Thanks from me, too. I enjoyed your whole report, hopefully you'll tell us a bit about Pakse, too. Good to know re something useful that one can get for the libraries. It is def. on my to-do list in LP.

You never told us about your foot, but assume it healed as you managed to get a scrub without too much pain.

great report..

Many thanks for sharing your experiences with us.

Nicely done. What is the temperature in LP and does it vary much between morning and night?

Taha my foot is good as new thanks. I am really very lucky

Rivet, the temperature has been chilly morning and evening. Sometimes I wear a light fleece but usually a light sweater.
During the day it has been warm but rarely hot. In the two weeks we were there it warmed up a bit each day. It averages around 25 or so. I still wear short sleeves but after two weeks we dont have a tan.

In Vang Vieng right now and it is much warmer, hot even. Tonight I still wanted to put on a light sweater

Will do my report on VV tomorrow.

Vang Vieng

I had arranged to go by mini bus to Vang Vieng Saturday morning at 8:30AM. Cost was $14 from the guesthouse. I was picked up in a van and then we sat outside another guest house for an hour and then were told to move into a small 20 passenger bus. There were myself and two younger girls and we struck up a conversation.

Our quiet bus was then invaded by six 20 something boys and girls from Holland and Germany. I think that they were still drunk from the night before. Thankfully they were all asleep within a half hour of our bus leaving.

The scenery was wonderful. The first part reminded me a lot of the road to Tofino, minus the palm trees and bamboo of course. It was a very twisty windy road through the mountains with drops to the valley below. I could also see in the distant mountains lots of bald spots where they have been clear cutting, just like B.C. in Canada.

Through the mountain passes there were many villages along the way with the houses mere feet from the edge of the narrow road. Most were made of bamboo and the other side of the house was on stilts sitting on the edge of the ravine. I would have nightmares thinking that a truck or bus would miss a corner and come through my home while I was sleeping. There would be a central water collection area and women and children would be there to do laundry, dishes and fill buckets with water to take back to their homes. They would fill two buckets and put one on each end of a pole and then carry the pole on their shoulders, sloshing water as they walked. You wonder how much actually makes it home with them.

Little children as young as four on the very edge of the road sorting and banging grasses. There is Pampas grass as far as the eye can see on the mountain and the women and children (some men too) cut it down, bang it on rocks and then lay it on the side of the road to dry. They use these to make small brooms

After a few hours the scenery changed to craggy limestone mountains. They were beautiful. When we came down to the valley I saw many rice paddies and vegetable gardens, cattle, goats and chickens. This was now a farming area.
I had my headset on listening to really good music and looking at this amazing scenery and thinking

“I’m in Laos” wow.

It was around a 6 hour bus ride to Vang Vieng and although the scenery was great the roads really weren’t with lots of huge pot holes, so I was happy to disembark at 3PM. I had booked the hotel on the internet the night before and decided that I deserved something nice after my basic accommodations in Luang Prabang.

The Elephant Crossing hotel is right on the Nam Song (Song river) and my room has a view of the river and the limestone karst terrain. The price was $50 per night and includes a really nice full breakfast. The room has gorgeous wood floors and a balcony with chairs to take in the view.

I immediately went down to the riverside bar and sat in the hot sun which was very welcome and ordered a beer and a snack for lunch. I was really enjoying the warmth, I felt like a cat. I spent some time talking to a man from Holland, (there are a lot of Dutch in Laos) and then decided to find out when the last bus to Vientiane is tomorrow.

1:30P!

That’s not very much time. I asked if I could book another night at the hotel but they were sold out. Well, that was enough lounging around for me I had better get in gear if I want to see anything. I had the front desk book a motor boat for me to go down the river.

Now I have two major fears. One of them is water. But the only way to see much of the town is by water, especially if you are short of time.

The boat picked me up right at the hotel and I nervously climbed in. It was a long narrow boat that was about three inches above the water. The boatman had a long engine at the back.

The water is the color of milk chocolate. It looks fairly clean, not a lot of garbage floating by or on the edge of the banks. Most people would think that the water was pretty calm, but to me there were rapids. Not big rapids, but rapids just the same. He was a very skilled boatman as he had to dodge many sharp rocks sticking out of the water all over the place. He also had to dodge all the other boats who were trying to dodge the rocks. And let’s not forget the tubers.

Luang Prabang is a real party place. People rent large tractor inner tubes and float down the river stopping at bars all along the way and get very drunk. If I was going to be here longer and had someone to go with I would do it too, (but not get drunk of course .) There are many many bars along the river with kids jumping on trampolines, going down waterslides, dancing, jumping into the water from ropes. The water is quite warm as I found out when we got swamped from another boat. I was just worried about my cameras but they seemed to survive.

I really enjoyed the boat ride , which lasted an hour and cost $12.50 for up to two people. It was a great way to see some amazing scenery.

VV is quite different from Luang Prabang however. The Lao people who work in the tourist industry here are not as nice, probably because they are fed up with the drunken rude tourists. The town itself off the river I did not find very attractive. There were many very drunk and loud young men and women walking the streets.

I went to Mulberry café for dinner and had a curry dish and a fruit shake which were both great. After dinner I just went back to my room and early to bed for my 5:45AM wake up call. I am really glad that I booked this hotel on the river, it felt like a sanctuary.

Now my second biggest fear is of heights.

So at 6AM I was picked up to go on a hot air balloon ride over Vang Vieng. When I was sitting at the bar yesterday I saw two of them fly overhead and thought at first that it look terrifying. Then when I realized how little time I would have here I thought….why not? Cost was $70US per person.

I am picked up in a van with seven others, six girls and one guy all around 30 years old. We are driven to a dry rice paddy field and see our balloon being inflated. Eventually we all get in this very small basket, I was last, and the fellow bungy cords the door closed.

The heat from the burner is intense as he tries to fill it with enough hot air to rise. We all squat down in the basket to avoid the heat. There are 8 guys holding the basket from the outside and helping to get us off the ground. One of the girls says

“ I was told these only hold six people, but there are eight of us”

I came this close to jumping off! The young woman beside me could see how terrified I was and put her arm around me and said
‘it will be fine, don’t worry”

Just like that we were airborne. It went up so fast. My fears disappeared and I was awed by the view. The sun was just rising behind the mountain and there was a low mist over the fields. We followed the river up past my hotel and soared for around an hour. He would drop it down to about 20 feet off the ground sometimes and we could see the early morning goings on of the farmers and the animals below.
Then he would go higher again for a while.

It was fantastic. Then we started to descend and wondering what kind of a landing we would have……should we all sit on the floor of the basket? Thankfully the day had no wind at all, however on our way down the captain or what ever you call him miss judged a bit and we went into a small tree but came out of it alright.

We see eight or ten guys below us running around trying to judge where we will land. We are in another dried rice paddy. When we were about four feet off the ground they all grabbed the sides and walked us to another area. I guess he landed in the wrong spot.

We were still four feet off the ground and a couple of times we would get hung up on the rise of the rice paddys and would be afraid we would tip over. Meanwhile this burner is going the entire time. I was worried about the young guy with us as he was over six feet tall and I was afraid he would singe his hair or pull a Michael Jackson.

They took us to an area that had less sticks and things that could poke the balloon and we got off. They put down a huge tarp before they deflate the balloon so as not to get any tears, which is a good thing.

We are all so pumped on adrenaline. It was really a highlight for me and so glad I didn’t get off when I really wanted to.

There wasn’t much time for much else as all the major caves and exploring areas are out of town a bit. I should have rented a bike but didn’t think about it until 11AM. I walked a lot, visited some caves but it was extremely hot to walk around. I got a bit of a sunburn today. First color in over two weeks here.

I would have liked to have spent another day here, but now on to Vientiane. I think if you like the outdoors and want to see some caves or do water sports like kayaking etc you really need two nights otherwise you don’t get a full day in.

The VIP bus left at 1:30P and was full to the brim. I think it may have been a VIP bus about 15 years ago but not so much now. The bus is dented, scratched, a number of windows have cracks or spider cracks in them. The interior is dated and the air con is almost non existent and it is hot.

About ½ hour out of town the driver pulled over and got out a screwdriver, hammer and a wrench because the main door was not closing. He had to do this a number of times on the journey. Half way there we stopped for a toilet break and he picked up a spare tire and put it on the bus. We didn’t have one up until that point I guess.

The ride to Vientiane was less spectacular than yesterday so I fell asleep a few times. I would nod off and bang my head on the window and wake myself up. After six or eight times of doing this I was developing quite a headache. Cost of the VIP bus from VV to Vientiane was 50,000 Kip or $6.50

We arrived in Vientiane bus depot around 4PM and I take a taxi to my guest house, Souphaphone which is very nice and quite new. ( thank you V. boy) A large room is $22 for either one or two people. Vientiane is huge. I was very surprised when I arrived.

I went out for a wonderful dinner at Le Central restaurant which is right around the corner. The menu is quite extensive and it is an upscale restaurant. I ordered a yam burrito as I eat them at home all the time. It was under ‘Mexican’ food, but when it came it was curried yams in a wrap with a wonderful green salad on the side. It was really delicious and I would recommend it. With a beer Lao it came to 70,000 kip or $8.75 which is pricy for here, but worth it.

I will rest up for a day of sightseeing tomorrow.

Very intrepid, indeed! Never been on this route, nor in a balloon, but felt that we were right there with you.
Love your nod to CBC Radio with "As It Happens!"

WOW!!! Your balloon ride sounds sooooo awesome. Again thanks for sharing all the details. It's extremely useful to have the names of restaurants and hotels and prices.

WillJame, quite by accident. I listen to CBC so maybe I did it without thinking....

CORRECTION
The restaurant I went to last night was not Le Central but next door, called Cinnamon Lounge. It was nothing like a lounge

VIENTIANE

A lazy morning today for sure. Never left the room until 11AM. Talked to my husband on Skype and friends on facebook so it was good to catch up.

I went to Joma Café for breakfast and they have Nanaimo bars for sale. I took a picture and tried to tell the young girl there that I lived in Nanaimo but I don’t think she really got it. Nanaimo Bars were invented in my town of Nanaimo on Vancouver Island B.C..

Walked around Vientiane to the Patuxi which is the Lao version of the Arc de Triumph. Climbed to the top to get a good view of this massive city. I am glad I am only here for a day, it really isn’t doing much for me. I am sorry, a lot of folks would disagree but everyone has their own tastes. I really am not a big city person except for Paris, London or New York. I prefer the smaller towns.

It was really hot today. I am finally getting some color and trying to keep it from being a red color but rather a nice golden brown if possible.

I walked to the Museum and there were a few old artifacts on the first floor but the second floor was dedicated to the history of the last hundred years in Laos. A history in pictures. It is so horrendous what these people have endured over the past years. I cant believe how forgiving they are.
.
I found out from my husband that our good friend finally lost his battle with cancer this morning. I was feeling quite sad all day. He had been following my blog and pictures up until yesterday and was really interested in my trip. I went into a Wat and lit some incense for him and said a few prayers that I hope he is finding some peace. I felt that he was there with me in a funny way.

I then went down to the river to have a beer in his honor. I know that it is a real stretch for me to have a beer, but this really was in his honor.

I am now waiting for Cynthia to arrive and we will head out for dinner.

I am sure that many folks love Vientiane and I really did only see a very small portion of it I know, but I am looking forward to being on the smaller islands down south right now.

Pakse and the 4000 islands.

I had to be at the airport at 5 for my 7AM flight which got me to Pakse at 8:15AM. Cost on Lao airlines was $133 USD. I did not know where I was going to go, which for me is very unusual.
I knew I wanted to go to an island but unsure which one. There is a group of islands called the ‘4,000 islands’ on the Mekong river with Cambodia on the other side. There really isn’t 4,000 islands, a lot of them are just little shrubs sticking out of the water and I am not sure that anyone ever really counted them.

Lonley plant advised to make your way to the southern bus station (there are five bus stations in Pakse) and there was an English girl at information so I asked her if she was heading that way which she was. She was going to Don Det, which is the party island. The other two main choices were Don Khon and Don Khong. Those were the two I had finally narrowed it down to.

We arrived at what was very obviously a local bus station. There were people yelling at us as we arrived calling out destinations which we couldn’t understand. She said Don Det so they grabbed our bags and put them on top of a large tuk tuk that was crammed full of people. I said……no I am going to Don Khong.

Yes yes, Don Khon
No, Don Khong
Yes yes, Don Khon (which is the same pier as Don Det). I thought that the tuk tuk looked far too full so perhaps I would be better off going to Don Khong

Silly me.

Finally one of the guys asked to see my book. Lonely Planet is very smart and puts the names written in Laos below the English name so he sees that I want KHONG. He takes my bag down and a woman carries it across the parking lot to an actual small bus. Yes!! And there are only four people in it. YEAH!

I was still a little unsure I was on the right bus so asked a few more people who said yes I was. Then I saw a piece of cardboard on the back of the bus with some writing on it and I compared it to the drawings of the name in my book and it looked like a match. Laos is a different alphabet, similar to Thai.

She shows me where to sit which is a single seat by the open window. The people inside are smoking and eating highly aromatic food so when I find out the bus is not leaving for another hour I decide to get off and wait. Big Mistake.
When I came back the bus was full….so I thought. There were no seats. The woman who previously helped me kicks someone out of my seat and puts me there again, and now I will stay here. I am the only tourist on the bus and she was taking care of me. I really appreciated it too. The older monk gets out and has a cigarette and does stuff on his I phone. Strange.

By the time we left at 11AM our 18 seater bus had 42 people in it. Another woman got on and pretty much sat in my lap. We then stopped to pick up a few more along the way and we start our three hour drive to the ferry terminal.

There are two reasons not to sit by the open window on a bus in Laos. One is the inevitable and very unbecoming wind hair that you get. The other is that we stopped ½ way in a little village and twenty or so women converged on each side of the bus and stuck food on sticks in through the windows for people to purchase. Roasted Corn on a stick was okay, but the rest was meat. I had ‘roasted bat ‘ mere centimeters from my face, fish, and flattened bird. I knew it was a bird because the feet were still on it. All of this was waved literally in my face and I thought that I was going to lose an eye cos they are all on sharp sticks. I just started to laugh. They didn’t know why I was laughing so they laughed too.

We finally ended up at the water’s edge. I was really surprised to see how blue the Mekong was. It looked like a lake rather than a river. There is a medium size barge waiting to take the bus across. I watch as some smaller barges go back and forth taking motorcycles to and from the island. Finally it is our turn and three vehicles get on and make the 10 minute crossing.

The island is very close. We drive about 10 minutes and then stop and she says the word ‘Falang’ and seeing as how I am the only tourist on the bus I figure this must be my stop. It was all blind faith because I wasn’t even really sure which island I was on at this point. I walked about 200 meters and found the first hotel and decided to check it out. It is very very hot outside.

The hotel is Done Khong Hotel. A young man showed me a room on the second floor, there is a huge communal balcony overlooking the scenic river and the room is clean and decent with a good fan. The price with private bath is $10 per night. I am too hot and tired to look further so this will certainly do. I go out to the restaurant on the river’s edge and realize that this is probably the sleepiest place I have ever been in. Time to really slow down for a couple of days.

I actually had a nap for a bit after my early morning and then rented a bicycle. It was a very old and rickety bike with no brakes but the island is flat and there is only the odd motorcycle to contend with. Of course you must watch for the many chickens goats and cattle walking out in front of you. I rode for a couple of hours until my butt was too sore to go on. The seat was not great. I walked down for a small dinner on the edge of the river and decided that perhaps it was just a little too laid back for me here.

I arranged a boat to Don Khon at 830AM. Cost was $7. It was a really nice boat ride that took around one and ½ hours through many little uninhabited islands. I sat with an English girl who was just going for a day trip and then back to Don Khong tonight. I hoped that I was making the right decision by moving on.

As soon as we arrived I just felt that this was the place for me and I belonged here. It was a little more lively but still incredibly laid back. I dragged my poor suitcase up and down the dirt road looking for a place to live for the next few days. A woman about my age said I would probably like the places better at the other end, so I turned around and walked the other way. I came to the end of the hotels and checked there. I really lucked out.

Seng ahloune guest house is newer, there are around 10 duplex cabins on the waters edge and they are very clean with a little balcony and hammocks. It is right beside the bridge to Don Det. They were really nice but rather pricey (for here) of $35 a night including breakfast but I decided to take it. After a bite to eat for breakfast I came back to my hammock and fell asleep for a couple of hours. Wow I am getting lazy, its great.

There is no privacy on these balconys as they are all right beside each other but everyone sits in their hammocks facing the same way so not uncomfortable.

If you stay here I would suggest a cabin as far away from the restaurant as possible. It is not a quiet place. There is a huge extended family that work here and they are all very nice and helpful but the young children can be noisy as young children can. It didn’t bother me at all but may bother some folks. I would stay here again.

The restaurant is host to large tour groups from Thailand every day at lunch time so don’t go there at noon. Plan lunch at 11 or 1P if possible.

Most of the hotels on Don Khon are on the one side close to the bridge as are the restaurants two internet cafes and the couple of small stores. There are a few little restaurants at each of the attractions, (dolphin boats, waterfalls etc.). Not a lot of places to buy souvenirs etc and no ATMs. Some hotels will change money but the rate isn’t that great.

I rented a bike and this one was perfect, newer, everything worked and it was a mountain bike without gears which you don’t need here. $1.25 a day. I rode for hours all over the place. I really feel that this is where I needed to be, its great. You will see the odd gravel truck as they are building some roads but very rarely. More often you may see an occasional motorcycle and other bicycles. You can ride for an hour and not see another person. I did have to stop at one point to let a family of Water Buffalo cross the road in front of me. I thought it best to let then go first. They are huge!

The roads are all dirt and quite primitive in some areas so glad for the good tires. I went to a waterfall area that was really beautiful and sat down to drink a cold coconut.

I rode on for a couple more hours and ended up at a beach and a fellow asked me if I wanted to take a boat to see the dolphins. There were two young German guys and they suggested the three of us go together. . The boatman again is very skilled maneuvering around the many jagged rocks and trees sticking out of the water. He is also bailing out all the water in the boat at the same time. Multi tasking. I had a very wet butt at the end.

In a half hour we come to this group of rocks sticking out of the water and are told to get out and climb to the top. I guess I am getting old. All the young people are helping me all the time. Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate it, it is just a real reality check. “we’d better help the old broad’

We sat for a half hour and watched for the illusive dolphins. There are only about 100 left and they are endangered. They chose to live here but can be in the ocean as well. The Lao people believe that they are the reincarnated dead.

A few hundred meters away is Cambodia so we can not go any further. Every once in a while we see a flash of a dorsal fin but nothing too spectacular. It was a very enjoyable boat ride and the captain was really funny. . Our boat decided to go to Cambodia without us and we see it drifting away. Our boatman is laughing and yelling but thankfully another boatman was coming by and rescued the boat, and us.

I rode my bike for another hour or so and decided to call it a day. I hope my butt is okay to ride again tomorrow. It has been a while.

Day 25.
I stayed in may hammock until 1PM again today just reading, listening to music and watching the kayaks and boats go by. There are a number of companies who offer kayak tours and it looks like they have very good equipment including helmets and two guides per tour. I am not brave enough myself.

Later I rode my bike around the other island, Don Det, which is connected by a bridge. You need to pay $2 to cross the bridge per day. I stopped for lunch at the other end and an English girl was sitting on her own as well so she joined me and we talked for an hour. There are a lot of women travelling alone I have noticed and of all ages. I am glad I am not staying on Don Det. It is definitely a younger persons destination and there are a lot more stores and guesthouses. . I found that the locals were not as friendly there either. Funny that is it so close and yet so different. It seemed pretty tame during the day however as everyone was just laying in hammocks or beds sleeping and reading. What a life…

I spent the next day once again in my hammock reading till 1 and then riding around Don Khon the other way this time. You will go through little villages but then not see anyone for ages. There seems to be enough shade here and there so you don’t get too scorched. I came upon another waterfall .

My observation is that most of the sights are on Don Khon, most of the people on Don Det come over to cycle around Khon. Don Det is also very small in comparison.

My last day in Laos. I read in my hammock until 11AM and then was taken by motorcycle to a boat which took me to a tourist bus which arrived in Pakse 3 ½ hours later. This was quite a different journey from when I first arrived here on the islands. I am really glad that I had the experience of the local bus though. I wouldn’t have traded that for anything.

I met up with the English girl again that was on the bus from the Pakse airport with me. It amazes me how we all keep running into each other.

Pakse is a rather unremarkable small city in my humble opinion. A jumping off point to see Wat Phu or the Bolevan plateau, neither of which I have time for becuase I spent an extra day on Don Khon. I didn’t really look around Pakse much though to be fair.

I checked into my hotel, which I was thankful that I booked last night as most hotels here are sold out. I tried the Champasak Grand first who were sold out and then got the last room at the Pakse hotel. All they had left was a ‘family room’ which was huge with two queen beds. It was nice, clean but no window, unless you count the one that goes into the hall way. The cost was $39 per night including a breakfast buffet. It is very busy here right now with huge tour groups.

I did some last minute shopping, Lao coffee for DH and I had been thinking of buying a ‘gong’ ever since I was in Luang Prabang but didn’t want to pack it around with me. Found one here that I liked

I had dinner at the rooftop restaurant at the Pakse hotel and saw the sunset. It is a great view. The food is okay, nothing spectacular. I ordered a curried yam dish which didn’t have any yams in it which was disappointing. It is quite pricey as well.

I went across the street for a one and ½ hour full body herbal massage. OMG. I wish I would have had one at least once a week while I was here. $15 with a tip.

I met an English girl who was a massage therapist and here studying massage. She told me that she had one and it was so amazing that she was going to study how to do it.
He starts off by full body aromatherapy oil massage and then presses little pockets of very hot herbs into your muscles. It was absolutely amazing. I felt like jello,. A perfect way to spend my last day in Laos.

Flew to Bangkok via Vientiane with Laos airlines. There were no direct flights unfortunately.

My hotel in Bangkok is the Cottege Suvarnabhumi near the airport booked on Expedia for $43. They have a free pick up and drop at the airport and around an 8 minute drive. The restaurant downstairs does not have a very extensive menu and it is not in an area of many restaurants or shops. The hotel looks very new, clean and quite nice. For just an over night connection I would recommend it.

My Cathay Pacific flight is at 930A tomorrow and I get into Vancouver two hours later…..(I wish! )

I really enjoyed Laos and was glad I did the south as well at the middle. Maybe next time I will explore the north.

I LOVED your report and would love to do a similar trip at some point (although probably not until I retire and have more than 2 weeks of time). Your teaching experience in Luang Prabang sounds fantastic - LP was a highlight for me on my first (only, so far) trip to southeast Asia. But it was the southern Laos portion of your travels that fascinated me the most. Thank you so much for sharing your experiences and providing such colorful details.

Fantastic report, Debbe. Don't know if it is quite our travel style but I was right there with you...

great report and thanks for taking the time and for including so much detail

bob

I've enjoyed reading about your travels in Laos so much. Thank you for your posting. Our trip is planned for the end of February and the itinerary isn't quite the same but of course I'm curious how our experiences will compare with yours. Strange that despite Lonely Planet and all the pre-research one does for any trip - it's the unplanned and serendipity experiences that are most treasured. And those were parts in your report that I read with the most interest and am looking forward to experiencing in our travels. Bon voyage to future trips!
Sally

Sally I look forward to hearing your report and your impressions of Laos. Have a great trip.
Debbe