18 – Laos March 2008

First problem when arriving in ‘so laid back it’s horizontal’ Laos was getting myself insured….

Pics of the Huay Xai border crossing from Thailand as far as Luang Namtha

Laos – Thai border to Luang Namtha

Videos of Laos

This was (almost) the first wedding party I saw in Laos. As I passed through Laos, I would see loads of these – it was the wedding season.

On a day-trip cycling around Luang Namtha, these were some common scenes in the villages
Chicken and Ducklings near Luang Namtha

Pig and Piglets near Luang Namtha. See how mother-pig butts the piglets out of the way!

Piglets suckling from mother-pig.

Hear the buffalo’s bell clanking as it grazes

Pigs near Luang Namtha, doing typical piggy things

Pics of Luang Namtha to Luang Prabang

Laos – Luang Namtha to Luang Prabang

….and of Luang Prabang to Phonsavan, via Vang Vieng

Laos – Luang Prabang to Phonsavan via Vang Vieng

Vang Vieng Swinging. Some say Vang Vieng is touristy. They are undoubtedly right, but still fun…..imagine drifting down a river in an inner tube, with nothing but offers of beer hailed from the river banks and massive tarzan ropes for company…..I hated it enough to do it twice!

Phonsavan Cockfight

Any complaints about this, let me know and I will gladly refer you to the gentlemen in question, who were engaged in this activity well before I arrived, and certainly weren’t doing it for my benefit. Alternatively, before you complain to YouTube about this video, have a look at some of the stuff other people have posted. And then try criticising the cameramen zooming in on bloodied bodies in Gaza as they’re rushed to hospital, simply filming what’s going on like voyeurs for the world, without lifting a finger to help.

Pictures of the trip from Phonsavan to Vientiane

Laos – Phonsavan to Vientiane via Paksan

I stopped to listen to the silence in the countryside between Phonsavan and Paksan. Didn’t get any

Just after I’d stopped to record some sounds, this Chinese-made tractor came past – and then did what Chinese-made goods are best at doing.

Whilst on the way from Phonsavan to Paksan, there was clearly a lot of logging going on. This logging truck had broken down – luckily I could get around it, but the other logging trucks stuck behind weren’t so lucky. I gave one of the drivers, broken part in hand, a lift to the nearest depot to get it fixed.

General shots of the 360 kms of countryside I drove through on the way from Phonsavan to Paksan

A common happening on the back roads in Laos!

General footage of the dirt tracks I encountered from Phonsavan to Paksan

Once in Paksan, I didn’t linger long once I hit the main road, but hot-footed it to Vientiane, where Ian was waiting for me. That night, as it turned out, there was the Vientiane French Festival

I didn’t take many pictures in Vientiane. No disrespect to Vientiane, but it was a very atypical capital city – no wonder it has been described as the most village-like capital in the world. Lovely place to live….just a little sort on photogenic sights

After Vientiane, headed south, following the main national highway which itself follows the Mekong River, which in turn ALSO marks the Laos-Thai border.

Laos – Vientiane to just prior to Savannakhet

At Vieng Kham, I could have carried on south to Savannakhet, but instead chose to turn east towards the Vietnam border. Having seen other parts of Laos, this was a detour that extended my trip a bit, but is also the sort of thing I mean when saying I thought I had spent too long in Laos and not enough time in Cambodia. If you HAVEN’T spent as much time as I did in northern Laos, this detour is worth doing. But if you have, it’s not – unless you like limestone caves and taking a canoe ride through them.

Laos – Vientiane to just prior to Savannakhet

I was lent a very good hand-drawn map of this area, which I have put a copy of on here in case it’s of use to anyone. It shows the loop from Vieng Kham, to Lak Sao, then south to Nyommalat and Tha Khaek, showing the locations of all the towns and caves together with distances in KM. Getting it to enlarge to a useable size is the same drill as with the map on the front page ie click on it and then, if you hit the ‘ALL SIZES’ icon, you will be able to see it properly.

Dog Death truck en route to Vietnam

……..and here’s what awaited them in Nam (this video not taken by me)

Whilst driving along, I came across this stuck jeep and rescued it.

Laos – Savannakhet to Thai border

Tadlo Falls, on Bolaven Plateau in southern Laos

Insect sounds from near Tat Yuan waterfall, also on Bolavan Plateau

Tat Yuan waterfall

In Pakse, the day before I crossed back into Thailand, I took a walk around the back streets. Here’s a woman singing Karaoke

Here’s a religious ceremony, also in Pakse.