Some interesting Laos news about a failed coup attempt by Hmong exiles in the USA. Also good to see the deforesation in Borneo is making headlines news. It’s so sad driving around there. Most of the natural jungle has gone, and you can drive for hours and hours and all you see are endless palm [...]
Don Det sunset from accommodation restaurant : I’m writing this offline during my less than 24 hours on Don Det island, around 20km from the Cambodian border, but I was swimming in the river next to Cambodia this afternoon (the Mekong River is the border here). I came down from Pakse this morning, pottered around [...]
Nov 142006
If you can’t be arsed reading this long post – jump to the bottom, it’s quite funny (erm, I think) Due to timing I wasn’t 100% sure whether to stay in Pakse, or take a very easy option of jumping on a small bus at the station, going for breakfast and being taken down to [...]
Nov 142006
I caught the ‘VIP’ bus from Vientiene to Pakse in Southern Laos last night. It wasn’ta great start as I was waiting for around an hour and only got picked up about ten minutes before departure time, crammed into a truck version of a songthingymabob with our luggage. I had to laugh when we arrived [...]
Nov 132006
I took a while today (ok, 5 minutes) to think about what I’ll do when I get to Pakse. Being in Vientiene confirms it’s not cities that really ‘pump my nads’ to use my expression. If I arrive in time tomorrow I’m going to investigate hiring a motorbike and scooting around the vicinity, and maybe [...]
Nov 132006
If any of you read my posts and like the sound of Luang Prabang, get there quick. There is a plan afoot to expand the airport so it can take more and larger planes. Currently there are only around 70,000 passengers per year arrive by plane. There are also some problems about the ruling not [...]
Nov 122006
I reluctantly left (I say that for almost every place!) Vang Vieng yesterday, at least one climbing day short, never saw any caves, never hired any motorbikes, but I had to head south to get to Cambodia I had breakfast at the organic cafe and was reminded of yet more volunteer opportunities I would have [...]
I think there is a training school for tuk-tuk drivers in Asia. I think it goes like this, probably in this order :Can you load this thing up to the max?Can you almost drive this thing?- no? It’s ok, they don’t go that fast.Can you barter hard when challenged? After an induction period they get [...]
Nov 112006
Spent today tubing with a couple of girls I met climbing yesterday, and a girl who took my photo in Luang Prabang (small world, not an exciting explanation!). Reluctantly I plan on leaving tomorrow – I think that’s Sunday, not because I’m ready for it, just that I need to time wise to get through [...]
Nov 102006
Sunset at Vang Vieng :I can’t actually decide whether I like Vang Vieng or not….On one hand it’s in an amazing setting with limestone cliffs all around, but on the other hand it’s in a shithole of a town, full of bars playing movies, Friends and the Simpsons! But to cater for the backpacker crowd [...]
