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 finally got a lovely old man to take us in his jumbo. The motorbike that supported the long trailer was completely clapped out, the clutch was on its last legs and it was leaking oil but he chugged his way steadily around the one way system and finally made the 6km in one piece. We had been given a rough idea of times but in Laos this is rough guide in the loosest terms and cannot be relied upon.

As we got to the bus station we told the driver where we wanted to go and he pulled up next to a VIP bus which looked so much nicer than anything we had been on previously. Before we could even get out and determine if this was the bus we needed our bags were hauled off the bike and thrown into the buses luggage hold.

We tried to get our questions answered whilst retrieving our bags and being looked at as if we had gone completely crazy.

When they finally understood we had no ticket our bags were thrown back out onto the floor and they moved onto the next unsuspecting victims/passengers.

Luckily for us it was the correct bus and there was space so we bought the tickets and went back to the luggage hold much to the annoyance of the young lad who now had to maul the weight of our bags for the third time.

The VIP buses are a lot cleaner and in some ways comfier than the local options, but there doesn't seem to be as much leg room and the aisles are a lot narrower. They have tinted windows which helps with the sun glare and air con which can be bittersweet as you end up freezing instead of boiling and either way you can't open any windows. The other thing with the VIP buses is the videos. They are usually Indian or Thai but dubbed with subtitles of whichever country you happen to be in. This is all well and good but 90% of the customers are tourists with only a few locals filling the unsold seats, this said we still end up engrossed and getting the gist even if we don't understand a word.

We endured the 5/6 hours along route 13 by applying the usual methods of bus travel.

1. Talk and people watch for first hour.
2. Ipod - listen to music and play games
3. Play with camera - take and edit photos
4. Sleep
5. Get really bored and annoy Rod until he stops what he's doing and gets bored too.

It's a fool proof plan that has got us through so many journeys.

After a couple of scheduled and a few non- scheduled stops to drop off locals and shop at the market (not us, the driver) we traveled through bamboo villages, along dusty tracks and beside rice paddies with the mountains of Vietnam on the horizon and we began getting excited that we were one step closer to discovering traditional life in Laos.

This was especially true when we inadvertently got caught up in a parade that was part of the festival to celebrate a birthday of Buddha or a chief monk. There were open back trucks primarily carrying monks who were collecting money from the revelers lining the street, behind these were the children also in a truck carrying a child size horse made of Paper Mache and painted with bright colours. Following on walking behind were women holding banners and sticks decorated with neon coloured paper and paint. We were enjoying the state of euphoria until we heard gun shots and our hearts started racing as we expected panic and everyone to be hitting the deck but nobody flinched and we turned back to see an over zealous man brandishing an AK47 rifle firing shots into the air in celebration in the middle of the street. It certainly provided a bit of excitement to the journey.

It was dark by the time we arrived in Tha Khaek bus station and we were immediately surrounded by a haggle of drivers vying for business. We told them how much we were willing to pay and got turned down until there was only one sawngthaew remaining which was being shared by a group. There was no room in the back for us and we were starting to get worried but we needn't of as we were ushered to sit on either side of the motorbike at the front on squares of wood that jutted out, while our bags were placed precariously behind and we clung on for dear life. It was funny and a whole new experience one we would rather repeat without thick plumes of dust and pollution engulfing us but a laugh all the same.

After driving through the deserted streets for a while and trying a few backpacker options that were full and hotel options that had doubled their prices due to the festival we were at the mercy of the driver and were driven back out of town and to a hotel where commission was paid at our expense. On face value the room looked nice but on closer inspection it was trying hard but was mutton dressed as lamb. We were tired, hungry and disheartened. The hotel didn't have a restaurant and the only other option we could find was sitting in a local front yard on plastic garden furniture that served noodle soup while the family sat inside watching TV like it was the most normal thing in the world.

After a terrible nights sleep due to sleeping on hardboard yet again we decided to give exploring Tha Khaek a miss which was a shame but with time running out the best decision especially after the unhelpful attitude of the hotel staff which put the icing on the cake. We jumped on a jumbo and headed to the bus station. Our luck was in; there was a local's bus just about to leave so we loaded our packs underneath, climbed over the moped that was also being transported and took our filthy well worn seats.