Today we left Laos and started the Cambodian episode of the journey.
In the morning we left Don Kho by boat, then took a jumbo to Pakse, bought tickets for a minibus tranfer to Stung Treng (in northern Cambodia) and get on. The ticket was 190k kip, expensive, but when you consider rip-offs from the border to inland Cambodia it's a sheer bargain.
I didn't have any problems getting Cambodian visa on arrival, but Talat did. They didn't want to grant him the visa showing a list with Pakistanis excluded from visa on arrival service. They demanded US $200 bribe, got US $100. There are a lot of extortions at the border. First, Lao officers demanded US $2 for exit stamp, then we had to pay for quarantine check US $1. A few bucks is nothing but it really gets on my nerves.
In the afternoon we arrived in Stung Treng, from where we caught a bus to Ban Lung it Rattanakiri province. We paid US $10, and it was a rip-off. It should have been five only, as we then learnt.
At the bus station we were met by huge swarm of locals offering hotel and guesthouse rooms from as little as US $3. We are staying at Lakeside Cheng Lok Hotel, paying just US $4 for a big twin room with fan (A/C not needed here) and hot water.
Aug 18, 2009 12:00 AMHomestay on Don Kho
Today we decided to go to Don Kho island, around 15 kms from Pakse to see how the locals live and live with them. First, we had to get to Ban Sapai village (7k kip by a jumbo) and then take a boat (20k kip per boat). On arrival we were met by a local girl, Mik, who led us to our homestay and then became our guide. The life on the island is very tranquil, men do the fishing and women weave silk. We walked around the villages visiting houses and observing women weaving salongs and scarfs. I bought a few pieces, so did Talat. We had lunch and dinner prepared by our hosts. Prices on the island are fixed: 30k kip/person for homestay, 20k kip per meal, 50k kip per guide per day.
Aug 17, 2009 12:00 AMMagnificent Tat Fan
The overnight journey on the sleeper bus turned out to be very tiring. The double beds are very narrow (like a single bed) and only 170 cm long (I'm 180), so you can imagine I could not sleep.
There were two reasons to go to Pakse in southern Laos: Champasak Temple (listed as World Heritage site) and Tat Fan waterfall). To the waterfall we went by public transport. Jumbos leave from the morning market, 2 kms from the centre (5k kip for a motorishaw/tuk tuk ride per person). We paid 15k kip for the ride to the waterfall and there was also an entrance fee. The twin waterfall (two streams) turned out to be really breathtaking and it's probably the most striking waterfall I've ever seen, but I haven't seen the most famous ones yet.
On the way back we first hitch-hiked and then caught a public bus (15k kip) to the town. In the afternoon we rented motorbikes to go to Champasak temple. It's almost 50 kms from the town, but first 30 or so kms is a very good road. Then it there are many potholes so I have to be more carefull. The museum at Champasak temple is open only until 4:30 p.m., but the temple is open as long as until 6 p.m. so we managed to see it thoroughly.
On the way you have to cross the Mekong river (10k kip per motorbike), in the evening we had to wait for the ferry for more than an hour.
Aug 16, 2009 12:00 AMVientiane - the capital (?)
Actually this city doesn't look like a capital city. We got here by a minibus (4 hrs, 80k kip) from Vang Vieng. We visited the oldest temple in the city - Wat Si Saket (admission 5k kip) and just wandered around. There's nothing special to see, so this evening we're leaving on a night bus (sleeper, 150k kip) for Pakse.
Aug 15, 2009 12:00 AMOn dirt roads around Vang Vieng
Although we hadn't planned it before, we decided to stay one day in Vang Vieng to see the extraordinary scenery around this touristy town. There's nothing in the town itself - just many bars. We only changed our hotel in the morning, I found a better one with A/C for the same price. Actually A/C is not necessary in VV but if you want your things to dry quickly after washing A/C will help.
We rented motorbikes (chinese, 40k kip per day), filled the tanks and started our journey. The karst landscape is spectacular, but the road was in terrible condition. It was very muddy in places and we had to cross several streams. Eventually it turned out we could complete the loop and we had to go back. Several times we got stuck in mud and we were also caught by a storm. Hopefully we found a shelter and waited until it eases. Altough very hard and demanding, the journey featured many breathtaking vistas and I enjoyed it. I only wished we could complete the loop.
On the way there were several caves and 'blue lagoons' (that were in fact neither blue nor lagoons). They were all merely worth a visit. It's better to just focus on the landscapes that are themselves worth the effort.
Aug 14, 2009 12:00 AMPak Ou caves
In the morning we took a boat to Pak Ou caves. Organized by guesthouse it cost 70k kips. Had we gone to the boat landing site directly we would have paid 50k only, but we didn't know this option. The cave houses hundreds of Buddha figures and the boat ride on the Mekong river is very enjoyable, even if it rains. On the way back we stopped at a "whiskey village" - a shopping place, just waste of time. In the afternoon we took a minibus to Vang Vieng. It cost 110k kip and took 7 hours instead of 5 as advertised by the guesthouses who sell the tickets. We arrived in VV at 9:30 in the evening and easily found a decent fan-cooled (enough here!) twin room for 70k kip.
Aug 13, 2009 12:00 AMExploring Luang Prabang
There are many temples in the town. All located close to each other so you can visit several of them without the need of using a tuk-tuk or taxi. We decided to visit the most important only: Wat Aham, Wat Xieng Thong, Wat Visunarat and Wat Mai Suwannaphumamaham. They're all quite similar, so there's no need to visit all the temples. We also visited the Royal Palace Museum. Admissions vary from 10 to 20 thousand kips. In the afternoon we bought a minivan trip to Kuang Si waterfall. It's definitely worth a visit, although I hope that Tat Fan waterfall will be even more spectacular.
Aug 12, 2009 12:00 AMFrom Luang Nam Tha to Luang Prabang
We left LNT at 9 a.m. by a minivan to reach LP after 8 hours. On a big public bus it would probably take at least 10 hrs. So it was a good choice, I think. We're staying here at Mao Pha Shok guesthouse. A twin room with hot shower and A/C costs 85k kips ($10). In the afternoon we visited one temple and talked to monks. You can always learn a lot from them, e.g. what they day looks like (they get up at 3:30 a.m.!). In the evening we're going to see the night market as well. Tomorrow we'll explore the town.
Aug 11, 2009 12:00 AMAround Luang Nam Tha
In the morning we rented motorbikes (50k kip for a decent Honda, $1 per litre of petrol) to explore the area around LMT. Along with the bike we were given a map of the area. At the beginning we visited Nam Dee waterfall and then we spent several hours riding through villages and observing people's life. The vistas around LMT are breathtaking. I especially liked rice paddies. There's also a stupa close to the town but I preferred the views from the stupa hill rather than the shrine itself. There's a guy who wants to charge you 5k kip but we just ignored him. Tomorrow we're going to Luang Prabang. It's 7 hrs on a minibus (by bus it would be 10 hrs, that's why we opted for the first option). The price is 95k kip.
Aug 10, 2009 12:00 AMTribes in Nam Ha national park
Today we had only 3-hour long trek in the jungle then 2 hours on a dirt road and after that we were travelling by 4WD. Alltogether we visited 5 more villages of Akha, Khamu, Hmong and Lahu tribes. The vistas were beautiful and we had a chance to see the real life of the tribespeople. I had several nice pics and will upload them when back to Poland.
We returned to Vieng Phoukha at 4 p.m. and were very lucky to catch the last bus to Luang Nam Tha (30k kip). The bus station in LNT was relocated 2 months ago and now it's as far as ca. 10 kms from the town. You need to take a jumbo to reach LNT (10k kip). In LNT we're staying at Thavy Xai guesthouse. We have a spacious room with bathroom attached, fan (enough here) and room service for 60 kip only. There are several cheap restaurants on the main street in the town where you can try local specialties. In the evening it took me an awful lot of time just to clean my hiking boots and wash clothes after the trek.
