Luang Prabang to Phonsavan
Luang Prabang was very pleasant. A riverside tourist strip with many nice cafes and a busy tourist area. We stayed a bit out of the centre along the river hoping to escape the noise. Unfortunately a nearby late night discoteque/nightclub that was silent in the day made sleeping a problem at night afterall.
It was a family run place and the old grandmother lay dying on a mattress on the floor of the reception area. Life goes on and they cared for her while running their guesthouse.
- Phonsavan (Plain of Jars)
Took a very long cramped minibus trip out to Phonsavan. The people in the van were pleasant enough - various french speaking couples from Canada and Belgium. Also a very lively south african couple, the man was particulary outgoing and entertaining and kept us amused and in good spirit with his anecdotes and humourous observations.
The main reason to go to Phonsovan was to visit the Plain of Jars - which are very large stone pots spread out across the landscape, Noone is quite sure why they were made. We decided to hire bicycles which was a challenge. Firstly a few wrong turns meant we were a long way from our goal, and finally the poor quality of the machines meant it was really hard going. It was a pleasant and interesting day, though better bikes would have made it more enjoyable.
- Phonsavan to Paksan
From Phonsovan we took a local bus along a newly completed road through to Paksan. This trip was quite an adventure as the dirt road was only recently built and many of the bridges had not yet been completed so the bus had to ford a few streams. One time we all had to get out and cross the river on stepping stones while the bus went across. Like many local busses in SE Asia it was the only form of transport for many so it was full of various bags and boxes and animals with people crowded in and sitting on sacks and on each other. Fun.
Paksan
Paksan is back on the main highway heading south. Stopped at a reasonable guesthouse and had dinner with a German couple and a french couple we met there. There was a strange combination of languages as one man spoke only French and other only German and I spoke to the French man via the German man's wife who spoke all three languages.
- Paksan to Tha Kek
