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Published: January 31st 2010
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You might have noticed a hint of agitation in our last post. Laos is really a beautiful country with laidback and interesting people. We’ve had some time to think and reflect on our trip and I thought I’d point out, at that point we had been in Asia for nearly eleven months and on the road for six months so there is a strong chance we were a little fatigued. Did I mention that it was…hot?
After the bus driver dropped us off we walked a few kilometers trying to hitch a ride. A nice man driving a pharmacy truck picked us up and drove us to town near a cluster of guesthouses. After checking the price of a few guesthouses we gave up and found somewhere to sit down. The first priority was to forget about the horrible ride to Pakse. We walked by a relatively busy Indian Restaurant and flopped our big packs against the dinning table.
Not wasting time we relaxed and started chatting with a couple from the UK. They were the unlucky ones who had to hear about our ride. We shortly forgot the incident and were recommended an Indian vegetarian dish with
some garlic naan. The food was a little tame for spice but the beer was great! This couple we were chatting with was in Laos for a short trip visiting family. We found out later that the women spoke Laos so we were curious about her experiences. She said speaking the local language definitely helped but she still came across scams just like other tourists.
The next morning we hid away for half the day at an Internet café researching the last leg of our trip in Laos. Later, we ventured around town but were unsuccessful finding tasty local food. Many restaurants were attached to guesthouses and street vendors were nowhere to be seen. Throughout the day we explored the small local market and bought some fruit to satisfy our taste buds. Without giving up on finding the local food treasures we explored in the pouring rain (with our trusty umbrella). Starting to get hungry and our patience waning thin we sat down at a quiet restaurant. We waited; waited and waited no one was coming to serve us, so, we got the hint.
With no luck finding a decent meal we were desperate to find something delicious the
next day. Luckily it didn’t take us long. We found a mix of locals and foreigners at a clean and organized restaurant ready to serve fresh Pho (noodle soup) with nice big portions. A cold drink with a satisfying meal hit the spot and made us ready for a day of motor biking.
Hanging out at the Internet café usually does us a favor, giving us a chance to talk to fellow travelers. We spoke with a few travelers who mentioned some waterfalls to check out. We didn’t waste time and rented a motorbike right there. Since we were curious to see where the bus stations were and to check ticket prices to our next destination we ventured off on a road known as the 8k, exactly the distance to the bus station. The road was paved and smooth and it was not too crowded so I wasn’t scared to be on the bike. Arriving at a dusty plot of land with plenty of humble shacks housing small stores we didn’t see the bus station at first. It seemed like it was a market. Weaving around the muddy potholes and vendors, we came to the small bus station. Despite the
mud, I noticed one-thing with women in Laos, the ladies love wearing sandals with stiletto heels. With dirty toes from the red silty road the women beautify themselves before getting on the bus by getting a pedicure at the station. There was a group of chatty women with buckets full of fresh limes, pedicure utensils, nail polish and water giving pedicures to passengers waiting for the bus. I wish this service is at bus stations in Canada. It was really tempting to get a pedicure but I was too focused on the dirty buckets of water, so I chickened out.
After admiring the ladies’ pedicures I went to ask for the schedule to our next destination. Often it was hit and miss that the person behind the “English” booth actually spoke English but we were lucky in Pakse. The discussion can otherwise take some time trying to get the different times and pricing options. Luckily it wasn’t the case and we were happy that our luck changed after the painful bus ride. We were now ready for the waterfall exploration.
It didn’t take us long to arrive at the first waterfall and shortly after we ran into the UK
couple we were talking to the first night in Pakse. Thinking about what a small world it is we turned around and it was two guys from Switzerland we met in Luang Prabang. The waterfall was across a deep valley covered by lush jungle. It was an impressive sight. There was a hotel and a coffee plantation there as well.
After a short visit we continued our exploration around the Bolaven Plateau with beautiful scenery and waterfalls. With the echo of crashing water and the slippery trail at the next falls it felt like a daunting task to make it the short walk. At another falls, where their was no one around it felt peaceful but haunted to be alone in the jungle.
We drove up further past coffee plantations and fruit stands including (pineapple, jackfruit, bananas and durian) and until we came to a town, Paksong at the plateau. It was cool and exposed. We stopped for Pho at a dark and dirty place with a garden out back. Rough men in warm looking jackets were drinking beer. It was run by a quiet but friendly lady. We ate and then cruised through the town with plans to
find a village. The road was terrible, very slippery mud and dusty with massive potholes. Locals gave us funny looks and smiles as we past. We headed several kilometres down the painful road into the bush until we came to a massive mud puddle. A local caught up to us as we contemplated our mission and we exchanged a few words. He continued shortly after and we watched in awe. A coil of metal fencing in one hand he smiled at us as he skillfully drove his motorbike through the mud with his feet lifted to avoid getting wet. He looked back a second to see if we would attempt it. Our mouths dropped, we watched as he sped off. We realized we were exhausted and our chances of making it through the mud unscathed were remote so we gave up on our mission and headed back for Pakse. Back on the main highway, we ended the trip, with me (Mazi) driving the motorbike back into town and I was taught how to change gears. I received encouragement from Geoff; the passenger sitting behind me but the tight grip on my hips told all. ☺
With our “wheels”, we were
a lot more efficient at exploring Pakse which was a lot bigger than we originally thought. We crossed a bridge to the North side of town and cruised to a market we passed previously. There was plenty of fresh produce but not much prepared food except for one vendor with some tasty samosas. We headed off again exploring. We followed a road along the river to a park and a small temple. It was a beautiful spot to watch the sunset. There was a massive restaurant boat the shape of a warehouse noisily chugging up the river. It was soon dusk and food was again in our minds. We cruised a little further along the road partly trying to get in as much exploring as we could before returning the bike. We saw a couple of busy beer stations. It was getting dark and we needed to return the bike so we decided to head back to town across the bridge. In a last ditch effort to find a tasty meal in Pakse we decided to cruise another road that ran along the river. Here we found a busy street full of bikes. Lined up and down the street were
plenty of bbq stands smoking away. We finally found it! We sat down to our last bbq fish, spicy papaya salad and cold beer by the Mekong River in Laos at Pakse.
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