Laos day 11: from Vientiane to Pakse.

Submitted by maria on Fri, 19/08/2011 - 18:39

We woke up determined to go to Tham Kong Lo. Although they try to convince us otherwise and we bought a VIP bus to Tha Khaek, why? We had to try.

We bought something to eat, a grapefruit with a bag of spicy, curious but tasty.

We left Vientiane at twelve o'clock in the morning and arrived at Tha Khaek around 18.30. It's raining and we decide that it's not a good idea to stay so we take another bus to Pakse. Without leaving the station, we eat something and buy the tickets. Our bus is supposed to leave at 10.30 pm.

Temple in Vientiane

Around 7.30pm a ragged bus of thirty seats arrives for Pakse and there we get on.

On the bus we are the attraction, it goes up to the top of people and bags, even chickens. They care a lot about us. The seats are reclinable and the air conditioning is not even that bad. We settle in and enjoy the ride with folk lao music included. The driver, the porters and a passenger deal with money all the time.

Temple in Vientiane

We got attached because we were warned when the bus was leaving at the bus stop or they left us the stools to stretch our legs. The spice of the grapefruit had an effect on me and it was a bad time.

It was about midnight when we heard a knock and the bus stopped, I asked to go to the bathroom and they told me there was no bathroom but it was raining and the driver and two other people with flashlights were looking for something. We go back to the bus and what they were looking for was a cow! They put it in the hold and we continue on our way to Pakse (the cows are small).