiatiaidd, "When they play together, do they speak the language? If they do, then the language will go on. If they don't, it's just a matter of time."

Swnio'n gyfarwydd.....

Beth bynnag, ar ol blog hir iawn, ry'n ni bellach wedi gadael Kampuchea. Fe dreulion ni'n dyddiau olaf mewn man hardd i ryfeddu ynghanol y jwngl ar gyrion mynyddoedd y Cardamom. Ar ol taith hir iawn mewn cwch bach, jeep, bws, tacsi, bws arall, catamaran (oedd fel bod mewn peiriant golchi dillad) a songtheaw ry'n ni bellach yn Koh Tao yng ngwlad Thai. Ry'n ni'n barod i ddysgu deifio ac ynghanol dathlu penblwydd arall!

KOMPONG CHAM & KRATIE: Hi-5s and flowers

“Hellooooo! Hellooooo – what is your name??!” As we cycle down a dusty path, we are greeted a hundred times. “Hello – hello – how are yoooou?” The novelty of seeing western travellers doesn’t seem to have worn off on the children of Koh Paen island quite yet. Some would line up, expecting Hi-5s as we cycled by. Obviously the Americans had got here first. Its only a small patch of land in the middle of the Mekong, which you reach on a bamboo raft ferry. Most of the houses here are wooden shacks on stilts – but some are just mud huts. Nearly all have an ox tied up outside – while horses pulling carts are used to move things around.

After the experience of Angkor, we wanted to go somewhere a little more rural – and so a long bus journey brought us to Kompong Cham. The trip to the island was just a way to waste away an afternoon, but turned into something far more memorable. As was the next morning’s breakfast – noodle soup in the market with flowers to add flavour. Sounds strange, but they were very tasty.

After yet another long bus journey we arrived in Kratie – hopeful of seeing its main attraction, the Irrawaddy dolphins. There are only a hundred or so in the Mekong, and they are apparently pretty shy. Thankfully they put in an appearance for us, showing their short fins for a second or two before plummeting back into the brown water. Almost as exciting was seeing an enormous pelican, which took up half a tree.

Later in the afternoon we went for a stroll with some Dutch doctors we’d befriended on our trip – once again attracting bountiful “helloooooos” from the local children, and joining in with a game of volleyball. The kids also tried to teach us how to count to ten in Cambodian. It starts with “mui”, then comes “pii” and then I seem to remember “bram” is five, and six is just “bram mui”... What happens inbetween is a little hazy, so a bit more practice is probably in order before we unleash our counting skills on the Khmer public.

Siem Reap a Themlau Angkor

Doedd cyrraedd Siem Reap o Bangkok ddim yn hwyl. I ddechrau roedd rhaid teithio ar fws at y ffin am bedair awr a hanner. Wedyn rhaid cael visa, a'n gyrrwraig tuk tuk yn mynnu mynd a ni at gonswl cyffredinol Cambodia, gododd $10 yn fwy na'r pris swyddogol am y fraint. Mae'r gwahaniaeth ar ochr Cambodia'r ffin yn drawiadol. Nid ffordd oedd yna ond rhywbeth oedd yn edrych fel gwely afon llychlyd, llawn sbwriel a rwbel, a dynion yn stryffaglu drosto gan wisgo sgarffiau dros eu pennau a'u hwynebau i amddiffyn eu hunain rhag y dwst; nid yr olygfa fwya croesawgar - na'r daith dair awr dros fwmp ar ol bwmp a thwll ar ol twll i Siem Reap ei hunan. (Ond maen nhw ynghanol adeiladu'r ffordd a'n gobeithio y bydd wedi'i gwblhau erbyn blwyddyn nesaf - rhag ofn bo chi'n meddwl gwneud taith debyg!)

Ond roedd y siwrne werth y drafferth. Angkor Wat yw'r symbol ar faner Cambodia ac mae'r cwrw cenedlaethol wedi'i enwi ar ei ol. A does rhyfedd bod y Khmer mor falch o'r safle sy bellach yn un o drysorau mwya'r byd. Cafodd y casgliad o demlau eu hadeiladu dros gyfnod o rhyw chwe chan mlynedd o'r nawfed i'r bymthegfed ganrif pan mai teyrnas Angkor oedd y cryfa a'r mwyaf yn ne ddwyrain Asia. Temlau on nhw'n wreiddiol i dduwiau Hindwaidd neu Fwdaidd, a thros y blynyddoedd mae rhai wedi'u haddasu o un crefydd i'r llall.

Ond mae'n anodd disgrifio sut beth yw hi i archwilio safle mor hynod. Mae cerfwaith cerrig mor gain yno, gyda duwiesau hardd yn dawnsio ar hyd y welydd, eliffantod yn arwain byddinoedd i ryfeloedd, delweddau o nefoedd ac uffern, a chwedl am sut grewyd y byd. O bell mae teml Bayon fel tomen o gerrig, ond mae crwydro rhwng y tyrrau a'u hwynebau sy'n syllu i bob cyfeiriad yn brofiad iasol. Yn un o'r temlau eraill, Ta Prohm, mae nifer o goed canopi dros yr adfeilion, eu gwreiddiau yn ymestyn lawr a chymysgu a'r cerrig islaw. Mae'n edrych fel set ffilm weithiau, yn enwedig pan fo golau'r haul yn machlud yn adlewyrchu'n wyrdd ar y muriau rhwng y dail, a gwe pry cop yn cuddio hen gerfwaith sanskrit hynafol ger pileri'r drysau. A dweud y gwir, cafodd y lle ei ddefnyddio fel set pan ddaeth Angelina Jolie yma i bigo blodyn Jasmine ar y ffilm Tomb Raider. Ond beth sy'n rhyfeddol yw nid set na lle chwedlonol yw Angkor Wat ond lle go iawn, lle gethon ni ddringo dros y cerrig a byseddu'r cerfluniau o lewod ac eliffantod hynafol ein hunain.

Un peth arall hynod oedd cwestiwn y fenyw werthodd ein tocynnau ni i'r safle. Roedd hi eisiau gwybod o le ro'n ni, ond nid y ''Where you from?'' arferol, ond "What Nationality are you?" A fi roedd hi'n gofyn, nid Hywel. Roedd hi'n meddwl mod i'n 'mixed blood' a phetawn i wedi dweud wrthi bod gen i riant oedd yn Cambodaidd, bydden i wedi cael mynd mewn am ddim...!

Rhaid mod i wedi cael mwy o liw haul nag on i'n meddwl!.....

BANGKOK: Been and gone...

If Bangkok was a city on the edge of something big - mass disobedience, military coup, or both - then the only people getting really bothered about it were the Westerners. On a brief 44 hour stop in the city over the weekend, the only real agitation we came across were some stranded tourists who couldn't find a way of flying home. Even then, a few seemed to relish it, what with the Thai government handing out 2,000 Bhat a day, and airlines offering to pay for fancy hotel rooms... We made do with our 300 Bhat a night hostel.

We had never really planned to stay in Bangkok for long - it was only a stepping stone to Cambodia. When trouble started to flare in the week before arrival, we read as much news and travel advice as possible - enough to get by in a quick Radio Cymru interview anyway - and arranged to stay away from the centre. It was then almost a bit of an anti-climax when our bus rolled into the city and we found everything running as normal. As we drove past the Don Muang airport we could see about a dozen of the yellow shirted PAD supporters - but most were just relaxing in the sun and eating their lunch, whilst being surrounded on all sides by car tyres and barbed wire.

Apart from that, Bangkok with all its vices - heavy traffic, neon-lit bars, Tesco Express - seemed in full swing. Much of our first night was taken up with trying (unsuccessfully) to find a screen which would show the Wales v. Australia game. On Sunday we went to see the world's biggest reclining Buddha (to add to our collection of the largest seating and standing Buddhas in Japan and China...,) followed by a trip to the Royal Palace. Reverence for the king is quite striking in Thailand - his face is found beaming down from posters across the country, in a variety of poses that include playing with dogs, taking photos and sweating heavily. His palace, as you might expect, is spectacular.

Its King Bhumibol's 81st birthday later this week - and it now seems that the airport protests will be finished in time for the annual national holiday. We'll miss the celebrations as we've now crossed the border into dusty Cambodia and the temples of Angkor - not too sad to be away from Bangkok, and hopeful that the 'crisis' will be fully resolved before we have to return just before Christmas.

Trwbwl yn Tai ond ddim i ni'n dau!

Y bore gadawon ni Laos fe welon ni ystlumod a llygod mawr wedi crebachu'n ddu ar werth yn y farchnad. Roedd cyrraedd gwlad lle roedd 'na Tesco's, strydoedd concrid a cheir cyfforddus yn teimlo braidd yn anniddorol. Ond rhyfedd pa mor gloi chi'n newid eich meddwl...

Chiang Mai oedd y stop cyntaf - tref sy'n hynod boblogaidd ar nos Sul, y noson y cyrhaeddon ni -noson y farchnad nos. Mae stondinau bwyd a chrefftau yn llenwi'r tir o amgylch y temlau a'n gorlifo i'r brif stryd nes nad oes lle i draffig. Dim ond pobl a pherfformwyr cerddorol sy'n achosi'r jam, gyda dim lle i symud bron! Ond yn ystod y dydd, mae'n dref hollol wahanol - y temlau'n dipyn mwy urddasol a'n sgleinio dan olau'r haul tanbaid. Mae'r strydoedd fwy neu lai yn wag, a chi'n cael y teimlad bod yr holl falangs, y tramorwyr, wedi heidio o'r dref... i chwilio am y Karen efallai. Un o'r llwythi lleiafrifol sy'n byw tu fas i Chiang Mai yw'r Karen. Mae ganddyn nhw yddfau hir gan eu bod nhw'n gwisgo cymaint o fwclisau (yn ol un chwedl er mwyn atal teigrod rhag eu cnoi nhw.) Ond, er i ni ymweld a phentrefi lleiafrifol yn Fietnam a cherdded drwy un arall yn Laos, roedd y syniad o fynd i weld y Karen yn teimlo ormod fel mynd i sw dynol.

Yn lle hynny, gethon ni wers goginio bwyd Tai. Ond tra'n bod ni'n llosgi'n tafodau ar chilli a basil sanctaidd, do'n ni ddim yn ymwybodol bod pethe'n poethi draw yn Bangkok. Mae'n hen hanes nawr bod protestwyr yn erbyn y llywodraeth wedi meddiannu'r maes awyr ac achosi anrhefn yn y ddinas. Mae'n debyg bod dyn wedi'i saethu yn Chiang Mai hefyd, ond welon ni ddim byd. Dim byd ond lluniau ar y teledu ac erthyglau ar y we. Ond nid dyma'r math o gyffro fyddai unrhyw un yn dymuno'i gael dramor, yn enwedig gan i Hywel orfod roi ei ben nol mewn i ger gwaith wrth siarad a Gareth Glyn dros y cyfrifiadur ar gyfer y Post Prynhawn... Bu'n rhaid i ni anfonon e-byst adre hefyd i wneud yn siwr nad oedd neb yn poeni'n ddi-angen amdanon ni.

Heddi ry'n ni wedi bod yn cerdded drwy olion hen ddinas frenhinol Sukhothai; Y Frenhiniaeth Thai annibynnol cyntaf, gafodd ei sefydlu nol yn y 13G. Ro'n i'n teimlo fel pe baem ni'n cerdded drwy olion gwareiddiad coll wrth gerdded heibio colofnau tal tywyll oedd yn gwarchod Bwdas llonydd, a'r colomenod yn troelli uwchben.

Ond y cyffro mwyaf, oedd nid rafftio dwr gwyn ar afon Maetang, nid bwyta salad papaya nethon ni'n hunain, nid y bang bangio yn Bangkok.... ond goroesi trip ar gefn motobeic a Hywel yn gyrru. Ond yr unig ffordd i fi beidio cwyno'n ofnus fel babi dros bob bwmp a thro yn y ffordd oedd cael massage thai ar y ffordd adref. Ac yn lle cwyno'r holl ffordd adre, fe hedfanais i'n lle.

Khawp jai lai lai Laos

LUANG PRABANG: Elephants and cockerels

If its at all possible to call any part of Laos 'leafy' or 'refined', then it's probably Luang Prabang. This was once the royal capital in a 'Million Elephant kingdom'. It largely escaped the bombing endured by the rest of the country in the 20th century, due to the king cutting a deal with the French. The monarchy has since been sent into exile (or killed, depending who you believe...) but their palace still stands, surrounded by dozens of beautiful temples, all flanked by two rivers. And of course, there are the elephants..

We were initially very wary of going to an elephant camp - worried that they would be poorly treated in captivity. After asking around, we found one which operates as a sanctuary for former working elephants from the logging trade, with its own vet and education programme. Our consciences somewhat appeased, we took a bumpy tuk-tuk ride into the hills to meet Mae Khan - a beautiful, gregarious 45 year old with long eye lashes, who weighs in at around three tonnes. We were able to ride on her back through the woods and across the river - learning from her handler that she eats more than our combined body weight every day. She had a particular liking for bamboo and bananas...

We've had lots of good experiences like this in Laos, but its strange how quickly things which used to seem quite exotic now feel normal. In every town we've been woken early by the sound of cockerels - a far more common site than any other pet. We no longer bother getting photos of every orange-robed monk we see. Bumping along roads made of soil and stone has become entirely normal, as has eating buffalo skin and river moss for supper. In fact, the biggest novelty of the last few weeks was spotting a Tesco air freshener in one of our hotels. We can't work out how it got there - there are no supermarkets. If you want to buy food, or anything else for that matter, you go to the stalls that fill every street from 5am.

By now we've crossed the border and have just arrived in Thailand - opting to take an hour flight instead of the three day boat and bus journey we'd originally planned. We also made another video - perhaps we're missing work more than we thought...

VANG VIENG: Lan y Mynydd, Dan yr Ogof, Lawr yr Afon

Roedd ‘na Sais, Albanwr a Gwyddeles ar y bws mini i Viang Vieng yn barod. Pan gyrhaeddon ni, ro’n nhw wrth eu bodd ein bod ni’n cwblhau’r hen joc. Ro’n ni gyd ar ein ffordd i’r dref sy’n fecca i deithwyr sydd eisiau’r cyfle i diwbio lawr afon Nam Song.

Dyna i gyd yw tiwbio yw eistedd mewn olwyn rwber fawr ac arnofio lawr yr afon. Ond yma, mae cyfres o dafarndai bach ar y lan, lle gallwch chi dorri syched ar y ffordd. Ar ein taith ni yn y tiwb, fe welon ni’r Gwyddelod gyda’i gilydd yn y bar, yr Albanwr yn chwerthin wrth arnofio heibio yn ei diwb, a’r Sais braidd yn gallu cerdded wrth fynd nol i’w olwyn e, plaster am ei ben a rhwyg mewn man anffodus yn ei shorts ar ol syrthio’n feddw i’r dwr yn gynharach. Dyna ddiwedd y joc yna te...

Nid tiwbio oedd uchafbwynt Vang Vieng i ni, ond cael cyfle i gerdded ymhell o’r dref a’i tv bars i ganol y jyngl. Ar adegau, roedd rhaid i’n tywysydd, Lay, ddefnyddio cleddyf mawr i dorri’r deiliach o’r llwybr o’n blaen. Aeth e a ni dros greigiau, drwy afonydd, lan a lawr mynyddoedd, heibio heidiau o bili-palaod ac i ogofau sych a gwlyb yng ngolau cannwyll. Gydol yr amser, roedd e’n siarad yn frwdfrydig am beth oedd o’n hamgylch – y coed banana a mango, y dail sinsir a’u gwraidd, y lindys blewog gwenwynig, cân y gecko lwcus a traddodiadau Laoeg eraill.

Ar ôl noson o gwsg mewn caban pren ar lan yr afon, lle roedd mwnci bach, druan, yn cael ei gadw’n gaeth, bant a ni lawr y Nam Song i ganwio’r holl ffordd nôl i’r dref.

Do, fe gwmpon ni mewn ar un adeg, a do, cafodd fy mhwrs ei ddwyn o’r lan ar adeg arall, a nawr ry’n ni’n dal wedi blino ar ol yr holl antur! Ond allen i’n bendant argymell taith dros brif-ffordd tyllog a throellog Laos draw i Vang Vieng, a’n sicr nid dim ond i fynd i tiwbio.

Full moon in SAVANNAKHET and VIENTIANE

"Where is the moon? Where is the moon?!" A toddler reaches her arm towards the sky, answering her doting father, the owner of our guesthouse. We are in Laos, and here they seem to learn from a very early age the importance of the moon. As it happens, our arrival coincided with the biggest full moon celebration of the year - the That Luang festival. Sadly, that was all happening in the north of the country, and we were in southern Savannakhet.

When you look at the guidebooks, they suggest Savannakhet has little more to offer than the road leading out of there - a handy stop over en route to Thailand or Vietnam - but we found it charming in a ramshackle sort of way. Its streets are dusty, and most of its French colonial buildings are in a poor state of repair, but after all the hustle and hassle you can find in Vietnam, it was a gentle introduction to a new country. And the people in Laos are as laid back as they come - happy to say hello without trying to sell you something.

Our first proper encounter was with a monk - who showed us around his monastery with a smattering of English, a few words of French - and an awful lot of Lao which we had no hope of understanding. He did teach us how to pronounce "khawp jai lai lai" (thank you very much), and we tried in return to teach him how to say "diolch". Later on, enjoying a Beer Lao as the sun set over the Mekong river, we made friends with Su and his sister Nan, who both wanted to practice their English. They were off to take part in a small full moon ceremony, floating a candle on the river - sadly we didn't have time to see it, as we had to catch the long, uncomfortable overnight bus north to Vientiane.

And so we arrived the morning after full moon - seeing rubbish on the streets and plenty of orange-robed monks who'd come here on pilgrimage still hanging around, taking holiday snaps on their mobile phones. The big attractions here are the Wat Buddhist monastaries - and having never been to one before coming to Laos, we've now seen at least six. They're all colourfully laid out, some with decoration that wouldn't look out of place in a disco. We'd resigned ourselved to having missed out on the big event, until we noticed some stalls being set up at one of the Wats. By evening, there was the sound of drums and high pitched screeching. When we wandered over to take a look - this is what we found...

So the celebrations hadn't finished after all - apparently they go on for a week. So far we are really enjoying Laos, and we found the moon!