Tat Lo (8-10 Oct 12)

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So after two nights in Pakse, I made the trip eastwards to the Bolavan Plateau, specifically to the village of Tad Lo, famous for its waterfalls. The bus from Pakse was headed towards another town called Salavan, so to get to Tad Lo I actually had to get off halfway and walk another couple of kilometres. There was actually a motorcycle taxi waiting at the junction between the roads to Salavan and Tad Lo, but being the cheapo I was I didn't even enquire the price, and just decided to hoof it.

It didn't sound like a particularly remote or quiet place from the LP description, but when I arrived it soon dawned on me that Tad Lo, while not exactly off the beaten track, was not a typical tourist spot either. Sure there were the usual guesthouses with signs in English, and there's internet access and all, but it definitely seemed very quiet. The vibe and atmosphere definitely remained quite local. And it's funny how I told the Japanese guy on the bus from Ubon that I remember from my previous trip Laos being such a quiet country that you could hear the frogs and crickets when you slept at night, cos that was exactly all that I heard at night at Tad Lo (save for the obligatory neighbourhood karaoke session that fortunately ended by 10 p.m.)!

As mentioned, Tad Lo is famous for its waterfalls. There are three in the vicinity, one right next to the main accomodation area (Tad Hang), another after which the area is named (Tad Lo) just a kilometre upstream, and another one some eight kilometres further away (Tad Sung) that I didn't manage to get to. Nearby Tad Lo there are also some small villages, one of which I passed by, and which definitely reminded me of the general state of development of the country. Even the trail leading to the waterfalls and villages was forested and moderately difficult, showing how, relatively speaking, infrequently used it was.

My second night a French woman (Marianne) approached me at the restaurant where I was having dinner, and asked whether I was local, and if I could recommend a place to eat! Haha I told her I was a tourist too, and we ended up talking along with her boyfriend Aymeric. Aymeric's a free-lance videographer, and Marianne just quit her job in PR (!) so they decided to *celebrate* by doing three weeks in Thailand/ Laos! They're both Parisiens, and made several good-natured jokes at the stereotypes (snooty, aloof etc) over lotsa Beer Lao, and cigarettes!

Stayed at Tim's Guesthouse.

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Photos

Picture Perfect in Tat Lo
Don't hate me, I'm just doing my (non-existent) job...

Pakse - Tat Lo
Not enough space in the luggage compartment for these sacks of rice, so guess where they'll have to go?

Walking to Tat Lo
Backpack and all, about 2 km from the Salavan junction, cos I was too cheap to pay for motorcycle ride.

Walking to Tat Lo
At least I had company!

Tad Hang Falls
This one was pretty much right next to the guesthouse I stayed in, so if I just walked fifty metres towards it I would hear the falls already.

Tad Lo Falls
This one I had to bash through several hundred metres of jungle thicket to get to. It was worth it too. 10m in height, the area is named after it.

Tad Lo Falls
Some decrepit makeshift branches/ steps leading to the foot of the falls. Do you think I went for it?

Jungle Trail Leading to Tad Lo Falls
I'm pretty sure not more than a few people take this trail daily, cos for the most part it was still overrun by the undergrowth!

Ban Khiang Tanglae
What I found after bashing through all the jungle thicket -- local Laotian kids playing sepak takraw in a village lost in time...

Chillies & Satellite Dish
Ok, not completely lost in time, but pretty close!

Too Cute
Adopted by Tim's Guesthouse, this lil' critter was all innocence... If it wasn't mewing for attention it would be rolling about in the sunlight. One night it jumped onto my lap and wouldn't stop suckling my hand! Which actually made me realise while it might have lost its mum young, it still couldn't repress its natural instincts...