Nov 13: Afternoon, Pakse
We took the night bus from Vientiane to Pakse last night, a very comfy ride.
I think this is the first time such a service is being tried out. This is, naturally, more expensive than the no frills 'chicken' buses plying the country, whose services we have relied on so far. It used to be too dangerous to travel at night. Bandits, UXO, very bad roads that could send a bus load hurtling into a ravine, and the ever present danger of rockslides especially during monsoon season: the kinds of hazards that made people very reluctant to tempt Fate.
We hoped that the introduction of this service meant that the current situation had become more conducive to travelling - less problem, more business. We took it as a good sign that most of the passengers in our bus were locals.
More private enterprises seems to be entering the market. This new bus service is one example.
By paying lots of US dollars (steep for Lao buses, anyway), we got two very plush armchair-type of seats to sink into. Everything, from the exterior and tyres to the interior, was spanking clean and almost gleaming. There was even a toilet on board. When we took the cheaper local buses, loo stops usually meant hiding behind a rock (free) in the great outdoors or a foul spot (paid) in someone's backyard.
After we boarded, the very nicely dressed stewardess gave out packets of peanuts and bottled water. The snacks were followed by a tasty dinner of rice with chicken and vegetables. Then came the dreaded video. It was some martial arts flick dubbed in Lao. Also, all announcements were in Lao
. Very little English was spoken.
Annie and I don't sleep well (often, not at all) during long bus and plane trips. We both agree that we sleep better on the sleeping berth of a train. I think the moving train's hypnotic rhythm agrees with us.
At 2 am, the bus pulled into a deserted station. The driver killed the engine and joined his crew at the side of the bus, looking at one of the tyres. I could see them from the window because they were on my side. After some discussion and more looking, one of them walked off. One went for a smoke.
Then, they gathered again. The crew started to change the tyre. Work stopped. More discussion. One went off for a smoke. Work started again. This routine went on for over an hour. Finally, we set off, to continue our journey to Pakse.
Last night, Peter of Dragon Lodge sat and chatted with us. We did not have to leave the guesthouse till rather late because the bus office was just a short walk down the street. Peter told us that there were, currently, some 20 to 30 Singaporeans working or doing business in Laos. He, of course, knew many of them. I think he said there was some club that the Singaporeans had formed as a means of meeting fellow countrymen. Occasionally, he also helped with arrangements for excursions or exchanges organised by Singapore schools or organisations to Laos.
We had not been able to book a ride back from Pakse in Vientiane. For some mysterious reason, the bus office insisted that we should check with the Pakse office for the return trip. So if we failed to buy two tickets back to Vientiane, we might break our return journey at Savannakhet, stay a night or two before going back to to the Lao capital. On arrival at the small Pakse office, we were not surprised to find out that the night express we came in was fully booked for the return journey the coming Friday night.
We have been resisting the suggestion from fellow travellers to go to Vietnam and Cambodia. Savannakhet is one of the border crossings from Laos to Vietnam. And now, we will be stopping in Savannakhet. We might also meet the Sarahs again as they were heading to Savannakhet and Vietnam after that. Hmm, that border is looking really tempting. Temptingly within reach...
But, more on Pakse. This is one dusty town. Except for the main thoroughfare, paved like Route 13, the other roads have not been paved. Looks like our trip to Champasak may be a more bracing one than we expect, although I'm sure the intertown roads will be in better condition.
However, our anticipated trip to Wat Phou has temporarily grounded to a halt.
Earlier today, we found out that it was rather inconvenient to take public transport to Champasak's Wat Phou. A day trip was not feasible because it sounded so rushed and iffy. We had no intention of being stranded in Champasak as we did not feel like staying the night there.
And we gave up trying to charter a car or to join a tour after futile attempts visiting a few travel agencies around town. First, we only got to see the general model of car (but not the actual car we would be taking) and then we were quoted high rates in US$. The one agency that quoted us in Baht was cheaper than those singing their prices in US$.
When a budget room for two with bathroom and hot water costs US$6 a night and a double in the Champasak Palace goes for US$20 a night, it is a little too expensive to hire a car for several hours for US$25-50!
Just as we were considering giving up on Wat Phou, we ran into Wendy, an acquaintance from our Huay Xai-Luang Prabang boat ride. I asked if she was interested in Wat Phou. Guess what she said? She and a few other friends were thinking of visiting the ruins too!
They were staying at a guesthouse we had dropped by earlier to ask about its Champasak excursion. I had been drawn to an advertisement offering good rates for minivan hire. Now, it looked like we would have at least five people to share the cost of chartering a minivan (350,000 Kip or US$35).
Hooray! Wat Phou is back on our itinerary!
Budget (for two in kip)
Room >> K60,000
Lunch >> K13,000
Drinks >> K2,000
Cakes + drinks >> K7,000
Dinner >> K49,000
Next... Water woes
Nov 11: Night, Vientiane
We are going to Pakse, then on to Champasak to visit Wat Phou, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Can't wait to see the ruins, built from the 6th to 12th centuries by the Khmers on the mountain slope.
For some pre-trip prep, we decided to spend a little time wandering around Vientiane in search of information. The Lao Tourism office was useless. Exotissmo, which sold expensive tours, took the trouble to tell and show us where to buy tickets for the express bus to Pakse, though they did not sell such tickets. Lao Youth Travel also told us where to buy the tics, how much they cost and showed us the schedule. The lady we asked even called to confirm the bus company had tickets to sell for the next run before telling us to go to the bus office to buy the tickets ourselves.
After the morning's fact-finding excursion, we went back to our guesthouse to pack. We were moving to Dragon Lodge.
When we went to the lobby to settle our bill, we saw two large backpacks. Sitting on one of them was our British friend, Sarah. The other Sarah was checking in. Annie and I were happy to see them again. Since everyone was busy moving, we decided to meet for lunch later.
This trip has been extremely precious. It is fun to run into other travellers who have befriended us along the way. It is a wonderful feeling to see a familiar face or two after some time in a strange place full of strangers you cannot or have yet to get to know.
Shortly after noon, we met the two Sarahs as planned. We ate lunch in a small shop selling delicious duck rice. When it looked like we had stayed too long (the wait staff had long ago cleared our plates and was eyeing us discreetly), we continued our chit-chat in a nearby cafe. The ladies were off to Savannakhet next, before heading for Vietnam. We might run into them again. If not, we might meet in Singapore a few months later. We exchanged emails and parted.
Monday is still a quiet day in Vientiane although there are more traffic and people on the roads, compared to somnolent Sunday.
Still, some locals told us that traffic had thickened, compared to three years ago. First, more motorbikes apppeared; then came more cars, they said rather wistfully.
Being typical city dwellers, however, we reckon Vientiane would be even more bustling. Nonetheless, we are glad that Vientiane has not yet gone the way of other polluted, congested, cities in this region.
Vientiane, with enough creature comforts for the urban-oriented, is a most charming place to while away a few relaxing days.
Budget (for two in kip and USD)
Nov 11Room >> US$15Breakfast >> K16,000H2O >> K1,000Lunch >> K24,000Coffee >> K13,000Dinner >> K14,000Cakes + H2O >> K6,000Bus to Pakse (advance) >> US$24
Nov 12Breakfast >> K14,000Internet >> K6,000Lunch >> K14,000Coffee >> K18,000Dinner >> K20,000Supper >> K2,000Drinks >> K3,000
Next... First night bus to Pakse
Nov 10: Mid-afternoon, Vientiane
Leaving Vang Vieng, we took the bus to Vientiane. We bought our tickets on board and it was 1,000 kip cheaper than the price at the station.
Naturally, there was an endless stream of loading and unloading of goods, including rice, vegetables and even a bike or two. Our bus driver also seemed to stop and pick up passengers at every village we passed through.
During the more winding stretches, people on board looked sick. Oh oh. Then, someone started to distribute the puke bags. Oh, oh.
We braced ourselves for another ride with vomitting neighbours, but luckily, our route never became too demanding on the stomach and only a few people in the front of the bus suffered. This time round, the local passengers also appeared more prepared to cope with the heaves. Some brandished medicated oil while others abstained from snacking while travelling.
An hour or so before we reached Vientiane, our bus got really crowded. People from the outskirts seemed to be converging on the capital. Work? Business? Family? We could only guess.
Having already paid the tuk-tuk driver handsomely for the five-minute ride from the bus terminal to the coffee shop near the guesthouse we wanted to check out, we were extremely displeased when he parked his vehicle and waited to see which guesthouse we were going to walk into. We did not want to pay his touting commission as we were the ones who told him to take us to our destination, so we waited for him to drive off. He finally gave up when we continued to perch on the pavement like we had all day to do nothing.
Phonepaseuth Guesthouse's manager was very welcoming and obligingly showed us a few rooms. After we checked in, he told us that a few days earlier, a Singaporean couple also stayed there. This couple later rented a car and driver for the long drive to Luang Prabang for an eye-popping US$200. Wait, it might have been a bit cheaper, like US$180, but my mind had been quite scrambled by the mention of such a handsome sum for a mere car ride!
So, someone had spent a small fortune on transport and, from the hopeful tone of the manager, I wondered if he was thinking we might provide further custom. Catching each other's eyes, Annie and I did not think we should enlighten him that we had travelled the Luang Prabang-Phonsavan-Vang Vieng-Vientiane circuit for less than US$30 for two persons.
Of course, one cannot compare the spartan environs of a 'chicken' (local) bus to the luxurious option of your own chauffeur-driven car. Also, having your own vehicle gives you the flexibility of stopping at places you like for breaks or to frame that once-in-a-lifetime photo. I bet that makes for travel tales of a different kind.
After lunch, we walked around Vientiane and found the Dragon Lodge. The exterior was a rather awful shade of vermillion (Annie thought the colour was more pink). After some hesitation, we walked in.
The interior was much more salubrious. The owner, we discovered to our surprise, was a Singaporean. Peter had been in Laos for eight years and was now the proud owner of Dragon Lodge. He gave us a tour of his place.
The rooms were a little cheaper and more spacious than our current abode. The interior was tastefully furnished and included a few artfully-angled rooms, courtesy of the semi-circular shape of the building. When we complimented him on his in-house decor, he said he scoured around for some of the pieces himself. We made plans to move in the next day.
As expected, Vientiane is expensive. But, Annie and I agree that the city gives better value than Yangon. We like the accommodation and food in Vientiane more. Yangon, though, is much more bustling as a city. Vientiane, on the other hand, is like a town growing into a city.
Pho (soup noodles) is 7,000 to 8,000 kip here, compared to 5,000 to 6,000 kip elsewhere. Even the Scandinavian Bakery is more expensive, and I thought the one in Luang Prabang is already quite dear!
Sunday is a very quiet day. Many shops are closed. There is little traffic. There also seems to be more foreigners out on the streets. Where are the local people? The exceptions are the teeming Talat Sao (morning market) and the busy bus terminal nearby.
Budget (for two in kip and USD)
Bus to Vientiane >> K12,000Room >> US$17Breakfast >> K14,000Tuk-tuk to hotel >> K5,000Drinks >> K5,000Tea >> K13,000Dinner >> K27,000Coffee & titbits >> K8,000
Next... We meet again
Nov 8: Afternoon, Vang Vieng
Ah. It is back to hot and dusty for us in Vang Vieng, rather than cold and dusty in Phonsavan. But really, once out of the main road and various construction projects, Vang Vieng is very OK.More than OK, actually, with lots of beautiful scenery. Like so many parts of Laos we have seen so far, Vang Vieng also possesses its share of postcard scenes and scenery.
We are spending the rest of this afternoon lazing around. Vang Vieng is like that. You can simply laze, laze, laze.
Or you can get up and go. Go tubing (sit IN a tyre and raft down the river), explore caves, or check out the countryside on a bike.
Earlier, we did our usual. Walk.
We walked the riverside, walked past villages and walked some more. That's what I like when travelling. There is often this sense of space that I don't find cooped up in an office, ensconed behind the desk, the moat for a castle of paperwork.
As we grow older, it seems to Annie and I that fresh air, space and the freedom not to rush for the next big thing are becoming increasingly valuable to us. And out of the drone-like bustle of the cities in Asia, life elsewhere in Asia looks compelling to us without the city-dwellers' compulsive charge from one adrenalin rush to another.
But, I know I'm a city creature. So is Annie, I'm guessing. I love the space and freedom to wander. And I know that living and working in the city have given me the bonus of that freedom.
So, for us, travelling to places very different from Singapore is a chance to recharge. When it is time to leave, we can go home with a better appreciation of not just our travels but also the place we call home.
Aiyoh, the sun must be getting to me. So, enough philosophising. Now, where was I? Oh yes, our walk earlier.
We walked into a morning market selling vegetables, seafood and dry goods. The market spilled from its covered location into the alleys linked to it. At certain spots, everyone had to inch their way forward, giving the sellers ample time to show off their wares to the crawling traffic.
Leaving the market, we saw a woman wading into the Nam (river) Song. When deep enough, she hauled up a small bamboo trap from the river. The trap was long, almost oblong in shape, and it was filled with fish.
When we walked back to the market a little later, we saw the same lady pouring her catch into a couple of metal basins perched on stools. Her stall set up with fresh goods, she was all set to do busines.
After our morning junket, we ate lunch and was just strolling the main drag wondering about tubing when we ran into more acquaintances from our Huay Xai-Luang Prabang boat trip. Among them were two British women with the same first name, Sarah. Sarah said they were going to Singapore in January.
We are now seating in an outdoor cafe. I'm sipping a cold pineapple drink and watching a man standing knee-deep in the river below. He is binding thin tree trunks and branches together to build a bridge.
Hmm, that reminds me: we will cross the wooden bridge by the Nam Song Hotel tomorrow and take a walk in the countryside across the river. As I watch the man in the water and the half-made bridge, I think about what Annie and I saw earlier today.
That bridge by the Nam Song Hotel was in two parts. The first part ended abruptly after the toll booth (we have been told we have to pay to use this bridge). From land, we saw its dip into the river. People walked to the edge, took off their shoes and walked or pushed their bikes in the river for a few metres. Then, the second part of the bridge rose out of the water and they continued on the bridge to dry land.That should make for an eventful crossing tomorrow.
Budget (for two in kip and USD)
Nov 8Room >> K40,000Breakfast >> K7,000Titbits (v expensive) >> K18,000Drinks >> K6,000Lunch >> K15,000Drinks >> K6,000Dinner >> K33,000
Nov 9Room >> K40,000Breakfast >> K15,000Bread (for tea) >> K7,000Bridge toll (return) >> K4,000Lunch >> K26,000Dinner >> K16,000Pancake >> K5,000
Next... Off to Vientiane
