The road to Bangkok

Our journey from Don Khong involved a short long boat ride across the Mekong followed by a minibus to Pakse Bus Station - very strangely our driver refused at first to stop at the bus station for us and insisted that he would only drop us in the town centre. Then when I offered him small tip to change his mind he agreed but refused the tip - very Lao?

The VIP bus service to Ubon Ratchatani (in Thailand) is run by a Thai/Lao joint venture and unfortunately we ended up on bus no 2 which was the Lao contribution -not the safest nor the most comfortable 2 hours on the road. When we reached the border we were turfed off the bus to walk through the two immigration offices and across the border and a clear demonstration of the difference between the economies of the two countries.

The bus station at Ubon was very busy and a long way from the town centre. We avoided the entreaties of the Tuktuk drivers and picked up an airconditioned pickup truck for the journey to the hotel. Ended up with dinner in the hotel - which was surprisingly good - as we couldn't find anywhere else open on Sunday night. In addition to the great food we had a great conversation with a French couple who had been on the same bus from Laos. He was a diplomat - currently stationed in Bangladesh - who had first been posted to Laos in 1975 just as the communists took over. They had some amusing stories about the changes they had seen and we had a very entertaining evening.

Taxi ride to the airport the next morning and our first AirAsia flight which left ahead of schedule, got us to Bangkok on time and a very speedy taxi trip meant we were in time for lunch. A 24 hour journey whic included 7 different vehicles - would have been easier to fly direct from Pakse but the Lao airline ticket prices were five times those of AirAsia and we'd have missed all the fun of the border crossings!

Si Phan Don - 4000 islands

The number of islands varies with the season - and the height of the Mekong - but there are definitely thousands of them. We stayed on Don Khong - the largest one - not as popular as Don Khon and Don Det but definitely a great place to relax. Mr Pon's Guesthouse was our home for 5 days and I think we ate in his restaurant at least 5 times. Don Khong is very relaxed and most visitors are there for a day or so on their way south to the smaller islands which attract mostly backpackers.

We managed one day trip by boat to see the waterfalls at Somphamit and Khon Phapheng which prevented the French from developing a trade route to China along the Mekong in the 19th Century and a couple of cycle trips around the island but otherwise managed to relax on the riverside deck at the guesthouse.

On our trip to Don Khon we discovered that Elvis is alive and well and travelling in Laos while our fellow travellers complained that the noodles that they had for lunch must have been made with 'virtual' chicken since there was no obvious sign of the real thing. We have met quite a few interesting people on our travels and the German man who joined us on this trip was full of stories of his 30 years of travelling in Thailand and Laos - he has enjoyed it so much that he is planning to retire to Northern Thailand because his pension will go a lot further there than in Munich and the opium is cheaper! There was also a Dutch couple, a pair of Belgians and a Swedish backpacker who all ended up with us at Mr Pon's restaurant for dinner when we got back - think this was the biggest bar bill of our trip (at least until we meet Jimmy C!)

Valentine's day!

Pakse has little to offer other than a gateway to Si Phan Don -Four Thousand Islands - and the road to Cambodia, the Bolaven Plateau and its coffee plantations and trekking opportunities or the road to the Thai border. It is also within easy reach of the Khmer ruins at Wat Phou which can be reached by road or by boat. We chose the boat trip and spent a pleasant day cruising down the Mekong - with a stop at a very old and decrepit Wat with only one remaining monk - to Champassak and a tuktuk ride to the temple site.

Arriving 5 days before the Maha Puja celebrations meant that whole site was crowded with traders, entertainments, food stalls - even a mobile ATM - in preparation for the million or more visitors expected for the full moon celebrations and merit-making. This is the largest Khmer site outside Cambodia and I am sure it is a lovely place to visit at any other time but it felt more like a fairground with hawkers and traders in every open space around the ruins.

A very pleasant lunch in a riverside restaurant before our return journey was spoiled when our Swiss travelling companion discovered that his Iphone - with all his photos, contacts etc., from 3 months on the road - had been misplaced. By the time we got back to Pakse it was clear that someone had taken it and removed the sim card - he spent an hour or two grieving the loss of all the information but then put it behind him and started organising the rest of his trip.

Our guide for the day had spoken reasonable english and we had fun teasing him about his plans for Valentine's Day. Having booked a table at the Panorama restaurant - on the rooftop of our hotel - and allegedly the best place to eat in town - I was feeling quite smug. I reckoned without the organising skills of our French Hotel manager who had managed to screw up the booking so that we ended up having dinner on bar stools while the rest of the diners had white linen and roses for all the ladies - on top of that the food was nothing special.

We were glad to leave the place for our bus ride to the islands.

Heading South

Arriving at the domestic terminal at Wattay airport at 6.00 am on Sunday morning for our flight to Pakse we were surprised by a heavy shower of rain but it had passed by before we had to walk to the aircraft. It did make for a bumpy flight - on a Chinese MA-60 which was clearly designed for short people. It was impossible for me to stand in the aisle without bumping my head and the doors on the overhead lockers were lethal. Lao Airlines inflight service - hot drink and snack box - was a bit limited but having been too early for breakfast we both managed to finish the sausage roll with chilli sauce and the iced cake that went with it! A flight time of one hour 15 mins was definitely more preferable than a 10 hr bus journey - think we are way past that sort of travelling now.

Our booking at the Pakse hotel had included transfer from the airport and when we arrived to find no-one waiting for us, we spurned the advances of the many taxi drivers and called the hotel to be told that the driver was on his way. After 25 minutes - all the taxis having now departed - we called again and were assured by the French manager that his driver would be with us in 5 minutes. After a further 20 mins - still trying to maintain the lao attitude on 'boh peng nyang' (loosely translates as no problem / never mind) - I called again and after a lengthy discussion finally spoke to the manager again to learn that he had misread our booking message and had arranged a car to pick us up at the airport at Ubon Ratchatani - 3 hours away in Thailand. This time the Driver did arrive in the promised 5 minutes and we reached the hotel 2 hours after landing.

Having got off to a bad start, his offhand apology and the shabby state of the rooms did little to improve the situation - Linda took advantage of the free wifi to post a frank review on Trip advisor!

Coffee and pastries at the Sinouk Cafe around the corner put us in a better mood - owned by one of the largest Lao coffer producers and a great place to stop.

Back in the civilized world

After 5 weeks travelling in Thailand and Laos - although we have generally eaten well - you cannot imagine the joy of sitting down to lunch on the sun-dappled terrace of a French brasserie just next to Nam Phou with a chilled bottle of Chablis, a fresh green salad and an omelette aux fines herbes.

Vientiane shows signs of its French Colonial past amongst the newer concrete government building. This is most clearly seen in the Avenue Lane Xang - an asian version of the Champs Elysee, with its own Arc de Triumphe -Patuxai - at the end. Apparently the final sections were built using cement provided by the US in the 60's for the construction of an airport - hence the loacl nickname 'the vertical runway'.

The city is easily walkable and substantially cheaper than Luang Prabang and we had planned to stay for an extra day or two. Unfortunately, the flight we had planned on taking to Pakse was full and we had to leave earlier than we would have liked - literally since the flight out was at 0730 and Lao Airlines require check in 2 hours before departure.

Sat in a rooftop bar to watch the sunset over the Mekong which was spoiled by clouds of smoke from a big fire on the outskirts: ate good Sushi in a city centre restaurant and had an excellent Lao meal in Amphone restaurant. The jazz bar was a little disappointing - although perhaps we left too early, while the selection of cafes for breakfast - with real coffee- was excellent.

On the Road to Vientiane

Leaving the Plain of Jars, we had to retrace our route for about 80 miles until we reached Phou Khoun and rejoined the road south. Since our average speed over the three days was never more that 30mph, it was a long drive with a couple of stops to admire the stunning scenery - wave after wave of mountains seemingly marching away from the road on both sides. It was quite a relief to finally reach the Nam Song valley and arrive in our overnight stop at Vang Vieng.

The self-styled 'tubing capital of the world' is a must see place for any backpacker passing through the region and one that we would have preferred to bypass. Unfortunately after another 7 hours on the road there were no other options - but we had at least booked a room at a small hotel away from the main drag overlooking the river.

It turned out to be a lovely peaceful spot and one where we would have been happy to stay for a few nights if it hadn't been for the backpackers inferno which surrounded the place. Our guide book told us that despite dozens of restaurants and bars that we would have to search hard to find good food. They were right - we didn't.

We did however have a very peaceful night's sleep and good breakfast at a shady spot on the river bank before we were back on the road for the last 100 miles to Vientiane where we arrived in time for lunch.

The Plain of Jars - and the legacy of the 'Secret War'

Our driver - Mr Oa - was very punctual and was a much better driver than some we have had. Probably just as well given the roads over which we travelled the next 400 miles. While the highest mountain here may be just over 2500m, northern Laos has to be one of the most mountainous areas that I have ever visited. For the first 120 miles of the drive to Phonsavan - although the road surface was good - we rarely travelled more than 100 metres in a straight line or on the level. Very impressed by the number of falang cyclists who were braving the mountan roads - some even with their weans in tow (literally).

Interesting to see the villages perched on the edge of the mountain sides and the land that they have cleared on the slopes to plant their crops. Since they have little land suitable for rice they are amongst the poorest comunities in the country but still had satellite dishes outside most houses and shacks.

We descended about 1000m to the Plain - which is 1200m above sea level and could immediately see the difference in the lifestyle and prosperity of the villages and the towns we passed. Much bigger farms and a lot of concrete houses - some of them very grand places - as Mr Oa suggested some had made money in agriculture or transport or tourism but the biggest were those who made their money from corruption!

Since Phonsavan was largely wiped off the map by US bombs in the 60's and 70's it was rebuilt in a very communist style with a lot of large concrete buildings along the main street - mostly Chinese / Vietnamese owned hotels and restaurants. Not a place to spend more than a night or two unless your business is construction, or clearing unexploded ordnance.

Our hotel was in the Chinese utilatarian style, a huge soulless place which was good enough for a one night stay -and a surprisingly good breakfast. Our first stop in town was MAG (Mine Action Group International) one of the Charities which is helping to clear some of the huge quantities of explosives left behind by Curtis LeMay's carpet bombing campaign. Have a look at the website to see some of the consequences.

With Mr Oa's help we found a local guide - who spoke good english - to show us the main Jars sites. Local legend says that the jars - up to two metres in height - were used by the previous inhabitants of the plain - a race of giants - to ferment their rice wine while the archaeologists date them to 500 BC and claim that they are funerary jars. I think I prefer the legend - with that much rice wine it would have been one hell of a party!