18-24/01/20

Arriving in Paske the following afternoon after a pleasant flight we try to check into the hostel we booked only a few days ago. It turns out that we've got our days mixed up and have booked a room for tomorrow instead! It's over 35 degrees, much hotter than in Luang Prabang and we don't relish the thought of finding another room for the night. Tee, the receptionist is lovely and cancels our booking for tomorrow without charge on the proviso we book a room tonight. Unfortunately they only have a dorm. We take a look, it's clean so we think what the F..k! and take it; that's what backpacking is all about isn't it? Heading into town for a mooch we soon turn back as it's boiling hot; 2pm is NOT the time of day to be walking the streets of Paske. It's fair to say that the town looks bland and boring, SO glad we're here for only one night. Spending the next few hours back at the hostel we sort out flights, update accommodation and try to work out the best and most economical route to get to Malaysia from here. After much discussion and deliberation Malaysia will be our next stop with Kuala Lumpur, Cameron Highlands, Penang and Langkawi on our list. All this planning is exhausting!

Going into town that evening we find it hard to find anywhere to eat. The few places that are open are very local and as we're travelling on tomorrow morning (thank God) we daren't risk getting a dose of the runs. An hour later we find somewhere to eat, and as there is absolutely NOTHING going on in town we then head-back to the hostel and continue with the blog. PAKSE = CAN'T WAIT TO CATCH THE BUS TO 4000 ISLANDS IN THE MORNING!

Little did we realise that changing our travel plans a few weeks ago (cancelling our WorkAway at the butterfly farm in Laos) would result in hours of planning and re-planning a new itinerary. We make use of the hours spent on buses and waiting in airport lounges to plan it. We are starting to feel like one of the couples off "Race Around the World" that aired on TV last year.

Having decided to visit Don Khon (one of the 4000 islands), we now have to find the best route from there to Malaysia; easier said than done. We decide the easiest way to get there is via Kratie and Phnom Penh in Cambodia as we're just a few miles from the border, and then fly to Kuala Lumpur. However, we decide against this route as:

1.The Cambodian border crossing is notorious for corruption.

2. We'd have to get visas; they only accept USD (we have $2 left from buying our Laos visas), and there is no way of changing Laos Kip to USD where we are.

3. The bus journey would be horrible, and

4. Having been to Cambodia before we don't want to revisit.

We then consider flying from Laos to Kuala Lumpur; then again discount this route as:

1. We'd have to take two to three flights with long stopovers.

2. We'd have to re-apply for Vietnamese visas (as the route would be via Hanoi without transfer).

3. It's expensive, and

4. Most of all, we'd have to stay another night in Paske; NO WAY JOSE!

We have a second light bulb moment! - we don't need visas to enter Thailand so re-plan our route. From 4000 islands we'll go back to Pakse via longtail boat and minivan then, catch a flight (SAME DAY) to Vientiane, Laos' capital, and stay overnight. Then take an overnight train from the Laos border Nong Khai to Bangkok the next evening. We'll arrive early enough that morning to catch a flight to Penang the same day. We've decided to knock Kuala Lumpur on the head as we can't fit it in. Although it sounds counterintuitive to go north it's our best option. PHEW.

After a surprisingly good night's sleep - considering the circumstances, we're up early, ready and waiting for our pick-up to take us to Don Khon. The bus arrives on time and as we watch the world go by during the journey we are quite humbled by the old wooden shacks we see enroute. People here have next to nothing but seem happy and content almost always smiling.Three hours later we reach the nearest drop off town to catch a longtail boat to Don Khon.

Arriving we couldn't be further away from Pakse. The island is small with only very rough dirt tracks for roads. There are no cars and beat up old motorbikes and bicycles are the mode of transport here. As we walk the five minutes to our guesthouse we are followed by a herd of cows and some geese. Our room is great, especially considering how rural and remote the island is. It has full floor to ceiling glass looking straight out onto the Mekong; there's a huge veranda with hammocks for us to sit and watch the fabulous view. "What a difference a day makes". The following morning we hire a couple of bicycles as we've been told there's a beach a few kilometers away as well as a small waterfall. A little further on from there Irrawaddy dolphins are often spotted frolicking in the river. We set off, the road (well dirt tracks) are so uneven I nearly fall off my bike. There are rocks and sand to contend with which makes it almost impossible to ride in a straight line. It's unbelievable how rural this area is; it's dotted with the odd wooden shack and that's about it. Luckily there's hardly anyone on the road. With a lot of effort and concentration we arrive at the beach (deciding to forgo the waterfall) which is situated down an unbelievable rocky track; we're both drenched in sweat, it's HOT! The ride is well worth it; there are sand dunes before us overlooking the Mekong with huge rocks and islands. On the other side of the river there are distant mountains belonging to Cambodia. The water here is almost still even though there is the waterfall further up river; so it's safe for swimming. There are water buffalo drinking at the river's edge. Later whilst lunching at the very local restaurant right on the beach we chat to a couple that have just returned from a successful dolphin watching trip down river which they booked at the restaurant - we book a trip for the next morning. It's a good job we do, as, when paying for our lunch we realize we haven't enough money! (how embarrassing). Apologizing profusely we promise to pay the rest tomorrow. The lady is lovely and says "no problem, no problem" with a big smile. Although we owe less than £1 it's a lot of money to them. It really isn't surprising we are caught short as we have dealt with so many different currencies in the last few months, this makes it easy to lose track of how much money you need on you. We intend to spend most of our time on the island chilling out, reading, swimming and going on the odd trip. To be honest, that's all there is to do here and it's just what the doctor ordered.

Due to our new itinerary, which includes new flights and train timetables we are now staying on Don Khon for seven instead of the original five nights we'd budgeted for. As there is no way to change currency here we are being frugal. Every meal, trip and beverage will be accounted for and we now look at menus with an eagle eye on the budget. Breakfast is now bananas bought at a local shack with a coffee provided by the guest house from the outdoor help yourself counter opposite our room. If we haven't used all our daily budget we'll splash out the following day and have a banana milkshake at the cafe next door; less than £2 for us both. To be honest we're enjoying the challenge.

A downside to moving from one place to another is having to pack and unpack all the time. As your belongings are unpacked into unfamiliar rooms you can't but help to forget where you have placed them. Spending an extra half an hour a day searching for something you've put away carefully but can't remember where becomes a regular occurrence; SO frustrating. However, over the last couple of weeks we have become almost expert in packing and unpacking our rucksacks really efficiently. Clothes, toiletries and footwear. that are not needed at an upcoming destination will be backed away in one rucksack meaning we only have one to unpack. Within this our useables are compartmentalized into pillowcases and plastic bags. Bingo! We're unpacked in less than thirty minutes.

As mentioned at the beginning of the blog it's so difficult to know what to pack and what to leave behind when going away for such a long time. The weather for example dictates what clothing to pack. However, it becomes a little more tricky, if say, like us, a cup of tea first thing in the morning is a necessity, as not all guest houses provide tea and coffee making facilities in their rooms. We ummmmed and arghhed on whether to bring our travel kettle or not as it takes up precious space. Having had in room tea and coffee facilities in all our accomodation so far we had begun to think we'd made the wrong decision by lugging it around. However, it has subsequently become a godsend as we have no such luxury at present. You can't beat a good cuppa rosie lee first thing!

It's David's birthday today and although we are not celebrating we decide to have a quiet relaxing day swimming in the Mekong. Heading out for dinner that evening there's a hive of activity in the village; there's a wedding going on. The locals invite the few travellers on the island to come and have a look. Traipsing down a dirt path we come to a clearing where a least a hundred locals are gathered for the wedding; chairs and tables are set out and there's a stage set-up for music. Fast forward to 3am, we are at our wits end; the wedding is STILL in full swing, the baseline bumping through our bodies. Having had almost no sleep we are not happy bunnies. At 4am the music finally ceases and we eventually get some shut eye. So much for a chilled out birthday. How far do you have to get off the beaten track to get a good night's sleep?

The following morning dragging ourselves out of bed we cycle over the very bumpy tracks to the beach (me wearing a shock absorber sports bra) to go dolphin spotting. It's just David, me, a boatman and a boy of about eight in a very old handmade wooden longboat. Heading out the scenery is spectacular; rocks and trees jutting out of the river, birds chirping and buffalo drinking at the river edge. Going some distance the boatman carefully by passes rocks hidden just under the surface and skirts around small rapids while the boy rows at the front. We're the only people in sight; it feels as if we're on an expedition into the unknown. A while later we arrive at the Cambodian border where the engine is turned off and we tune into scanning the horizon for the rare Irrawaddy dolphins. Having been told there are only three left in this area we don't hold out much hope of seeing them. A few seconds later I spot one surfacing, it's amazing. From then on we see all three weaving in and out of the water and a "ppffff…" sound when surfacing for air signals to us where they can be spotted. Because we are in a small boat just floating around we are able to experience the dolphins at close quarters. What a fabulous experience. On reading up on the dolpins( called Pa Kha in Laos) we are sadden to read that only twenty remain in Laos and feel privilaged to have seen then. This is due to dam construction and illegal fishing techniques. However, efforts are being made to protect and increase their numbers.

The next few mornings are spent cycling to and from the beach; it is so hot that by the time we return we're knackered, covered in sweat and ready to collapse; it's almost 40 degrees in the shade. The locals however are sporting light sweaters as this is their cold season!!!!!!!!! Talking of locals, the islanders look very diiferent to their northern counterparts; they are dark skinned with broad features looking more Malay/Cambodian.

Our last few days on the island are spent cycling to the beach, reading swimming and making the 4km journey back to our guest house in unbelievable searing heat; it's so hot that our sunglasses slide down our faces due to the amount of sweat.

Wev'e enjoyed it on the island and how "away from it all" is but we're ready to move on. Tomorrow we have a long journey ahead of us - four hours by boat and bus to Pakse where we catch a flight to Vientiene the capital. We'll stay overnight and then board the overnight train to Bangkok the following evening. From here we'll catch a flight to Penang, Malaysia.