To get from Luang Prabang to Phonsavan we needed to back on the nerve-shredding route 13 and head north. Fortunately, our driver this time seemed slightly more sane and the journey wasn't quite as frightening as before although this might have been because he was wary of the heavy mist that settled over the area for most of the journey, obscuring the distant hills but making the nearer ones look even more spectacular. I did manage to take some photos but it was a case of sticking my hand out of the tiny window while the bus was bumping along and [View Full Entry]

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We got the bus ok to Udomaxi but had decided on the way that the place we all really wanted to go to was the little known town of Muang Vieng Tong in the far east of the country. Our bus didn't arrive in Udomaxi until 5pm and we really didn't want to stay there a night so were a bit disappointed to learn that there was only one bus a day at 9am to Nong Khiaw, which was where we needed to get to in order to get yet another bus to Muang Vieng Tong. We hadn't eaten all day [View Full Entry]

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Phonsavan, Laos is a town in eastern Laos that is in one of the most heavily bombed areas in the world. During the "Secret War" in Laos (1964-1973) the United States dropped over a million metric tons of explosives on this poor country. An estimated 30% of the bombs failed to detonate leaving unexploded ordinances littering the land. These bombs are still responsible for many deaths every year including children who tend to gravitate toward the ball shaped cluster bombs. Many farmers here have to risk their lives when clearing land to farm, because the other option is starving. The stories [View Full Entry]

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The 10 hour bus ride from Vientiane to Phonsavan was mainly through the green mountains of central Laos. It was the most beautiful ride I have ever been on. The mountains are dramatic and raw. The rickety bus would wind through the green landscape in a constant S formation around cliffs and through little wooden villages. The realization hit me on how far off the map I really was. [View Full Entry]

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Day 79/80/81 - Phonsavan The three of once again dragged ourselves out of bed at a ridiculous hour to catch the bus south to Phonsavan - "Plain of Jars". The bus was quite empty so we each got to spread out and have our own row which was a first for us. It ended up being a complete blessing since it was by far the worst bus journey we've had in the last three months. Even worse then Myanmar. It wasn't the roads that was issue - they were even paved. It was the winding up and down, across and around [View Full Entry]

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We woke up early the next morning to head for our complimentary breakfast before lugging our bags back to reception and our awaiting tuk-tuk. It was probably the coldest morning that we had experienced since being in New Zealand with the frosty car so with multiple layers donned we arrived at the bus station. There were a few other westerners waiting to catch the same bus and we got chatting to a few of them as we waited, it was good to be meeting lots of people again! The local bus pulled up a little later than expected and we climbed [View Full Entry]

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We managed to get the last two seats on the bus to Phonsavan. People who arrived any later had to make do with a plastic stool in the aisle and as usual the bus was packed. The roads in these areas have a history of hi-jackings so we had a gun toting guard on board as security. Luckily the only hold up was due to a burst tyre thanks to some pretty shocking driving but we got there in the end. Phonsavan is an ugly, dusty town in the Xieng Khuang province of Laos. The place only merits a visit becuase [View Full Entry]

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B: mango bread, soymilk; L: noodle soup; D: vegetable fried rice, tea [View Full Entry]

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B: mango bread, coffee; L: vege/cheese sandwich; D: noodle soup, coffee; S: pineapple shake [View Full Entry]

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I left Vientiane, which I strangely enough liked despite it being very touristy and whore infested, to go to Phonsavan. So I had one of those painful neverending busrides ahead of me. It started out pretty bad when I got ripped off by a tuk-tuk driver to go to the bus station. I thought I'd be going to the one that's more than 10km away, so I thought 20 000 kip was expensive but okay. Well, I wasn't going to that one but to another one that was only 2km away or something like that. Great! Well worth the 20 000 [View Full Entry]

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