Hey all,
Back again and I know it has been awhile since I last filled you in but time seems to be flying faster and faster these days or maybe we are just biking faster and faster. NOT!!! I wish!!! HA HA
Anyway, last left you in Vientiane City, Laos about 5 weeks ago I guess after looping the north of Laos by boat and bike and then waiting back in Vientiane for our Laos visa extensions and Cambodian visas.

From Vientiane we took a night bus down south following the Mekong River the whole way to a town called Pakse, which is right on the river edge. The reason we took a bus was because we had already biked a fair bit of this road when we cut into Laos from Vietnam, biked across to the Mekong and followed it up to Vientiane at the start of our Laos visit. We also heard through other backpackers that the stretch that we wouldn't bike between that point and Pakse was not worth wasting 4 or 5 days biking on anyway. So we took this bus which left around 8pm and got to Pakse at around 6am the next morning. The bus was the flashest bus I have ever seen!!!! It was like being in first class on a plane. The seats reclined back almost horizontal, food and drinks were served, movies shown and toilet on board to boot!!!! I guess it has been awhile since I have paid much interest in the latest things going on in the bus building world and was quite chuffed by it all. Anyway needless to say, we slept well on this bedroom on wheels and were ready to bike out of Pakse town as soon as we arrived there at 6am.

From Pakse we biked North east about 80km towards a town called 'Salavan' and skirted the north eastern part of what is known as the 'Bolaven Plateau'. About 20km short of this town is a place called Tadlo where we stayed 2 nights. This little area has a great waterfall with plenty of places to swim and along the river small villages which you can hike out to and have a nosey at. The guesthouses there are all sort of little scattered bungaloos and ours was actually built in a pond on stilts that had fish swimming around in it and geese floating underneath!!!. Noisy buggars too!! Also a couple of elephants in the area that you could rent a ride on but we were planning to do that in Cambodia so didn't do it here.

After Tadlo we then headed east to 'Sekong', staying a night, and then south to Attapeu, basically the whole time biking around the outer edge of the Bolaven Plateau which is quite sceneic and has pretty good roads most of the way with little traffic. Funny story when we hit Sekong for the night on our way to Attapeu, which was actually our main destination. We got to Sekong about mid afternoon and started looking for a guesthouse knowing we couldn't make it all the way to Attapeu in one day. I stopped and asked a little road side stall where one would be and it just so happened that it was right next door and apparently the only one in town. It was quite a modern building as far as small towns of Laos go and was about 20 rooms big. Well, we went up to the front door, walked in and seeing no one at the front desk started yelling hello. No one answered or came to see us so we sat down in the lobby for about 1/2 an hour, helping ourselves to the cold water machine and turning on the TV. Still no one arrived so we decided to go out to the side of the building and clean our bikes with their hose, figuring someone would eventually come and see us now being outside and in full view of the road, and foriegners as well, who would rarely stop in this town on their way to Attapeu when travelling by motorbike or bus. Still no one came who ran the guesthouse, not even any curious locals???. Next we decided since the guesthouse had just simple communal toilets and showers and we had seen a clothes line out the back we might as well wash the clothes we had worn for the day and then have a shower well we waited for some one to come. Still no one came and now it was about 5pm!!, our bikes were clean, we were clean, and ready to go out for dinner. We had found two rooms unlocked and one with the key still in the door so we locked our bikes and gear in that room, took the key and went out to have a walk around town and get some dinner. After we got back from dinner we still couldn't find anyone at the guest house and also decided
that no one else was obviuosly staying there. Eventually we just decided to sleep in the cleanest of the two rooms in our silk bed bags we travel with and use when the linens look suspect or aren't available. Got a pretty good nights sleep and heard a few vehicles through the night which seemed like they were driving up to the guesthouse door but nothing eventuated from them. In the morning nothing had changed, still not a sole around??? and so we had a wash, filled our water bottles up from the water cooler machine, packed up and left!!!!! We thought about leaving some money but with the front door being wide open as well as a side door stuck open and not knowing who would be next to walk through the door and see the money sitting on the front desk, if anyone!!!, we decided that maybe the gods decided we had earn't a free nights stay in Laos!! HA HA We had to sleep in a used room anyway and decided we had looked after the whole place the night for the owners while they were absent!! HA HA. So off we went down the road the next morning waving at the town locals on our way to Attapeu just waiting for someone to chase us down demanding payment for the room but it never happened and we just kept laughing about the whole episode and how bloody bizzare the whole thing had all been!!!

Anyway finally reached Attapeu no worries that day with some good views of the Plateau on the way.  There aren't too many tourists over in this area at Attapeu as local transport is a little difficult past Tadlo or Salavan and it is quite a long trip to organise privately. So that worked great for us and made it all the better but it won't be that way for long because they are currently building a big road from the Vietnam border to Laos that will go straight into this area and Attapeu will be the first major town on the Laos side which will just open the flood gates to this area!!! So great to see it now while it is still pretty quaint and raw.
We stayed in Attapue 3 nights I think and using the town as a base biked out to surrounding villages and areas for a look.

One day we went out about 30km North east of Attapeu, which also has part of the road they are building to the Vietnam border, and to a small village called Pa-am . On the way you bike past little straw and bamboo huts of the locals and when you get to the village and cross the river the first thing you see is a bloody great Russian ground to air missle sitting there left over from the Vietnam war era!!!. The thing is about 20 to 30 foot long and still sitting in its launching trailer ready to go!! HA HA. It is actually in pretty good nick considering, but has obviously had all the dangerous stuff removed out of its inside. I hope!!! Right behind it are a couple of little straw and bamboo restaraunts and its a bloody hardcase sight seeing this thing just sat there surrounded by smiling locals and bamboo huts. Also near Pa-am village is part of the famous 'Ho Chi Minh Trail' used by the Viet cong in the Vietnam war and which was heavily bombed by the USA and its allies so we biked some of that for awile just to see it and to try and imagine troops and supplies of the Viet cong marching down it on their way to taking control of Saigon. Just for info, Laos has the distinction of being the most bombed country in asia, if not the world, and part of that is because so much of the Ho Chi Minh Trail ran through it and got carpet bombed during the Vietnam War era. Knowing all that this country has been through over the years and after seeing so much poverty in the country still it is amazing to see the local people smiling and happier about life than most people from first world countries and being so friendly and generous to anyone that comes into there lifes. They have certainly weathered the many storms that have been dealt to them in a very awesome and inspiring way.  

Actually on the way out to Pa-am we almost got our first road kill on the bikes!!!! We were biking along the trail and I spotted a fairly descent sized snake coming from the left hand side of the road, where I was, and slithering its way across to the other side where Katherine was biking. Katherine hadn't spotted it and by the time I bought it to her attention their was little chance of her avoiding it and she actually ran over it with her wheels and obviously freaked out at the chance it might jump up and bite her. It all happened quite quickly and since I was a little behind Katherine I could see she had run over pretty much the middle of the snake but it didn't seem to stop it from bolting even faster for the safety of the other side of the track rather that having a go at Kath. Katherine stopped straight away to catch her heart, which was up in her mouth at this stage, and the snake was gone when we looked back. So I guess we didn't hurt it too much and our road kill record remains at zero!!! HA HA

Okay, we left Attapeu and decided to head east back to Highway 13 (the main highway) on this track knowing it might not be possible but being convinced enough from locals that we could do it. This track we took would bring us back out at about 50km south of Pakse where we had left Hwy 13 to go around the Bolaven Plateau a week or so before. This stretch of track was a great couple of days. We were pretty sure we couldn't do it in 1 day after talking to locals and we also knew that the only reason we could take this track and not have to return back the way we had come to Attapeu, like all the other tourists have to, is because we were on push bikes. Reason being is that there are many water fords but the main problem is there are also 3 major river crossings with one of them being about 50 metres wide!!! We were told that they were pretty easy to walk through at this time of the year due to it being the dry season but during the rainy season both the rivers and the track are totally impassible. Even motorbikes struggle during the dry season unless they are small and light enough for the locals out in the villages that live near the river crossings to help lift them across, at a ransom price of course!!! HA HA There are no bridges and it is not deep enough in the dry season for vehicle barges so the track is basically not used by tourists and very very few locals use it to get from Attapue back to the main road.

As far as finding somewhere to sleep out there we decided that after seeing so many abandoned elevated huts travelling through the countryside of Laos we were confident we could find either a village or one of these abondoned huts around the half way mark to sleep the night. So, only having our bed mats left with us after sending our camping gear home, we went to the market in Attapeu and bought ourselves a mosiquito net as well as enough food to see us through the two days and off we set. The ride was awesome and we were basically on this small dirt track in the jungle with bamboo trees curling over and touching each other from the sides of the track providing us with a shaded tunnel most of the way. We had to stop and take off our shoes and socks to cross each of the water fords and when we hit the river crossings we had to strip everything off the bikes and carry it all, bit by bit, from one side to the other, which provided much entertainment for any locals in the area. HA HA. We biked through about 4 different little villages on the way and found that they had obviously seen very few foriegners because there expressions were very unsure ones and although the adults would give us an uneasy smile the kids were quite scared of us with a few running away!!!!!! But they couldn't help but stare from a distance and we found that if we tried a few friendly gestures they would slowly warm up to us a little and edge closer but no where near within touching distance. It would be great to know what goes through their heads when they see the likes of us on these wierd looking bikes with these funny looking hats on our heads and I guess for alot of the younger kids it maybe the first time they have even seen a western person, let alone one looking like this, as I doubt they have ever been out of their village and it is just not an accessable area for most travellers due to the road and river crossings. So a great experience in that respect.   

As for finding somewhere to sleep for the night on the trail well we did get lucky and come across somewhere around 5pm, which left us about 1 hour of light to set ourselves up and eat dinner by candle and flashlight. We found an old abandoned house on stilts as hoped just off the trail and just before one of the villages. Although the main room door was padlocked we could look through the cracks in the wall boards and tell it hadn't been used for a while. Not wanting to sleep out in the front porch of it, where the locals could see us from the trail if they walked by, we were lucky enough to find an old wooden bed underneath the main house floor at the rear and out of view. Using the house floor above us to hang our mosiquito net off we positioned the old bed frame under it, lay down our bed mats on it, pulled our jackets over us for some warmth and went to sleep knowing we were at least elevated off the ground for the night. There were plenty of funny noises through the night to keep waking us up and make us wonder what the hell was making them and it did get a little chilly in the early hours of the morning but we both reckoned we got a little sleep each and were happy with getting through the night with no major dramas. In the morning we packed up, had some cold rice and bread rolls for breakfast and carried on our way.

When we did hit the main highway 13 we then headed north slightly from the intersection back towards Pakse before turning off the road towards the Mekong River and catching a ferry across it to a cool little town called 'Champasak'. This town is about 30 km south of Pakse and on the west side of the Mekong rather than the east. The town is right on the rivers edge and we stayed here for about 3 nights. The highlight of this town is the old temple ruins of 'Wat Phu' which is about 8 km south of the town and was built between the 6th and 12th century and may be pre-Angkor. It has also just become a UNESCO site and they were actually getting ready for a big festival to celebrate it when we were there. It was a full day out there looking around and pretty bloody interesting. Those dudes back then really knew their shit when it came to working with stone and the carvings and craftmanship are awesome. The other great thing when we were staying in this town was the guesthouse we ended up staying at had only just opened and was having its traditional opening party which is put on in a huge way in order to secure good luck for it from the gods!!!! Their were prayers in the morning for friends and family and then in the carpark, tables and chairs and a stage for the band were set up. By the time we got back from our days outing the place was humming. There was about 4 of us foriegners staying there and we were asked to join the 300 or so locals who had invitations to the event and help celebrate the new guesthouses opening. Well it was great, as much free beer, whisky (not my favourite drop though!!!), and most importantly food that you could eat and drink. I must have ate about 15 of the Fresh Spring rolls which are a traditional Laos food and about 3 plate fulls of all the other great local foods on offer!!!!! There was so much food and the locals just kept bringing plates of it over to our table so I felt obligated to do the right thing and eat it. Don't want them to get bad luck because of me not eating what they offer ed you know!!! HA HA Anyway, must admit that I also tried to help out with the beer side of things also and would be lying if I didn't say that I paid the price the next morning when I woke up. Suffered big time on the bike that day when we left there and after crossing back over the Mekong to the main highway again we had to bike about 100km south in the heat with my head throbbing inside the bike helmet. Not one of my better days on the bike!!! HA

Anyway our next destination was 'Don Khong' island which is part of what is known as the 4000 islands area and it is all located right at the southern tip of Laos just before the Cambodian border. There are 3 main islands down here that tourists go to with Don Khong being the biggest and the most northern one so we hit that first. We got to the mainland shore line about 3pm and then had to get a small boat to take us and our bikes across to the island. We biked pretty much around most of the island before settling on a guesthouse to stay in for the night. But we decided that night that there wasn't that much to see on the island and no little $US1 riverside bungaloos to hang out in like we had heard there was on Don Det and Don Khon. These being the two most southern islands in Laos and are connected by an old french bridge. So we decided we would get a boat down to there the next morning and spend our last 5 days in Laos relaxing in a hammock on Don Det.
Well we got the 3 hour boat ride down the Mekong to Don Det and it was everything we had heard about. Heaps of US$1 a day bungaloos on stilts lining the edge of the river with little porches out front and hammocks swinging on them. It was very bloody cool and although there are a lot of tourists on this island you can't see any of them when you are in your hammock facing out to the Mekong river. There are no roads on the island and therefore not really any vehicles apart from pushbikes for rent to explore all the trails. Each set of bungaloos is owned by a local family who lives behind them and has a little cafe set up with a kitchen where you can order your meals. You don't pay for anything until the end and instead just get a little notebook with your bungaloo number written on it and as you order food you just write in the book what you ate and drank. Then at the end they just add it all up and you pay the final bill. A bit like an honesty system. The place was just awesome and it was very hard to have to leave, even after 5 nights!!. Everybody we met was having the same problem and we actually met one aussie who had been there for 2 months and was actually looking to buy one of the bungaloos, he loved it there that much!!! The locals on the islands were all really friendly regardless of the fact that they are constantly surrounded by crazy travellers in there homes and faces all day every day. The sunsets and sunrises were awesome. Just hanging out in your hammock watching the locals out fishing on the river right in front of you from their little boats in the morning could make the hours pass by. Me and 4 other travellers formed a united nations volleyball team one afternoon and took on the locals who decided we were playing for a beer!!!! I think they were sure they were going to beat us but we ended up winning 3 out of 4 games and when we went to claim our prize from one of the little bars afterwards the locals pulled out there local home brew type drink which tastes like shit!!!( sort of like bad whisky).

 We drank it happily knowing that they couldn't afford to buy us beer and weren't expecting to lose and have to buy one anyway!!! HA HA We tried to tell them that we would buy the beers but they said no and I think were actually happier forcing this local brew on us because they know how much we hate it and enjoy watching our faces when we try to down it!! HA Anyway there are also some great water falls near by to visit, when you start to take the shape of your hammock from lying in it too long!!, and some little villages and monasteries to go and visit by bike out on the other side of the two islands. Like I said we spent nearly a week here doing buggar all and loving every minute of it and if it wasn't for the fact that our Laos visa was about to run out we would probably still bloody be there!!!!! HA HA We did however discover on the last night well sitting at one of the sunset cafes that the islands do have scorpions on them when we spotted a big black one walking along the ground past our table!!!!! He was a beauty and always a good reminder that where there is heavenly bliss there is also hellish trouble not far away!! HA HA

So finally on the last day of our Laos visa we had to leave Don Det island unfortunately, cross back over to the mainland and start biking to the border and into our next country, Cambodia. So that is where I am going to leave you for the time being, even though we have been in Cambodia for almost 3 weeks now and loving it, apart from the roads which are total crap that is!! HA HA so will get to that episode soon but now my stomach is screaming for dinner and I can't let it down so later all!!.
Andrew