After an hour's sleep, it wasn't surprising that I passed out on the early morning bus from Vang Vieng to Vientiane, Laos' capital city, but for once, the bus made the journey in super quick time and cut my sleep short.
Vientiane is not very large, but much larger than Luang Prabang and Vang Vieng, and it was rammed when I arrived because the locals were revving themselves up for the tens of thousands of people who come from all over Laos and Thailand for the three-day Water Festival.
I met up with Tom and Michelle, who were passing through as part of their whirlwind tour of Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam. Their 5-star was a stark contrast to my dorm bed! After some sightseeing (That Luang and Patuxai), we ended chilling along the river watching the chaos unfold. Most of the backpackers had chosen to avoid the river as there were literally people everywhere among the hundreds of street stalls lining the banks. The grilled fish from one of the food stalls was excellent. I also bought a small rocket firework for 10p which you could light out of your hand!
The main boat race, between Laos and Thailand, wasn't even that exciting, and despite everyone trying to stamp on each other to get a view of the race, there was little cheering.
On my final night, we met this crazy scouse dude who was absolutely trolleyed. He was finishing off drinks that people had left unfinished; sadly he wanted to have a conversation with me after he found out I was a Liverpool fan.
It was time to leave and head south to Pakse, with my tube. The bus rides had progressively been getting better, and this was certainly the best. Other than the bright pink curtains, it was awesome - A/C and reclining seats - what more could you ask for.
Pakse and Champasak
On arrival into Pakse, I basically rented a local guy to take me by motorbike to the nearby waterfalls, Tad Fan and Tad Yeung. It was after about 20km, only halfway to the falls, that he told me he had never ridden a bike before! The halfday trip was entertaining though. We stopped at some tea (green and oolong) and coffee plantations, the waterfalls were both far more spectacular than I expected, we had the spiciest papaya salad I have ever had, and I even helped him get a photo with a local girl that he took a liking too.
After briefly returning to Pakse, I headed to Champasak, a short tuk-tuk and ferry ride away. The tuk-tuk only left after it was full with passengers and lots of other things, including living frogs in a bucket, however, I soon realised that the driver and I had different definitions of full. The ferry was basically a wooden barge that had been nailed to four small rowing boats below. Yet it carried 4-5 vehicles and around a 100 people!
Champasak was really nice, very quiet and with lots of accommodation right on the river. I had a great view 10 metres from my room door.
The main attraction here was Wat Phou which was commissioned by the same king who began the construction of Angkor Wat in Cambodia. I rented a bike at 4am and reached Wat Phou, 9km away, just before sunset. It was not a very clear morning, but great nonetheless as I had the whole place to myself.
Siphandon
Later that day, I jumped on a tuk-tuk and headed further south to Siphandon, which translates into Four Thousand Islands. It is very close to the Cambodia border and a idyllic setting. Lots of small islands with heavy forest and palm trees scattered about the place.
I spent one night on Don Det island. However, it was far more touristy than I expected, but I expected nothing, especially given there is limited electricity on the island and none affter 9pm. Most of the bungalows lined the shore while paddy fields occupied most of the island. I had my own wooden bungalow (with no fan or light) and a hammock on the balcony for one pound. The restaurant/bars were very chilled and I spent hours chatting to a Belgian guy and two French girls, who I had met on the tuk-tuk.
The next day, I walked across to Don Khone island. This place was fantastic. Far fewer people, an even more beautiful setting. It was so peaceful that I almost fell asleep whilst walking. A 2-3hr walk took me through lots of paddy fields, cows and the odd hut, some amazing waterfalls and a beach. The waterfalls were really cool, particularly as the water was brown, which formed a nice contrast against the rocks
and blue sky. The beach was very quiet and you could swim in the river, although there was a very strong current about 6 metres out, so the tourists didn't go out further than that (although the local kids did).
It was my final night in Laos so I treated myself to a nicer room which was right on the shore looking across at Don Det.
My time in Laos has been an excellent experience. The food is very good, there's lots to see, it has very diverse landscapes, a compelling recent history, and most importantly of all, its people are great.
No comments:
Post a Comment