Lao-Lao.

So elusive were the monkeys however, that we never got to see them...two days before we were due to fly out, an email informed us that our trip was cancelled due to severe flooding and road damage in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo. Checking the local paper reports online, we discovered several villages had been airlifted to safety, with several more still cut off. It was clearly not meant to be. We had to come up with a plan and fast - it was too expensive to fly to Oz early, and with Malaysia well and truly explored, we considered several options, finally settling on Laos.

Having heard so many positives about this mystical country from fellow travellers in Thailand and Cambodia, amazed we hadn't included it in our original itinerary, we were excited to see what the 12 days we had to spend in the country would bring - and we weren't disappointed. Laos was more naturally beautiful than either Thailand or Cambodia, with stunning rivers, lush vegetation, misty, tree-topped, hills and mountains and windy roads revealing a multitude of lively, small villages filled with straw huts, populated with a huge range of ethnic groups, each with their own traditions and dress, and what seemed like hundreds of small children, often grubby, but nearly always smiling and playing happily, despite having almost nothing. The people we found to be very laidback and gentle, the language was similar with some words and phrases easy to pick up, the effort always rewarded by a positive reaction. They seemed to have accepted the relatively recent influx of tourists and backpackers with interest and lots of genuine warmth and hospitality in the vast majority of cases.

We explored as much of the country as we could in the short two weeks we had. We took in numerous memorable, but incredibly long and windy, bus journeys, accompanied by - amongst other things - a mixture of rabbits, chickens, sacks of rice and on one 3 hour journey, 35 stops! We opted mainly for the cheap public buses alongside the locals, who ate 'snacks' along the way which included whole roasted spiders, grilled frogs, and various 'mystery' meats and then proceeded to try desperately not to throw up, apparently suffering from motion sickness!

We explored the riverside and historic sights and temples of ancient Luang Prabang, the country's second city, and spent a day kayaking down the nearby beautiful Nam Ou river, braving some fun but fast rapids, frequently greeted by local children screaming 'Sabaidee! (Hello!)' from the riverbanks where they stood panning for tiny scraps of gold still present in the waters. Stopping by the riverside at a convenient point for our lunch of sticky rice, accompanied by a variety of scrummy concoctions of vegetable and meat dishes, all served on a huge banana leaf, we were watched from a safe distance by a group of children from a nearby village. Once we'd stuffed our faces, the guide asked whether we were happy for the kids to come and eat what was left. Once beckoned over, the beaming faces neatly and speedily finished every morsel, with no fuss but much enjoyment - it was a lovely sight.

We then headed north where we taught twenty 4 - 6 year old children in the village we stayed the night in, the lyrics to 'Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes', 'Old MacDonald', 'Hello' by Mr Lionel Richie, Wham's 'Last Christmas', Take That's 'Never Forget' and Guns and Roses' 'Paradise City' on one memorable afternoon during a trek deep into the protected forests of far northern Luang Nam Tha. B was in his element, responding to the constant demands of 'Sing a song!' with vigour and the finest pop songs he could muster. The smiling children also tried patiently to teach us an old song in their Khmu dialect, with varying degrees of success, but much hilarity. The warmth, intelligence and vivacity of these lovely kids is something we won't forget in a hurry. Neither are their cheeky faces and shared giggles when we turned up to see them in their village school the morning after, along with the fantastic group of trekkers we shared the two days with, from places as diverse as Amsterdam and Tel Aviv, via Walthamstow and Dublin - they made it a lot of fun.

So what else to say? Laos was a country not of 'must-see' sights at a hectic pace, but more a place to savour things at a Laos-style pace, to soak up the atmosphere over a cup of Laos coffee, some of the best we've tasted on our travels. It's best remembered in the hidden delights of small villages and beautiful scenery we came across walking on long dusty roads, warm welcoming smiles from villagers living a lifestyle little changed in over 100 years, browsing the beautiful silks and loom-woven materials in the colourful, buzzing nights markets and watching the world go by on one of the many rivers. There was much we didn't get the chance to see in our time there, but we were well and truly hooked and hope to re-visit this tranquil, alluring country in the near future. For now, it's back to bustling KL, followed by a bus ride to Singapore and the start of the next chapter of our travels.

Asia says 'goodbye' and Oz says 'hello'.