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Published: March 24th 2008
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Gosh i'm being very creative with my titles lately aren't i...!
well there's not an awful lot to report but as i am now at the and of my time in Laos...and have a few hours to kill before i get an overnight train to Bangkok... i though i might as well wrap it all up ready to start again when i'm back in Koh Pangan.
So....
Friday 21st March
I took a minibus for about 3 and half hours up to Nong Khiaw...the scenery is much better up north, more rural and rugged feeling with lots of very basic houses dotted along the edge of the roads which lets you know it's also the poorer end. But still, the kids look happy playing around in the river and people are just getting on with things. The houses must get so dirty inside though as the dust that flies off the busses that goes past goes right inside the woven bamboo walls. Oh i'd have my work cut out living in one of those wouldn't i...Sheena the cleaner and all that!
Anyway, Nong Khiaw is a very small place. Luckily i came here just to chill out for
couple of days and looks like that is actually all there is to do here...! It has a river running through it and a few guesthouses and that really is about it...oh apart from the bus station and the landing place for the boats...can't really call it a pier as it just isn't!
If anyone is reading this with the intention of going there all i would say is bring a book, and once the bus drops you off then walk across the bridge to find a guesthouse as more choice and better views. I didn't bother walking across and although my room was fine the restaurant was awful! It's the one on the left as you cross the bridge...and unless you like your food greasy don't go there! I mean i know i asked for fried rice but didn't expect it to be glistening with grease! But hey, i tried again the next day and had an omelette and it came with it's very own puddle of grease on the plate! Moaning aside, it is a very relaxing place and you can go swim in the river and also hire a bike if you want to go somewhere...but i
didn't! Oh lazy days!
The most i did, apart from read, was chat to some people in the restaurant.
Saturday 22nd March
same same but different day....! see above!
Though just to add a little...it's quite weird sleeping in a bamboo hut, when the only noise you can hear is what sounds like something knawing its way through the walls...!
Sunday 23rd March
I managed to get a bus back to Luang Prabang....i was gonna go a different way back to Thailand but couldn't get enough info about buses and cost so decided to go back to where i know as i can plan it better. So, i arrived back in Luang Prabang about 3pm, had some food and a beer then made my way to the bus station to get an overnight bus back to Vientiane. I'm planning a few of these the next few days to save on accomodation! I waited for the 7.30pm bus as this will arrive in Vientiane at 5am, i could have got an earlier bus but obviously this would arrive in Vientiane at some ridiculous hour and i would have nowhere to go when i got there. As it
happens, it seems i got to go on the diso bus..! It had flashing fairy lights along the windows and for the first hour the driver was banging out his best Laos hits! I had a sweet Laos lady sitting next to me who kindly shared her healthy pumpkin and sunflower seeds with me...much better than the biscuits i had in my bag. Well ok they wasn't as the biscuits were chocolate cream. It's a bit of a pain on the local buses as each time they stop the driver puts all the lights on and plays music....at around 4.30am he turned up the volume i think to make sure we was all awake when he got to the station!
Monday 24th March
So, i arrived back in Vientiane at 5am! By the time the tuk tuk dropped me in town it was still only 5.30am and nowhere was open. I went and sat outside a cafe that me and Stel had gone to before and the lady next door (that we hired bike from before) also books tickets. Luckily for me she was already up and outside so we had a chat and told her what i
wanted. In the mean time i sat and waited for the cafe to open...which was finally about 6.30am...had a couple of coffees to liven me up and then at 8.30am went back next door and was very pleased that the lady managed to get me a train ticket back to Bangkok tonight. Even more lucky, as i'm now feeling a bit dirty myself with my greasy hair and smelly pits, i asked if i could use the bathroom at the guesthouse later (it's a shared one anyway so wouldn't take up a room) and she has one at the back of her shop that i am now going to use top clean myself up before the next overnight journey begins.
so there you have it...i'm hoping to get booked on yet another overnight train from Bangkok to Surrathani tomorrow night, unfortunately the lady can't do it from here so will just have to hope.
So, next installment will be from back in Koh Phangan....!
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