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 oil plantations and logging trucks……planted and logged by companies that a lot of the ministry apparently have financial interests in.
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 for a couple of hours deciding my next move then rented a pushbike for a few hours. I cycled through the locals harvesting rice, a wee village, saw the Tat Somphamit (Li Phi Falls) waterfall – very impressive and a hardcore kayakers wet dream. 
I then continued for a dip in the river by a beach where you can grab a boat and see some freshwater dolphins. Although that was originally one of my main reasons to come here, I don’t have time to try and see them tomorrow. The whole trip only took about an hour each way.
It’s soo chilled here. It took me a couple of hours to have a snack and leave my accommodation (helped by listening into and chatting to a guidebook author). I watched a cracking sunset over the islands from the restaurant about 10 feet from my bamboo shack (no fan! Could be an ‘interesting’ hot sleep!). It’s still not peak season and everyone just does what I did,the odd river trip, or lounge on hammocks and not do very much. I’ve not seen as many stars in the sky since…well, I guess not that long ago during a powercut in Myanmar.
I was reworking my Cambodia plans when I arrived here and, despite being so close to the border, I have changed my plans to reluctantly skip Kratie (more potential dolphin spotting) and head back to Pakse (a couple of hours in the bus) then fly to Siem Riep for $86, probably missing out Kratie altogether. Not ideal, but with only around 12 days in Cambodia (yikes!) it saves me doing a long bus journey loop to see the other places I hope to – Siem Riep, Battambang, Phnom Penh (I may remember how to spell this once I’m there), then down to Soukhanville for the beach and hopefully a dive. I must confess that I’m finding it harder to get timing information for Cambodia from my alternative guidebook ‘Adventure Cambodia’. I bought this due to the vast amount of motorbike touring information but doesn’t look like that will be an option now.
Unfortunately to catch the organised buses I have to get the boat at 11.30am, so Pakse will seem like time just waiting for something to happen as there’s not much to do there, but I’ve a 6.30am check in the following day…. I’m sure there must be local buses but I reckon the cartel of tour operators wouldn’t give away this information so easily!
Don Det boat landing :
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 Dong Det at 4000 Islands by 11am. I bumped into Adam who hung off the back of a sawngthaew with me from Muang Ngoi Neua to Luang Prabang last week and he was heading straight down with a mate. Amazingly, when I said I wasn’t getting the bus, the saleperson told me I never needed a tuk-tuk into town as it was only a few minutes walk – excellent service.
I went to the Lankham Hotel in town to enquire about renting a Honda Baja 250cc for the day,and maybe trying to make it back for a lift to Don Det in the afternoon, and it seemed feasible…well that was until I said I’d hire the bike and the last sawngthaew then seemed to leave at 1pm rather than the earlier 4pm someone said. Anyway, I had a place to store my back, and had a Honda Baja for the day for $20 so off I went to explore the Bolavan Plateua, home of the wonderful Lao Coffee.
Me and my 250cc Honda Baja :
The road to Ban Beng (the easy start bit) :
I managed to make good time on the bike, alledgedly more horsepower than the previous one I hired in Chiang Rai, and a larger frame (although I reckoned this one needed servicing). I headed out on a route that would take me in a loop from Pakse to Tat Fan waterfall (one of the most impressive in Laos), through Paksong (the home of coffee), to Tha Taeng (or Thateng) to Bang Beng, to Tat Lo waterfall and back to Pakse. Then I hoped to go to Ban Saphai to see some weaving action. One thing that becomes apparent in Laos is the slight variations in place names when translated into English.
I made a great start and stopped off at Tat Fan. I started a hike down towards the bottom of the 120m waterfall on the opposite side of the gorge, but it quickly got way too frickin steep to do on my own (like near vertical where I was heading). I settled with the excellent viewpoint after having some laughs with the car park attendant who made an excellent ‘vrroom vrroom’ sound every time he looked at ‘my’ big bike (everything’s 50 or 100cc around here). I was desperate to buy some coffee but knew it would end up getting carried around like the tea I still carry from a wee village in Northern Thailand, famous for it’s tea. So famous in fact, I’ve forgotten its name.
Tat Fan waterfall :
I drove through Paksong, fighting the temptation to ride past a coffee plantation sign in the need for speed. At Tha Taeng the road started to get a tad more interesting as it turned into a dust track, riddled with the remains of water trails. Needless to say I loved it, bombing past the locals on the tut tut bikes. I also seemed to drive past every school at break time so got the waves I have grown to love.
I stopped in Ban Beng at a one table ‘cafe’, the only tourist in sight. Again the schools were coming out, and all the local girls burst into laughter and moved away on the sight of a white man. Until I took my camera out, then they posed and smiled, and laughed at the results. God I wish I spoke Laos. I had a great soup, despite no common words being spoken (except my fluent ‘kaap chai’ Laos, a traditional chicken dish, which wasn’t what I got). That and a Pepsi for $1. Angelica – if you read this I was interacting a wee bit using your SE Asia Phrasebook – cheers!
I then stopped off at Tat Lo and dipped my feet in the water before heading back to Pakse…
HERE’S WHERE THE FUN BEGINS if you skipped the start.
About 20km from town the bike started jumping a bit and I just assumed it was gas, so tried to switch to the reserve, but still the same, but only occassionally – after my Thailand exploit I had a shitload of gas in it, and had only travelled 150km. Anyway, on I went passeing several gas stations. It spluttered. It died.
Shit, not again I thought. I shook the bike, still gas in the tank. How much do these things need to start anyway? I was on the flat. About turned, I pushed the bike, with a gas station only a few hundred metres back. Well, it was a storage unit. No pumps. A couple of hundred metres on from there, there was a station. That was only after the guy at the gate of the storage pointed me back the way I came, then the locals pointed me back the way I had originally been walking.#
Gas in. No start. I shuffled it around a bit, moved the reserve switch, still nothing. The folk sitting around let me use their mobile as my network wasn’t working. After a few phone calls, they agreed to come out and see me as I was only 13km from town. Two guys came, nothing. We sat around and spoke about my trip, and I wrote down some English words I used to try and describe it. Again, I said yes, Scotland does speak English, drew the usual UK map, pointed to it in the Lonely Planet, showed him my postcard and said Scotland was next to England but way better (I always use this).
Anyway, the hotel manager came out and tinkered with the same bits the first guys did, made the bike backfire, and sent me on my way on a replacement bike. By this time it was 4pm, too late to do anything, and as I shot away I realised the odometer had been disconnected too,so I headed back to the hotel for some negotiation. Unfortunately the manager had been towed back by the time I quickly tried to gather my locked bag and laptop.
Negotiations started so I quickly teased my passport out of the receptionists hand before started to haggle.
“No, I’m not paying 20,000 kip ($20),it broke down at 1.30pm, there’s a shitload (I translated that to Laos) of gas in it”
“But you havea replacement until 7pm”
“Yes but I can’t drive it until 7pm, I don’t know how much gas is in it, the front lights not working and the odomoter is disconnected”
“20,000 kip, you signed this about gas”
“Yes, but it broke down”
And on it went until they doscounted it by $2, then I laughed and emphasised the petrol. It went on for ages, eventually the manager agreed to call it quits at $10. I then went on about the $11 of gas I put in today, a third of which was probably still in the bike as it was put in after it broke down.
The phone at reception rang. Bingo – right on cue. I picked up my gear, after leaving 80,000Kip (8$) on the table, and was queried as I was about to walk away. I tried to play nice, but after she said “I no rent you bike again tomorrow or next time” I reckoned she had given up.
I walked away having paid just over 4 UKP for the bike, a little bit more on petrol, and decided I better look for another room in town before leaving first thing. I sorted out my bus, then found a room and crashed for a bit. Hot, sweating buckets, and dusty. Bingo. A good day. Like I said, it’s not the journey, it’s the destination 😉
Tat Fan waterfall :
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 at the bus station though as it was small time carnage everyone rushing to get on the bus. There were around 6 of them leaving, and some folk had booked tickets together, or separately assuming they would be on the same bus, and well…they weren’t.
I was seriously impressed by the blinged up buses, I’ve never seen such a colourful parade of double decker buses before – some of them with custom paintjobs, large letters on the front like ‘KING OF BUS’, and I wouldn’t like to be the driver of the bus that never had multicoloured lights on the front, and a flourescent lit engine bay.
I was very impressed with the buses though – very comfy indeed, a small meal served, water, a few sweets and even a face cleaning cloth. The seats reclined, there was a video (although we never got one), about the only thing I could gripe about is the overhead compartments aren’t wide enough to fit much more than a tootbrush.
VIP buses. I take it all back (although it was full of bloody tourists….erm, like me)…the only thing that annoyed me was not getting a pic of the blingged up buses.
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 into the Bolaven Plateau for the day,then hope to get a share taxi later in the afternoon to Don Khong island so I can spend a night or two there before crossing into Cambodia.
The Bolaven Plateau is the home of Lao coffee, and it rocks!
Vientiene probably has more going for it that I give it credit for, but it’s just a peaceful wee city, with a fair amount of expats meeting in cafes. And more wats and temples, but I’m more than ‘watted out’ after the last few weeks. If you’re religious I’m sure they will mean more to you, but they are all similar after a while.
I went to the post office and airmailed a few early xmas gifts home (god that’s so unlike me) while I had a decent opportunity. It’s fricking expensive doing that here – $46 for a couple of kilos!!! So that’s around 8 times what the things cost, but hey ho.
Anyway, stayed up late writing blog entries and organising my pictures quite a bit so better go and post them! I could do with a whole day doing that here, but I’ll move on. It’s the first chance I have had to look through them for ages. I also spent a bit of time looking through a couple of volunteering (i.e. cashinteering is a crap term I made up as you have to pay for it) possibilities in Nepal for next October – only for a short term, but yet something else to go through my mind once I raid a bank.
My next post will likely be from Cambodia as internet access more than triples out in the sticks in Laos. But can I keep myself away for that long.
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 allowign large coaches into the World Heritage centre of Luang Prabang.
The Vientiene Times also reported arrests after a spate of bag thefts by people on motorbikes, so watch out if you are walking around.
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 liked to have done, then went back to grab my rucksack instead of heading to the motorbike hire shop!?!
Again, I walked past the tuk tuks dropping off people for the tourist cattle ‘VIP’ bus, headed to the songtheaw (will have to check the spelling – basically a shared pickup taxi) beepnig it’s horn…
“Vientiene?”
“Yes thanks”
Within seconds, a friendly groan from the driver after lifting my pack onto the roof (next to the obligatory motorbike..remember this is just an old toyota pickup, with seats in the back and a roof, with loads of folk piled in), and we were off, me on the back, feet hanging out from the seat – the best view in town, natural aircon, and I could get a tan, and help take the rice off the roof at the stops, and wave back to the locals when they see a white face in a pickup that has the most regular ‘VIP’ bus service in Laos.
I had a quick wander around Vientiene this afternoon, and decided I’d have a long lie tomorrow. If I was more alert I would have probably just went direct to Pakse tonight. The journey’s not as bad as I thought – leave 8pm, in around 6am (ish!) so that’s my plan…although as it’s a biggie and much more of a biggie on local buses, I’ll be trying the $15 VIP option, and will probably just buy it from an agent to get picked up.
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 advanced training so they can offer inroads to other lines of business, all with no shop fronts required?
‘You smoke?’
‘You want lady?
I’m sure there must be a cut off though as the second and third options are quite common, they’re not offered by them all, but usually when the tuk tuk ride is refused. Maybe they think it’s not a tuk tuk ride you’re after. Purely in the pursuit of market forces training, I was almost tempted to see the price of the third, then ask the lady calling me from the other side of the street in Vientiene directly. I’m curious to see what cut they get….
Oh I left all the oranges I acquired from the Orange truck in Vieng Xai in Vang Vieng, happy they didn’t have to be carted round Laos any more without being eaten. I also left a bag of crisps that survived the circuit from Luang Prabang where I bought them, back to there and down to Vang Vieng. And I wonder why I carry so much…
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 southern Laos in a whistle stop fashion! Yesterday I went climbing which was fantastic – great to get out on rock again. Tomorrow I have to fight with my mind as I know two seperate people going on various routes, and I’ve got to know three of the instructors well, (having drinks and eating at their restaurants) so I’m desperate to hang around and climb with them tomorrow but my schedule dictates otherwise. I’m also a tad jealous of Jane’s posting from the Red Cross in Luang Prabang as I want to be doing it too!
A big thanks to Amy, Zoe, Deb(s) and Joe for the last day or so of fun in Vang Vieng! In fact thanks to everyone I’ve met so far – Israeli, English, Irish, American, German, Argentinian, Spanish, Australian, Polish, New Zealand, French, and last but certainly not least Canadian (and the others I’ve missed)
I feel like a bit of a spoilt brat being out here and complaining about lack of time, but there’s just loads of things I’ll miss out on, and I’ve not been moving fast at all compared to some!
Advice for others travelling – save loads, buy a one way ticket, go on your own, and get people to fit into your plans ;->
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 there’s also some quite naff bars on the riverside, but it’s also pretty relaxing to sit by them and have a beer, one foot dangling in the river. Going price for a joint is 40,000Kip (don’t worry mum) and there’s a lot of that kicking around. If only Luang Prabang could have the activities like this and not be spoiled it’d be perfect.
But, I went climbing today. I’m don’t think it was value for money at $21 but it got me on rock, and I had a good time, despite being defeated by an overhang move, but hey, I haven’t climbed since May.
I’ve not had a chance to write posts about my recent circuit in North East Laos yet. I could easily spend a couple of months in Laos but I’ve got a real time dilemma about hitting Veitnam by the end of the month, with very limited time in Cambodia so I think I’ll have to move south the day after tomorrow, and take a killer overnight 24 hour bus journey south from Vientiene to Pakse, and that sucks! Too little time!
Rope swings at a tubing stop (right next to a climbing area called Sleeping Cave :
A riverside bar at the end of tubing :
Kids at a village on between Luang Prabang and Vang Vieng :
Amy on a 6a? :
Me at the crux move on a 6b, before my not-used-to-climbing arms gave up :
Me just before the crux move :
