3 currencies...
We have arrived in Laos. Our 3rd land border crossing was at Lao Bao (Vietnam)- Dan Savanh (Laos) and was our easiest - made so by the friendly border controllers - this was a good sign. Luckily we didn't have to pay any 'extras' but it does seem strange that we had to pay in US dollars to get in to Laos! You can pay in Kip (Laos official currency, not Knightrider's car) or Baht (Thai currency, not a rabies-ridden flying rodent!), because all 3 currencies are accepted in Laos, but the rates are really crap.
3 countries seen in 1 day...
After leaving Vietnam, we travelled all of 200m to our first stop - lunch, which seems to be an institution in Asia. We were warned by LP that tourists are still stared at a little in Laos, as the locals are curious, especially the younger generation. So it was no surprise to be asked for a photograph by a passer-by as we stood waiting for the bus driver to finish his grub. It was like being in China again... sort of! When we did get going we took Route 9 West all the way to Savannakhet, on the worst road - it made the moon look smooth! Had it been smooth, we would have completed the journey in half the 7 hours travelled. Savannakhet is on the other side of the country to where we entered, so on our usual orientation walk, we got to see Thailand on the opposite side of the river as well.
3 western couples...
There were 3 western couples, including us, on the bus from Hue in Vietnam - the rest of the seats were taken up with locals, luggage and many other random large 'parcels' and what appeared to be 15 foot metal struts for construction. Arriving in Savannakhet (will refer to as Sav) we were again accosted, sort of, by a tuk-tuk driver (singular, not plural for a change) who took us to the town centre. The tuk-tuks here are pretty much a big trike with a seating area on the back - they're a schizophrenic mix between a Thai Songthew (pick-up with 2 rows of benches) and a Thai tuk-tuk - the 3rd species of vulture, sorry, tuk-tuk, that we've seen in Asia. And at least on initial impressions, there's much more of a Thai and French influence here than a Vietnamese one. But Sav is a sleepy town - at about 6 in the evening, almost everything was closed and there wasn't much more happening in the morning.
3 towns in 3 nights...
Our stay in the Hoong Thip hotel (not Thong Hip - that's a completely different type of establishment) in Sav was a short one, just 1 night as yesterday (Monday) we took the local bus to Pakse (more in a minute). And today we travel to Si Phan Don (4000 islands) in the far south, ironically on the Cambodia border; the aim being to slow down and relax for a couple of days! The local bus from Sav to Pakse (5 1/2 hours) was an experience - we were very lucky to get seats at the front and therefore enjoyed the ride probably a lot more than many others had (including a Russian couple who had cycled from Hanoi). The bus kept on taking passengers and when the aisle was full and you didn't think they could take any more, another person would be picked up from a random village along the route, and jammed in to the remaining 2 inches of floor space. We found out later that the rack on the roof (where most of the bulky luggage and a moped were already stored) is often used as the reserve seating area on some buses. And then when we did stop, an army of at least 12-15 women came on the bus all at the same time trying to sell us everything from water and beer to barbecue chicken and frog skewers to quail eggs and cactus fruit. Pakse is also a fairly sleepy town, but bigger than Sav, as it appears to be more of a transport hub. It's so friendly though - the smiles we get in return appear to be more genuine than anywhere else we've been recently. Another good sign!
3 new animals...
Once we'd found a place to stay for the night in Pakse, we went for a gander and spotted some new animals that we had not seen in the rest of Asia - goats, frog's (for food mainly) and a very purple dog! No idea how it got like that but with a perm and some glasses, it would blend in well at a bingo night.
3 new foodie experiences...
Last night we went for an Indian - apparently one of the best in Laos - the local BeerLao wasn't bad either. We also sampled the locally grown coffee - grown on the Bolaven Plateau just up the road - its the best coffee I've had in Asia so far!
3 months in SE Asia...
It was 2 months ago today that we landed in Phuket in Thailand, and in 1 month yesterday we fly to Oz - we'll be sad to leave Asia so we'd better go and make the most of it.
That banana bike is just crazy. Was it really moving?
ReplyDelete