Meeting The Coolest Frenchies

I had planned to hitchhike to Luang Namtha this morning.  But as it was raining (a little) and looked like it was going to rain the whole day I decided to take the bus.  To get to the bus station I asked a French couple if I could share their tuk tuk.  This was the beginning of a very fortuitous meeting.


Richard and Caroline are (currently) from Lyon in France on holiday in South East Asia.  They are both very easy going and fully into relax mode.  We met Marion and Celia, two French girls from Toulouse also on an adventure through SEA.  


Once we got to Luang Namtha and checked into our guest house our gang was set.  We set off and shared a lunch together.  In the afternoon we went looking for a package tour.  My original plan was to trek in the local mountains to met and learn more about the minority hill tribes.  This plan went out the window when Caro invited me to join their 3 day Kayak trip down the Ou river from Hat Sao to Luang Prabang.  There were so many reasons not to join them.  Everything was stacked up against me: time (I'd overstay my visa), money ('not in the budget' and a visa overstay fine - $10 per day!) and having been to Luang Prabang before!


But I couldn't let such a brilliant opportunity go by, to spend time with such nice people.  I was committed from then on (even if I did waver a little before the trip started).