Luck of the Lao

Well, my travel luck seemed to run out about halfway through Laos. It was all going fine - the people are friendly, the landscape is stunning, the food is good (generally), and the travel buddies are plentiful. I had a wonderful few days in Luang Prabang and sadly said goodbye to my Gibbon/slowboat crew as I headed up to the small town of Nong Khiaw. I met Kim and Johanna on my way and upon arrival we set off through town to explore the nearby caves. The village and surrounding area was breathtaking - set on a river and surrounded by dramatic limestone cliffs and deep green jungle - absolutely spectacular. The people in the small town were extremely friendly, showing off their baby ducklings and chicks and giving us smiles as we passed. We stopped to try to figure out what was drying on racks by the path when the woman came out to show us. Apparently it was Mekong seaweed, a regional specialty; they make it into a paste, add tomatoes and garlic, and spread it thinly to dry in the sun. We wanted to try just one piece but the lady brought out three bags (each containing about a dozen of these large squares), thinking we each wanted our own. After lots of gesturing and laughing, we were on our way with our single piece.
We arrived at the cave in the side of a cliff surrounded by a small stream with rice paddies and a peaceful grove of trees. We dined on seaweed (not particularly good - although we found out later that it is supposed to be sauteed which greatly enhances its edibility) and checked out the cave which served as home/protection to the local people during the Indochina war. We found a fruit shake stand on our way back and spent the afternoon relaxing by the river.
After the downpour the next morning (it is supposed to be dry season but it keeps raining!) we boarded a small boat and traveled upstream to the small outpost of Mung Ngoi Nuea. This town had similar idyllic scenery to Nong Khiaw and we took it all in from tubes on the river (there's really no better way to spend an afternoon).
Following a restless night's sleep (the locals were having quite a party with drumming and singing), Kim and I struck out to find the town of Huay Bo (or Hoy Bob or Ho Ba... I don't think they've quite standardized the English translation). I was feeling more than a bit under the weather and was miserable on the trek - although this gave us lots of opportunities to walk slow or sit down and admire the scenery. We nearly got lost in a buffalo pasture (it was huge with many many paths) and had to follow the local kids through rivers (who knew that's where the path went) before stumbling upon the lovely village. I was a definitely party pooper and went straight to bed. I had a short-lived second wind and walked to a local viewpoint, learned a game from the kids, chatted with the 'mama' of my guesthouse/homestay who was so incredibly kind and friendly, held and dressed her grandbaby, and wandered around the town. One amusing moment was when all the kids suddenly went running in one direction. I followed them and saw them clustered around a TV outside a home. There was a man tinkering with a generator and another had to hold the large satellite dish and make continuous adjustments during the hour of cartoons - priceless.
My evil tummy bug lasted throughout the night, throughout the trek in the POURING rain the next day, throughout the boat ride back to Nong Khiaw and bus ride back to Luang Prabang. Throughout my harrowing minivan ride around clothespin turns bringing me to Vang Vieng in 4.5 hours (it usually takes 7-8), and throughout 4 days in Vang Vieng.
My tummy luck got better as I arrived in Vientiane but my tourist luck was down for the count. I have checked everywhere and not a single tour, not a hike, not a kayak trip, not a caving adventure, is running in the entire province for the next week. There are supposed to be beautiful waterfalls and caves that are near impossible to reach via public transportation and all the tourists seem to have vacated the capital city for Luang Prabang which is hosting a huge party next week.
So in conclusion, I have seen the lovely but not too exciting Vientiane and am heading on the night bus to Paske; another home to beautiful natural wonders, and hopefully, if I'm lucky, to a few tourists who want to see them.