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Laos from the South to the North, along the Mekong river
The co-driver bus asked to collect all our passports to establish the Lao visa with $35 in cash inside!
At the beginning we were only two to refuse to give our passports, but some people had some doubts also (bloody Frenchy) but the agency said it’s $20 ..!
Actually it was not a scam, the officers asked us $31 for the visa + $1 for the exit stamp + $2 for overtime (lol).
Moreover, I don’t really like to give my identity papers to someone I don’t really trust! Simple precaution.
Saturday 17 to Monday 19: Southern Laos
Don Khon (Si Phan Don, 4000 Islands) ♥♥♥♥
Saturday 17 morning, awakened by the roosters, walked in the jungle meeting different animals: buffaloes, pigs, chickens, geeses and insects like caterpillars, butterflies, spiders and dragonflies!
I met some locals curious to see me walking in the mud with my camera. They asked me to take them in pictures and offered me some lao-lao (strong rice liquor)! Wahoo it waked me up!
I continued my walk in direction to the waterfall, so powerful! I went back to the guest house to have a lunch and went with Catherine, a German and Australian women to see the irrawaddy’s dolphins in the Mekong river.
Then soirée with Charlotte, Arthur and Matthias.
Sunday 18 11:30am
Direction Champasak (Boat 10k Kips, Bus 40k Kips, Boat 25k Kips) with its beautiful temple Wat Phu ♥♥♥♥
Welcomed by a nice guy speaking French, he suggested us to visit his guesthouse. Great accommodation near the Mekong river (30k/2 Kips) 🙂
The afternoon ~16h, visit of the impressive ruined Khmer temple ‘Wat Phu’.
Champasak is not interesting at all but the Wat Phu temple is huge and impressive, to visit if possible!
The dinner was so delicious: Mekong fish steamed in a banana leaf (15k Kips) with its sticky rice (3k Kips)! Yummy! and of course a beer Lao (10k Kips)
Monday 19
Early wake up at 6:30am, banana pancake and a lao coffee as breakfast, unbelievable 🙂
Departure of the local bus –Song Taews– (20k Kips) at 7h30, arrival one hour later to Pakse.
Pakse ♥ & Motor bike trip around ♥♥♥
Pakse is not so interesting but I really liked to rent a motorbike and visit neighbouring cities.
I tasted a delicious iced coffee with a croissant 🙂 The Bolaven plateau close to Pakse is known for its coffee plantations.
Then I booked a 100cc Honda motorbike (40k + 10k gas Kips) to visit places around the city.
I went east and tried to go in small roads to get the Mekong. I found some small villages with pétanque players, children laughing to see a western guy with a motorbike, flooded roads, Buddha sculptors and welcomed by a monk to visit his temple, he shown me some paints made by a French guy and this is here where I took a pic of the nun.
The evening we took a sleeping bus (170k Kips) with real beds!! but we had to share the same tiny bed, amazingly small :/ Not really slept… The road was also really bad.
Next: Northern Laos ♥♥♥