Don Det The following morning we left Don Khong and wobbled into a long boat bound for Don Det. It was a lovely gentle cruise down the river taking in all the breathtaking scenery and watching as the fishermen cast their nets, the ladies set their lobster and crab pots and the youngsters washed and scrubbed at themselves and the weekly laundry. After dropping a few others on the mainland we continued out into the open river surveying the most luscious l...

Si Phan Don (4000 Islands) Don Khong As we left the ferry and drove around the island the views are spectacular. Wide open spaces with arid dry paddies that had been recently harvested or lush bright green paddies that were thriving and ready to feed the island were laid out as far as the eye could see. After whizzing through dropping the locals at a couple of small villages and off loading the supplies that had been bought from the mainland, this include...

Pakse - Don Khong (4000 Islands) The bus station was like stepping back to India, a hive of activity on a piece of waste ground. There were various types of transport from Jumbo/Sawngthaew, to mini van's, to locals rickety buses, to the VIP options. We were surrounded immediately by the drivers of the jumbo's and mini-vans and we were left torn between the two. We wanted the mini van as it would be a much more comfortable ride but the jumbo was cheap as chips....

Tha Khaek - Pakse Following Route 13 for a second day we traveled through open farm land and rice paddies down dusty roads with the odd bamboo or wooden shack sporadically placed at the side of the road. Every 50km or so was a larger village or small town with homemakers and shopkeepers lazing in hammocks seeking relief from the searing heat. As we pulled into a bus station at Savanakhet for a drop off/pick up stop we were bombarded by women selling food. I...

Vientiane - Tha Kheak After indulging in another buffet breakfast, we grudgingly checked out and began playing the haggling game with numerous Tuk-Tuk, jumbo and sawngthaew drivers. We'd had a tip off from a local guy so we knew the fair price to pay much to the disappointment of the drivers who were looking to make a day's wage out of the white folk with heavy loads. After being whistled and heckled, pulled over, bartering and walking away repeatedly we fi...