Today was kind of the start of my long journey home with the first step being the journey back to Bangkok, which would take 24 hours. We got up and left Don Det early in the morning on the same motorised canoe that had brought us. When we got back to the mainland we got back on the Stray bus and drove to the Laos / Thai border, stopping for a tea break in Pakse. At the border we said goodbye to the Stray bus and crossed by foot. We then walked to the bus statio...

We left Tad Lo after a fabulous breakfast and were heading to Pakse. On the way we stopped at a coffee plantation where we had a tour around the plantations. We were shown the different stages of the coffee plants and were told the different conditions it needs to grow. After that they demonstrated how to roast and grind them to make different blends and of course to sample some coffee. That was the bit I didn't really enjoy as I don't like coffee and don't rea...

We set off in the morning and drove into the Xe Champhone Wetlands. It was quite remote. We stopped at a house for lunch and left the Stray bus there. With a small bag we got into two off-road trucks as the road turned into a dirt track. It was a real off the beaten track experience as it was such a bumpy ride, we had to hold on tight so we didn't fall out or bang our heads on the roof! The first of our two stops was to visit Turtle Lake which had soft-shell t...

In the afternoon we left Vientienne and headed off the beaten track again and into the Phou Khao Khouay National Park. It was a steep road through woodland, so steep that the bus couldn't make it up the hill without everyone getting off the bus and walking behind it! We finally arrived at a small campsite close to the Tad Leuk waterfall where we camped between the waterfall and jungle. We had the evening to explore the waterfall whilst our guides made dinner. T...

In the morning we went to some caves just outside Vang Vieng to see more Buddah statues. We then travelled straight through to Vientiane - Laos' capital city for the last 450 years. There we said goodbye to Charlie our guide as she was getting the train back to Bangkok. Our local guide took us on a tour of the city's main attractions such as Patuxai, an arch that it a memorial to celebrate their independence from France. Pha That Luang is a big golden needle s...