Don Khong to Vientiane

22/10/12 - 23/10/12. We woke up early to visit the morning market and see the sunrise. At the market several locals arrived on the island by boat and set up stalls in a field. Among other things we saw cockroach kebabs (alive), frogs attached together in groups of  4 or 5 (alive) and small birds, put in double plastic bags to be transported by their buyer (almost dead, I would say). I wished I had bought them first to free them and let them fly away. We stuck to some dried venison for our breakfast.

Our boat arrived to take us across the river to the mainland. We then had a 3hr minibus ride back to Pakse for the final time. We had booked a sleeping bus to the capital Vientiane, but it didn't leave until 8pm, so we had some time to kill, so we went for a herbal sauna and traditional Lao massage. A few cracks and clicks later we were nicely relaxed for our journey. We just had time to squeeze in a burger (which was very welcome now that our appetites were back).

The "Sleeping Bus" was an experience.  Thankfully the bus wasn't full, so we had a "double" each to ourselves... the doubles being a whole inch wider than the singles. What followed was 10 hours of bend after bend of accelerating, hard breaking, constant horn honking and tensed muscles to ensure we didn't fall off the bunks and into the aisle. We did get free chocolate and a bottle of water though. 

Our arrival in Vientiane at 6am was a relief.  We calmed our nerves with a coffee and a croissant in a lovely french bakery, which got Flora's seal of approval and It was so good we had to go for seconds round, a Croissant Aux Amandes this time.  Le Banneton (the bakery’s name) was the place that she dreamed of finding in London and found 8000 miles way from home... Thanks to the French colonisation.

After checking into a guest house on Rue Nokeokoummane, we hired some bicycles to explore the capital. A day was enough to visit Patuxai, Wat Si Saket and Haw Pha Kaeo.  On our way, we saw the presidential palace, the French embassy, the catholic church (maybe the only one in Laos), That Dam, the riverfront market (for food and drink) and fair (where Dave won a bottle of ice tea for busting 3 ballons with 3 darts for 2000 kips). I also tried and wasn’t so lucky as I didn’t spend enough time in a pub playing darts in my life. We also popped in an Tourist Information Centre to get maps of northern Lao and some good tips from a Japanese-born Laoan guy for the rest of our time in Lao. I (Flora) got told off  by an other member of staff because I asked for some information in English as a Frenchwoman and the guy was proud to say that he had French teachers in the old days… he was a bit more friendly after that.

Si Phan Don (4 000 Islands)

17/10/12 to 21/10/12 - We started the day with an "indian breakfast" where we booked our tickets from Pakse to Don Det (one of the 4000 Islands) for 65 000 kips per/p the day before. Then after a long three and a half hours on a dusty bus without AC and a long boat (with 5 other people and all our bags), we finally reached our destination, Don Det.

We thought we could avoid the "Sunset Boulevard" of Don Det easily, where all the backpackers land, but we only managed to walk half way through the island, because of the mercury reaching  34 degrees and our big bags on our shoulders.  However we found Mr Tho's Guesthouse who had bungalows (wooden shacks) facing the Mekong and a few more islands at 30 000 kips (around £2) a night and close to the primary school.

We pretty much snoozed there for the rest of the day, between resting in the hammock and trying in vain to get a good wifi connection.

We hired some bicycles from Mr Souk for 10,000 kip and headed south to go to the neighbouring island Don Khon. We stopped for a quick coffee at the "Mekong Dream" and had a nightmare when we saw  some maggots floating in our coffee. After apologising several times and making us a fresh cup the owner "Hom" asked us if we would be interested in a boat trip around the islands the next day, just the two of us. We said we might be up for it if he could also drop us at another of the islands, "Don Khong" at the end of the day. He told us that it was quite far, but he could do it for more money. We suggested that we could find maybe a couple more people, pay a bit more and also for his lunch if he knew a nice place to eat... and he was fine with that.

We visited Don Khon (Li Phi Falls) were we had a small plunge and a coconut in the morning and took a boat trip to the Cambodian side to watch the rare "Irwaddy" river dolphins for couple of hours and appreciate a cool Ankgor Beer in the afternoon.

We went back just in time to Don Det to watch a beautiful sunset.

We met Michel, a frenchman from Lyon and had a breakfast with him. At this place, the owner had a pet monkey tied to a tree at the back of the restaurant. I went quietly after my breakfast to see him. After 10 minutes or so, all the customers in the restaurant saw me holding him and took some pictures of me. The monkey went on to my shoulders and was looking for headlice in my hair (probably to eat) and then stroked my hair to tidy my hair style. On my way back to the table, the owner stopped me and told me that the monkey hated women and usually bit them or scratched them. I guess being born in the year of the Monkey helped me a lot.

Michel also wanted to go to Don Khong. We spent the day with Michel for another bike ride on Don Khon, but this time the other side of the island and went through friendly villages (who helped us with Michel's puncture - we had only one and still don't understand why we didn't have more with the state of the paths and roads). We stopped for lunch and had a grilled fish with sticky rice (as promised from the fisherman we met the day before on Kong Ngay beach).
At the end of our little expedition, we split three ways. Dave went back for a shower and a rest in the hammock and I went to chat to Hom, for the last details for our trip the next day. I missed the last sunshine and borrowed a tiny flash light to find my way back for the next 3 kilometres. Just enough to see the holes, avoiding the usual cats, toads and especially to keep me from falling into the Mekong when crossing the tiny wonky wood footbridge.

Hom picked us and Michel in front of our bungalow as arranged (he was 30 minutes late, which we were realising is customary for Lao people).  Dave was sick first thing in the morning, and assumed it must have been the food from the previous day as he felt better instantly.  However, once we set off in the boat he felt bad again and had to lie on the hard, wooden deck of the boat all morning to feel better.
We visited one of his mates who made Lao Lao (local rice whisky) and learned everything about its production (we even tried the fermented rice at different stages of the production and tested the final product.) We bought some for our boat trip and also to contribute to its production.

We stopped a couple of times for a small moment for Hom to say "sa bai dee" to some of his mates on different islands and he introduced us every time in a frendly way. Finally we stopped for couple of hours in a village with a family (and their friends) and had drinks comparing our Lao Lao with theirs and had a traditional Lao lunch at their place. Being the only woman, I had to carry a couple of kids and was chatted to by the grandma about having children. One of the little girls was ill, and I gave her the only paracetamol I had with me and told the grandma to give the little girl half of it now and the other half in 3 hours time  with plenty to drink (I might get told off by Zabed or Laurent if it wasn't the right thing to do, but she seemed to feel much better after an hour). We had a very good time and Lao experience and ate fish soup, morning glory (riverweed), barbequed fish and sticky rice (and Lao Lao was the only drink on the "table" and the only liquid we had). Hom dropped us at Don Khong when it was almost dark. He rushed a bit as he had to return to Don Det before it was night. We just had time to say "korp jai lai lai" and "lar gone"... and he was gone.

We also rushed to the nearest restaurant for a mineral water, but it was too late, the heat stoke/food/Lao Lao got me first and I was sick for the next few hours.  Michel also felt bad the next day, but he also had quite a bit of Lao Lao like me, so we still don't know if it was 'that' fish, heat stroke from the bike ride or Lao Lao that made the three of us ill.

Pakse - Champasak

15/10/12 - Pakse seemed like the centre of the earth. Theres not much there to see but all major bus routes in southern Laos pass through here, so its a place that everyone has to spend some time.

Inevitably, you end up seeing the same people again and again, and of course, making friends.  Most of these are fellow travellers, but we were lucky enough to meet some locals too. We were having a quiet drink by the river when a guy started shouting "Wayne Rooney" at Dave. His name was Lote and he was a Liverpool fan (like most of the Lao guys who follow English football) and his favourite player was John Barnes. Lote was a really friendly guy and worked in the courts in Pakse. We were invited to play Petanque (French bowls) with him, but we were running short of time in Pakse. After drinking a few Beerlao with him, he left us and when we asked for the bill, the waitress said that we had nothing to pay as Lote had paid for everything (even for the beers we had before he came to join us).

Inevitably, you end up seeing the same people again and again, and of course, making friends.  Most of these are fellow travellers, but we were lucky enough to meet some locals too. We were having a quiet drink by the river when a guy started shouting "Wayne Rooney" at Dave. His name was Lote and he was a Liverpool fan (like most of the Lao guys who follow English football) and his favourite player was John Barnes. Lote was a really friendly guy and worked in the courts in Pakse. We were invited to play Petanque (French bowls) with him, but we were running short of time in Pakse. After drinking a few Beerlao with him, he left us and when we asked for the bill, the waitress said that we had nothing to pay as Lote had paid for everything (even for the beers we had before he came to join us). On

 our way back to our hotel, the streets of Pakse were so calm. However, we found a local karaoke and had a go in between two Lao pop songs with our English pop repatoire. We left as soon as a group of noisy Aussies invaded the place (the Lao people left too).

13/10/12 - The next day we decided to visit Wat Phu in Champasak.

We again took a motorcycle and after some navigational hiccups and the associated fallout we eventually found our way. This happened to be along a brand new road, by far the best in Laos. With lines in the middle and no pot holes, and a toll booth at either end that waived us through without charge, it was a nice break from the dusty droves full of school children on bikes with umbrellas. There were still the usual cows,  pigs and dogs but a bit more tarmac in between. The scenery was no less stunning. At the end of the rainy season everything is a rich shade of green, except for the fox red dusty soil at the side of the road. The mountains in the distance are covered by a dreamy haze from the humidity from the thick vegetation.

We arrived at Wat Phu and began the trek uphill to visit the ruins. We were instantly soaked in sweat. We finally reached the Top after a hundred or so steps, where we were rewarded with a wonderful view of the area. After a much needed water break and a walk around the cool museum, we headed through Champasak on our way back to Pakse.

We decided to stop at one of the many snooker halls in Laos (essentially a snooker table with a thatch roof constructed above to keep the rain off. We found one with a view overlooking the Mekong and played a couple of frames.

They have chalk for the cue, but also a white chalk to stop the cue sticking to your fingers if they get too sweaty. We then headed back to Pakse before making our way to Si Phan Don.

Ubon to Pakse

06/10/12/ to 11/10/12 : After a long train journey (10 hours in sleeping class with air con, and only 4 hours late), we finally arrived in Ubon Ratchathani. Ubon is the biggest city in the Isaan region, but sees very few tourists, (we saw only 3 in 5 days). There wasn't much to see in Ubon itself, but a couple of things nearby. We decided to rent a scooter to explore the area and visited temples, national parks and villages in the province. One of the villages was famous for its brass and silk products, and we stopped to watch a woman weaving some silk (she might have been there a long time finishing whatever she was making). We also went to a large supermarket (equivalent of Tesco/Carrefour) where you could buy food, clothes, guitars and motorbikes. Most people we met in restaurants, temples and markets had a very limited english, so our phrase book came in quite handy. We also saw some interesting food in the markets, including barbequed frog on a stick. Flora decided to buy a handbag from the market, which although has come in handy, does have the smell of aged fish.

At the end of our time in Ubon, we met a group of young thai people who spoke very good english and they helped us order some food in a local restaurant. We met one of them (his name was Gai) for a drink the next evening. Gai was a 22 year old student who worked with children to teach them english. He was also part of an organisation to help the young community learn english and told us that they are always looking for english speaking volunteers to come and help (so if anybody’s interested we can put you in touch).

11/10/12: By the end of our stay in Ubon we’d grown fond of the place and were a little bit sad to leave, however we made our way (by Taxi) to the bus station to get our ride across the border into Laos. After 3hrs (including half an hour to get our visas) we arrived in Pakse, Laos and immediately felt the heat and dust. A few (older) people speak French here, but on the most part people speak Laos only and limited english (hello and a wave). After withdrawing some cash and realising we were millionaires (12,500 Kip = £1), we hired another scooter (manual this time), packed a small overnight backpack and set off for a circuit of the Bolaven Plateau.

We stopped near a river and a set of 3 waterfalls at Tad Lo. Here we chose a guesthouse and after a dip in the waterfall, we met some local girls who insisted we drink with them. They offered us some beer (we accepted as we didn't even have a bottle of water at the time) and we sat on the rocks with them. They seemed eager to improve their english (mostly lyrics to songs) and they let us listen to some Lao pop songs. They invited us to spend a night at a karaoke 10 km away, but we declined as it was a bit far and driving (and after drinking Beerlao) at night was a bit dangerous.

We then returned to the guesthouse where we were the only foreigners and were invited to eat as there was a funeral for a lady who had just passed away and who lived there (a good innings at 99). We thought it rude to refuse as they insisted for us to sit with them (and we were hungry too), so we ate very well and had a good chat with two gentlemen (both with good english) from the village. We woke up the next morning to find several bhuddist monks in the living room chanting and inviting people to pray. We were welcomed to join but we had to leave. We thanked the lady owner who spoke french and we left for Paksong.

We moved on to our next stop on the plateau, passing by several dogs, cats, chickens, ducks, cows, wild boar, goats, pot holes and children as we went. Everybody we met waved and shouted Sai Ba Dee (Hello) to us as we went past and Dave was in charge of the waiving behind. We decided to stop in a village and have a walk. A man shouted something at us and went running into his house. Then he came out with a bunch of bananas and invited us to buy them for 5,000 kip (20p). We did as we were hungry and they made a nice lunch. We dodged more dogs, cows and pigs on our way and after a lovely cool night in the mountains (24 degrees), we visited another waterfall Tad Nyeung for a lovely refreshing dip and chat with a volunteer called Alex who was teaching english as well as being the local jazz musician, chef, nurse, walking guide and all round good guy. He introduced us to the owner who had spent 50 years in France and had moved back to Laos to retire (and run a coffee plantation, guesthouse and restaurant). We had good fun chatting to him and had the best coffee ever and some barbequed pork. He then offered us some of the local tipple (see picture) and tea. It was actually not bad despite appearances but quite strong. We left as we would have had even more if we had stayed and still had 40 km to do by motorbike.

 

Ayutthaya

4/10/12 : We turned up at 10.30am for our visa but it wasn’t ready. We had to come back at 3pm for it, which we were not really that happy about, as we have our bags with us and the temperature is 34 degrees. However we found a place with air con nearby and free wifi where we were happy to stay for few hours.
We then went to the train station (Bang Sue), a tiny station with 2 platforms. We booked our ticket 3rd class for 14 Baht to Ayutthaya. On the train we met a nice couple who tried to communicate with us but exchanged more smiles than words, and waved at us when we got off the train...
 

We took a small boat to get to the old center of Ayutthaya situated on an island and found a cheap guest house. We finished the evening at the night market for a meal next to the river.

5/10/12 : It was really warm (even at 10am) but we hired some bicycles for the day to explore the old city (and old capital). There are quite a few temples/ruins to see (Grand palace, Wat Phra Mahathat, Wat Ratchaburana...)
 

In-between, we stopped for lunch when we took a 20Bht dish. Unfortunately, there were some ants running in our bowl where the peanuts were. The waitress/cook apologies and made another dish for us without the nuts (and the ants).

Late in the afternoon, we went for a boat trip around the island to visit the 3 main temples which are outside the island. This was a 2 hour journey including the 3 stops. It was a private trip with only the 2 of us and the driver on a river boat.
 
I (Flora) decided to to go for a thai massage in the evening next to the guest house. This was not really what I had in mind. I have to say it was more like going to a spin class than a relaxing massage... I also wished that the women who did my massage was the tiny lady rather than the big lady.
However the day after, above all expectations, I feel quite good and not hurt.

6/10/12 : We checked out from our guest house and went to the floating market, north east of Ayutthaya. There's a bit of everything there, food stalls, clothes, temples and elephants. As it was a bit cooler (25 degrees), I took a noodle soup and Dave a deep fried mussel omelette.
We also booked our night train for later on to go to Ubon, a 10 hours journey.
In the meantime, we decided to go to the hairdresser. Nobody spoke english at the hair salons. However, they showed me (Flora) some pictures of thai ladies with "old style 80's" haircuts. I pointed to one of them who looked the closest to what I wanted and ask for a fringe on top of that. Three women looked after me and all of them made me understand that I have very dark and thick hair. The women with the scissors started to take off lots of volume. The fringe she did was way too long so I asked her to cut it some more. They all laughed, but at the end told me it was very nice and sexy. Dave had a short back and sides in the meantime in an other hair salon.

Thailand

1/10/12 : The trip to Bangkok was pleasant and went quicker than expected with the wind behind us (well, after being bumped off the flight, rebooked and then delayed 2 hrs).
2/10/12 : We arrived in Bangkok. It's 5pm and 25 degrees but It feels very humid. We jumped into a cab to our guest House the New Merry V on Thanon Phra Athit in Banglamphu district. Went out for a quick walk and enjoyed our first thai meal (street food) and a Chang Beer before going to bed.

3/10/12 : We had to sort out our visa for Vietnam and went to the embassy near Chit Lom station (area where all the embassies are). The Vietnamese embassy is very small and we missed it when we passed in front it. However, we couldn't miss the massive USA embassy across the road with its greens everywhere, ponds and fountains.
The staff at the embasssy were rude, and the price of our visa was almost twice as much as what's written on their website. We went for the next day delivery and they told us to come back and pick it up the next day between 10am and 4pm.

We decided to go to Jim Thomson's Thai House, which wasn't too far from the embassy. Jim Thomson was an american entrepreneur/architect who lived there after WWII for almost a decade and showcased Thai Silk to the world.

As he loved Thailand so much, he decided to build a traditional Thai house with an amazing garden too. Even though the house is beautiful, there is a strange feeling that this is possibly the only traditional thai house in all Bangkok but this was made by a rich american. We finished the day off with an evening stroll around Chinatown and its Flower market, followed by a relaxing drink by the Mae Nam Chao Phraya (river), where the waiter kindly gave us a squirt of mosquito spray (though we’re not sure we needed it as we haven’t seen a single mosquito yet, just big cockroaches). Then we took our first tuk-tuk back 'home'.