Laos

Sabah-dee, as everyone in Laos calls to you as you pass. We'd been told that the people are what makes Laos so special, but the whole country was pretty enjoyable.

We took a bus literally across the country from the border with Vietnam, in the east, to Savannakhet, in the far west on the banks of the Mekong. Along the way you see countryside, much drier than that of Vietnam, wooden houses on stilts and naked kids playing in streams. Apparently Laos is trying to move beyond the list of 'least developed nations' and there is some evidence that they are making progress. Savannakhet offered some interesting food and a good massage before we left to take the local bus to Pakse, further south. After frequent stops to buy and eat some of the varied treats (chicken on a stick? hard-boiled eggs? a fruit that looks like the spout of a watering can?) we arrived a bit hot and exhausted in Pakse. A night in a nice hotel with a good meal and reasonable sunset sorted us out and we took motorbikes to explore the Bolevan Plateau with its waterfalls and coffee plantations the next day. Simon can regale you all with tales of his tragic leap off the motorbike at a later date. Suffice it to say that he vowed to stay on more stable transportation from that point on.

We then headed south to the 4,000 islands (Si Pan Don) where we cycled around the island of Don Khan (the only damage was bruised tailbones) before spending the night on the river and heading for the 'unofficial' border with Cambodia the next day. A short trip, but sweet. E