Laos 2010

Nov 1, on road to Siem Reap, Cambodia

Up at about 6 am to catch boat at 8 am to mainland.  Waited about an hour and then found out had to walk with pack to catch the bus, was only 5 minutes but still....

We had only been on road for maybe 10 minutes and the bus ran out of gas.  Only found this out when driver reappeared with about 5 litres of diesel!  Not sure what he expected as the border to Cambodia is only 20 minutes away!

New diesel but killed the battery trying to start the engine!  More waiting, and a mini van shows up with 2 new batteries.  We are finally off after just short of 2 hours waiting!  

10 minutes later, at the border.  Need to exit Laos, then walk about 400 meters (so they said) to Cambodia border, get cleared for health (just a questionnaire), apply for visa and then get stamp.  Each of these steps cost money!

Finally on bus by 12 noon!  Many of us expected a large bus, but turned out to be a local bus.  Actually a blessing as there is much more leg room on this bus and it is only about half full!Arrived at bus change place about 6 pm and told bus would be along in about 1 hour!  Turned up at 8.30.  Arrived in Siem Reap at about midnight!  Long day.  By 1 am was in hotel.  Finally!

Oct 31, Don Det, 4000 Islands, Laos

More great Laos coffee!  Good way to start the day!

Rented a bike today and headed off to see the Li Phi Falls on the island next to Don Det.  Small railway bridge now used for traffic, connects the 2 islands.

Falls were very nice!  A lot of water flowing over them.

Went past the old engines, one Japanese and the other Russian.  Went to the other end of Don Khone.  Lots of road work going on!  Plus about 30 men watched one older guy with chain saw cut down a big tree that seems to be on the extension of the road.

Headed back and went through the guest house areas on both islands.  Very glad I am where I am.  Crazy with people and restaurants.  

A nice ride as the islands are fairly flat, even if the tire was low on air, chain kept jamming and it was difficult to peddle!

Oct 30, Don Det, 4000 Islands, Laos

After 2 very good Lao coffees, large ones, I spent the morning in the restaurant talking to the French couple or watching life on the river.

Had a nap, and then went for a walk.  Just caught the end of another boat festival.  Lots of beer being drank.  Seems to be the thing to do.  But then not much else here!

Cooler today, almost needed sweater, but resisted!  

Oct 29, Don Det, 4000 Islands, Laos

Mixed day of travel!  Tuk tuk, then mini van, then long tail boat and finally a motorbike ride.

Southern Laos islands in the middle of the Mekong.  Very quiet and relaxed and not really much to do.  

Arrived at guest house about 11 am after leaving Pakse about 8.  Very nice.

Spent the rest of the day either in hammock watching life on river or in restaurant chair watching life on river.  Very lazy but nice.  Not many guesthouses near by but very busy with family. 

Owners aunt and uncle stopped by to invite him to wedding party next week!  Very loud with lots of laughing but also some beers flowing!  Short visit.  Then later in afternoon the neighbour killed at goat.  Well it seems that it is cause for a party!  Many beers, Lao Lao whiskey and of course a sampling of the fresh kill!  Some of the older ones stayed around longer and with a few drinks under their belts they jumped on the motorbike!  Scary but still very funny as they tried once and hit the side of the restaurant getting started. Stopped for a bit and then tried again, successfully!  Scary part is that there is not a road by here, only a foot/bicycle/motorbike/cow/waterbuffalo/chicken/duck path!

A French couple are the only other guests.  Spent some time talking to them.  They are from the north part of France, not far from Ponterson, they were very surprised I knew it!

Relaxing.  Everything bascally quiet by 9 and pitch black as no street lights.  In bed by 10!

Oct 28, Pakse, Laos

Off on another tour today.  This was by boat for a couple of hours downstream on the Mekong!  Very interesting passing all the villages and fishermen on the river.

Stopped at small town to catch tuk tuk to Wat Phou.  A Hindu temple started about 500 AD, and then added to about 200 years before Angor Wat in Cambodia.  The temple was later taken over by the Buddhists.  The main road to the temple is lined on both sides with columns, with ponds on both sides.  The each side of the ponds are 2 more roads leading to the temple, one for men and the other for women!  Of course we walked up the columned one, the one for VIPs!

Lots of reconstruction going on.  2 buildings at the ends of the roads are similar with one being fixed by India and the other by France.  Seems to be a bit of competition going on!

Amazing place and difficult to describe.  The carvings are so small and intricate.  Mostly Hindu showing Shiva, Brahma and Vishnu.

Many stairs to get to the top and amazing as there are trees that are growing up through cracks in the bricks!  Small cave at top with water running out, sacred water.  This was fed down to the temples via pipes that were carved as well (this according to the museum, as none left).

Interesting carvings at top.  And elephant and a crocodile!  2 animals worships by Hindus.

Then had lunch at restaurant that over looked the Mekong.  Very nice and the fish was excellent!

Back in boat for the trip back to Pakse.  On way saw a kingfisher.  Very orange beaks but did not get chance to take picture.  Then later saw a snake fall out of a tree!  But of a surprise!

Stopped at a Buddhist temple part way back.  This one was way up the mountain, only 300 steps to the top!  A small temple but interesting as one of the shrines was built over a bomb crater!

A nice ride back to the city.  Was a great day as the German woman I met in Vang Vieng was on the trip! Good to catch up with her adventures!

We had dinner together and she got on a bus to Vientiane!

Great day, tired but no where near as wore out as last night!

Oct 27, Pakse, Laos

Well I did get a fair bit of sleep!  The bus stopped about 1 am in the middle of nowhere, time enough for a toilet break!

Arrived in Pakse about 6 am.  Tired and sleepy but not as bad as I expected.  The tuk tuks were there waiting.  10,000 kip to get to guesthouse but when I said I would walk he dropped to 5,000 kip (about 70 cents), which is probably 10 times the local price!

Got to guesthouse, had a shower and a coffee (very good strong stuff) and headed off to travel agent.  Arrived and they said they just had a tour leave 5 minutes before but if I wanted on it they would arrange.  So joined!  Caught up with a Swiss girl and guide at the market, shopping for lunch.

The tour was a 4 or 5 hour trek through coffee plantations and to 3 water falls!  It was great, stopped farmers yard where he was drying the beans in the sun.

The hiking was good, but there were a few places where we were climbing up dirt/mud cliffs, on a small trail through the bush/jungle.  Tough going in places.

Next stop was top of Bolavan Plateau.  Interesting as very flat but also the rocks were flat.  Found out later it was an old volcano!  Beautiful views.

Walked through many coffee forests.  In one a bunch of kids were picking and they all ran over to say hi.  Then joined in for a photo session.  Great!  We had many extra bananas, so they got those.  Lots of smiles and hellos!  In the next area 2 women were picking and allowed us to take pictures.

Continued walking to Champa falls, small, but secluded and very nice!  Don;t know the name of the next one, but is the one pictured on many brochures.  120 m high at about 800 m above sea level.  Looked at it from the view point and then hiked up then down to the top of the falls!  Waded through one of the falls and looked over the edge of the other!

Hiked on to the next fall which is more public and developed.  Very nice area, but here I did end up with a leech biting me.  Freaked out the 2 guides and the Swiss girl!  Leech season was supposed to be over!

Drove to a tea plantation.  Not that big of farm but supposedly well known.

Back to guesthouse with guide and ended up having a beer with him as his wife housecleans at the guesthouse!  This is a small town!

He was adamant that I should stay and teach at the local school!  But I am sure he asks all that!

Tried to find internet cafe but none here.  Ended up at internet place and had to pay!  5,000 kip per hour!

Was very tired so went to bed early after having something to eat.  Was only 10 pm and the town was basically closed up!

Oct 26, Vientiane, Laos

Another lazy day!  Had breakfast and then off to walk around some!  I went and booked a tour in the next couple of days in Pakse to Wat Phou.  Again very expensive, $108, but hopefully more people will join which will reduce the price.

Went to bakery and had a cinnamon roll!  Very good with coffee!  And the hired tuk tuk!  Wanted to go to Wat Luang, which is about 4 km outside of city.  Too hot and humid to walk.  He wanted 50,000 kip, which is outrageous!  Got him down to 40,000 (a saving of $1.50) but ended up with a round trip, and him waiting for me for 50,000 kip!  Tough to work out the pricing.

It was all of a 15 minute ride.

Talked briefly with a man from southern France.  He assumed I knew French since I was from Canada.  I could understand most of what he said, and the rest was translated by his girlfriend.  Interesting how he indicated that France was in big trouble economically.  He was going to Cambodia as well.  

The wat is huge!  And covered in gold paint, where it used to be all gold leaf!  The stupa is imposing.  Other huge buildings around as well.  The large ornate one is an assembly hall.  Found this out from talking to a young monk in the yard of one of the temples.  He is in high school and wanted to practice his English.  He has only been studying for 1 month and it was very good.  Limited vocabulary but still great from such a short time.  I said that I had been to Ponsavan and he said that was his name, and that he was from a farm in that province.

Was very interesting.

Back to hotel to wait for bus.  An overnight sleeping bus to Pakse!  Should be interesting!

Well picture a standard passenger bus with bunk beds!  That is a sleeping bus, and it also has the capacity of about 50 people!

The beds are about as wide as 2 bus seats and 2 people get to sleep there!  They are just wider than a single bed and they are about 6 inches shorter than 6 feet!  I am 6 feet!

Very cozy!  Much to cozy for me!  But good thing there was an empty bed and the guy next to me moved!  Good as he was also very negative and was really not into talking.  A nice couple from London on the bunk across from me so we chatted for a bit!

Read a little but they turned out all the lights!  Bit weird laying down with the bus moving and rocking!  And they rock a lot as they are almost as high as a double deck bus.

Oct 25, Vientiane, Laos

Back at the AV Hotel.  This is a great place, a bit of luxary at $35, but nice.  Expensive considering the most places charge about 100,000 kip ($12) but did get one place for 55,000.

Did some walking around today, not a lot as tired from yesterday!  The city is a mess!  Garbage everywhere from the festival but they are working everywhere to clean up!

Made it to the Wat Sisaket on time today!  This Wat is the oldest in the city, about 200 years, as the others were destroyed in the war.  Very interesting as much of the paint work is still visible on the pillars and ceilings.  Very detailed, would have been nice to take pictures, but not allowed.

Lazy day, spent some of afternoon just updating pictures and blog.