We were supposed to get picked up at 6:15 today, It got to 6:30AM and still no sign of a bus :/ and our coach left at 6:45!! Pushing it fine so we arranged for a tuk tuk and had to pay extra... :/ only a few dollars though.

We made it with over 15 minutes to spare! Sat behind two English girls so we were safe! Only two more people got on the bus! Thank god! All these spare seats so we can have a seat to ourselves and sprawl out, go to sleep!!

Until it got so cold that it woke me up, thank god we brought hoodies with us to wrap up! The ride was so bumpy too, I don't think they've discovered tarmac yet here there's potholes in every crevice!

We stopped after a few hours at a service station, it was pouring it down with rain! Everyone said it would rain every day that we are travelling in rainy season, this was about the 4th time it's rained in over two months now! We like it, it makes us feel at home! But it's a lot hotter though, I also thought low season meant it gets cooler, it gets hotter! And cools down around September when the season picks back up and Michael flys back home :(

A few more hours sleep on the bus and we were sober again! We're much more boring when we're like this! A guy on the bus wanted everyones passports to go do the visa run when we got to the Laos border, he also said it costs $41 +$2 for a photo! The couple in front of us had been ripped off else where so they insisted on doing it themselves, so I did the same! Apparently random guys get on the bus and take your money for your visa and it's all a con!

Also, depending in where your originally from, the price of your 30 day visa varies, for us British it was the most expensive, the Americans, French and Australians sat around us, all got it for much cheaper... Hardly seems fair :( this made me think it was a con!

An hour later he woke me up demanding my passport again, and just said "if you don't believe me then come with me to check the price", and by this point everyone on the bus had now given into him and handed over the money! So against my will, I gave him it! We then got out to buy snacks, we were paying for a packets of crisps when the coach just drove off!!

All our bags of possessions were still on and they were headed for the border crossing! The guy told us not to worry and that they would wait at the other side! They know how to worry us!

Anyway everything was legit and all fine however, I'm realising Laos is a lot more expensive, the bus is the most expensive one we've been on and the visa is also the most pricey! I did not budget for these minor annoyances!

We arrived in Laos around 6pm were we then got off the coach and then shared a taxi/tuk tuk/pick up truck contraption with 7 others... The roads here are made from a red-brown coloured dust! So when were on the back of the truck it got everywhere! All our clothes and bags were stained orange! Not to mention I can't see or breathe now :|

An hour on here and we were at the dock where we paid another $6 I think, for the boat ride to 4000 island! Everyone else was told the boat journey was included in the bus journey price so they got ripped off! We waited 15 minutes at the dock and then took a long-tail boat to the island!

Laos is land-locked so no beaches, it's an island I the middle of the River Mekong, it's more of a swamp! It looked creepy as we arrived at dusk and the water is brown! The island appears out of nowhere, hidden in a floating forest!

The boat organiser took us to his recommendation of guesthouse, he gets the commission if we stay! Two American girls took the first room and payed $12 for a room with AC, so we took the room next door with a fan only for $7 a night! See why I force Annie to live without air-con when it's half the price, we can travel for twice as long! And we could have had the same room but for $5 a night! But this was in the middle of the guesthouse with no view, we stayed right on the riverside with a great view at sunset!!! Worth $2!

We went for a walk down the strip of restaurants and Internet cafes, there's nothing else here! We bumped into Megan, the Australian girl we met in Sikanhouville and went to eat with her...

I had Carbonara, I waited over 40minutes for it and it was so dry and tasteless! I still wolfed it down as we've been travelling and awake too long to be fussy! Got a wild dog come and pester me all night, at first I stroked it but this was a mistake, the slightest sign of remorse and they don't leave your side! It licked my hands and legs all night and there was no getting rid of it! I hope annie was lying when she says I can get rabies just from one lick! :/

We went to this restaurant as the sign said free wifi spot here, I needed to message mum to let her know I had arrived safely, but they don't have wifi, this is just to get you in the place, every restaurant on the island advertises free wifi, yet only two of them actually have it! The waitress had no change so she said I could just pay the other half another day... I must just look like such an honest person ;)

We then went to one of the two bars that actually has wifi and sat and had a few drinks with Megan there, then went home, this island has such a chilled out vibe, I slept like a baby! :D