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Published: March 14th 2007
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Today was another in which there were plenty of optional activities to choose from. Will, Alex, Monica, Aussie Adam, Diana and I decided to partake in some kayaking. Naturally, it begun with a tuk tuk transfer up to our starting point on the Song River and we soon got underway. The river was pretty still but there were a few points of relatively strong current. So negotiating the kayak wasn't much of a problem- we just had to be on the lookout for rocks in some parts of the shallower water. We had two local guides with us in case of problems and obviously to show us where we were going! These guys hardly spoke a word of English but were a good laugh all the same. It was a nice relaxing morning, and as with the rest of Laos, the scenery was beautiful. We made a stop en route for a shot of the flying fox (which if truth be known looked like a bit of a death trap.) Basically we climbed high above the river bank into a sort of tree house, from where the flying fox took you out over the water. After hurtling back and forth a
few times you let you and plunge into the river below. A fair drop and quite a shock to hit the relatively cool water- bearing in mind the warmth of the sun- but great fun. Whilst Alex and I were indulging in a cheeky Beer Laos, another kayaking group appeared and asked if we fancied a game of beach volleyball. Naturally we accepted, and again this was great fun. It's great how language barriers can be overcome through activities like this. Sadly, the time came to leave and we completed the journey back to Vang Vieng in the kayaks. After showering off at the guesthouse we went for a late lunch in town, and it soon became time to meet back up with the rest of the group to hit the road again.
We loaded the minibus and left around 4 for our three hour drive to the capital city of Vientiane. How strange it felt to encounter traffic lights again- we hadn't seen a single set in the past week! We were staying in a really nice hotel a few streets off the main strip, which is where we headed for dinner. The food was really good, but
it was just as well that everyone was feeling pretty laid back- as it took an absolute age to arrive and was all over the shop. People were getting their starter after their main course whilst others (inc me) got their accompanying rice after the main dish had already been finished! C'est la vie! But again seeing as the group got on so well it wasn't a major problem that we ended up being in the restaurant for hours- you simply have to roll with it and laugh at some of what goes on!
The following day I was feeling rotten which was a shame as it meant I missed a lot of the city. Thankfully however, we weren't travelling anywhere so I could take the time to recover. I forced myself to get up in the afternoon and managed to walk around the city and take in some of the sights, but duly collapsed back into bed in the early evening. I'm not sure if it was something I ate, or perhaps just exhaustion after a lot of travelling about and not a great deal of sleep every night. Either way, it had luckily passed by the following
morning- the 1st Feb- which was just as well seeing as we had an 8hr drive to the Laos/ Vietnam border town of Lak Sao to endure. Tuey (another local Laos guide) joined us as officially he would be needed to help us cross the border. The journey was indeed arduous- up, over and round some mountains whilst not always on sealed roads. We stopped around 1 for lunch in the small town of Pakeng, and made a further stop in the afternoon at the scenic viewpoint of the Animate mountains- a welcomed break no mater what the view!
We finally arrived after what seemed like an age in Lak Sao about 6. This really was a nothing town- literally serving as the border town between Laos and Vietnam. After checking into the guesthouse, we went for dinner at ‘Only One Restaurant’. I kid you not, this was the name of the restaurant and it literally was the sole restaurant in the town. The food wasn’t exactly up to much, but no one got a worse deal than Sally- whose vegetarian soup looked absolutely revolting! All part of the experience you have to keep telling yourself! Over dinner, Pauline
discussed the arrangements for crossing the border into Vietnam the following morning. Naturally, everyone double checks their visa to double check the dates are correct. It was only then that American Adam discovered that his visa for Vietnam was to enter on or after the 4th Feb (With today being the 1st and crossing tomorrow on the 2nd). Without the required visa, he would be unable to cross the border the following morning. Although we all felt bad for him- the prospect of him having to stay in the nothing town of Lak Sao and its ‘Only One Restaurant’ was pretty amusing. Pauline made a few phone calls and the told Adam of his options. He could either stay in Lak Sao until the 4th before crossing the border with the next Intrepid Group that was passing through, and catch up with us in Hanoi, or get a public bus back to Vientiane and fly direct to Hanoi on the 4th. The third option, which Adam proposed himself, was to come with us in the morning in the hope that he could somehow get over the border- in the knowledge he could always revert to one of the other options if this failed. How on earth he managed to mix his dates up such that the visa was out by 2 days was a mystery, and although we did feel for him, part of you couldn’t help but laugh! With an early departure of 7am the following morning, Aussie Adam and I decided to stay up for some late night cards and eventually turned in at 3am for a couple of hours of rest.
Seeing as that’s pretty much the end of my time in Laos, I’ll stop there and leave you in suspense as to whether American Adam managed to get across the border with the rest of us the following morning! Laos was the country I knew the least about before travelling, but even at the time of writing is one of the best countries I have travelled to, and am so glad I have seen.
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