From Pakse I did a couple of day trips. The first was to the Boloven Plateau where I saw yet more beautiful waterfalls and coffee/tea plantations, and a not so good 'Traditional Village' which was now all about selling stuff to the tourists! They were all supposedly meant to make and keep their own coffins under their houses but the only one we saw was on display in the village square. I stayed in a dive of a hotel on the outskirts of town and was woken in the ...

From Vang Vieng I took a Mammouth bus journey down to the bottom of the country to the 4000 islands, which took a day and a night! The sleeper bus was cool, with proper bunk beds but they were doubles so I had to sleep next to a stranger - she was nice tho! After about 3 different buses and a boat I arrived on Don Det island and trudged around with a woman I met on the boat until we found some nice bungalows to stay in. We were on the quiet side of the island so...

From Vientiane I caught a local bus (complete with chickens and motorbikes on board) to Vang Vieng - backpackers paradise! The scenery here is amazing and there is plenty of cool things to do other than sit in restaurants watching friends DVDs on loop and getting drunk. And everything is ridiculously cheap! On the first day I went on a kayaking trip down the river and tubing inside a cave. Sat in big rubber rings and paddled along into the cliff face for about a...

Next country was Laos. Had to fly via Kuala Lumpur tho which was a nightmare as had to wait for a whole night and day at the airport so slept rough outside as they kicked us out for cleaning! Stayed in Vientiane for a few days, seeing the sights on foot or by bicycle such as various temples incl the famous That Luang, the Patuxai monument/archway and a nearby national park where I did trekking and swimming in waterfalls! Also had to buy a new camera at the marke...