Southern Laos - you must see Pakse, Don Khong, Don Det and Champasak

PAKSE
Doug visited this town 5 or 6 years ago and found it to be a sleepy Lao outpost - no much going on! What a surprise it was to witness the changes that have taken place. Pakse is the capital of Champasak province and an educational and cultural centre. It appears that many dollars are flowing in for government buildings, new hotels, etc.. And they blend with the remnants of French colonial architecture. The activities we enjoyed were: walking along the Mekong River, exploring the historic old quarter of Pakse, coffee shops, fine dining on the hotel rooftop ($20 inclusive), great buffet breakfasts, massages (this is the only one I have enjoyed -$9,and last but not least the day trip to the Bolaven plateau with it's spectacular waterfalls,tea and coffee plantations and traditional weaving villages.

Mekong River

Mekong River

DON KHONG
This island is located about 3-4 hours from Pakse ($7 each).We spent 4 days here but 2 is probably enough. The highlight of the time there was a 45 km bike ride around the island before breakfast. We stayed at an upscale hotel for ($40/night) and met 2 great guys from Australia.

DON DET
This island is best reached from Don Khong by a one and a half hour boat ride. The scenery is exceptional and on an adjacent island Don Kone we saw the largest waterfall in South East Asia. These waterfalls are the reason that shipping does not occur on the Mekong as they a
Make navigation impossible. We had the remarkable experience and good luck to see the Irrawatty River Dolphins (only 100 left in the world)while we were on a boat excursion on the Mekong River. There is so much environmental damage being done to this country and this helps explain why plant and animal life is disappearing. That issue is too complex to get into here. The island is a backpackers favorite.

CHAMPASAK
We treated ourselves to borderline luxury at the Inthira Hotel. It was a wonderful base to explore the UNESCO site of Wat Phou - a pre-Angkorian Temple complex. The best way to explore the area is by bike and that is what we did. It was a great preparatory experience for our visit to Angkor Wat in Cambodia. The restoration work for the this site is being done by French, italian and Indian archeologists. Millions are being spent with many more millions required. The climb to the top terrace is dedicated to the god Shiva is well worth the effort as it provides outstanding views of the entire area.

We are now in Siem Reap on November 28, 2011 more on that in the next blog. Sooner or later we will learn to put pictures on the blog. Our daughter-in-law is helping us do the right now. However, we have mastered putting pictures on Facebook so you can join us there.

Trip at a glance

Weather - hot, hot, hot and sunny - mid 30s celsius

Hotels - Pakse Hotel ($40)- excellent, villa Muong Khong Hotel ($40)- excellent, Little Eden B&B ($44)- very good but no breakfast included and Inthira Hotel $(44)- excellent

Costs - first 30 days - $115/day, second 30 days - $133.26/day and overall for 62 days of travel inclusive of everything - $124.17. Keep in mind we are not choking nickels. We are in the mid range under $50 for accommodation and we have opted to fly sometimes rather than take buses. What we are saying is you could do it more cheaply.

Vangvieng - Give it a miss..

In spite of it's stunningly beautiful scenery and the fact that we managed to have a good time we will not recommend this location. Vangvieng is not your typical Laos Community. This place is devoted to the backpackers party scene and there seems to be a complete disregard for Lao customs and traditions. Laos is a very conservative and traditional country from your arrival at the airport there are signs posted everywhere stating no public displays of drunkeness or affection, no bare chests or bikinis,etc.. In Vangvieng anything goes. Picture A lovely afternoon of tubing or kayaking down the river but on both sides of the river are bars with too many people breaking the rules. While we were there a young man from Sweden was killed because he was drunk dove into the river, hit a rock and life over. Another fellow seriously cut his knee that got infected and he had to be flown to Bangkok for treatment. in spite of the above we had a good time, met some good friends, hiked, walked, kayaked and enjoyed delicious food.

45 km Bike Ride - Don Khong Island

Pathway to our hotel - Villa Muong Khong Hotel

Temple - Don Khong Island, Laos

Girls and Guys get together!

Laos girls on our early morning bike ride - Only 61% of children go to school.

We left Vangvieng for Vientiane and this bus ride was not the tortuous ride we experienced getting to Vangvieng from luang Parbang. We feel that it is important to use land travel but for only 6-7 hours or less. You do see a lot as you travel the countryside. One error in planning was not giving Vientiane more time. We were only there overnight and in retrospect 3 days would have been a much better choice. We flew from Vientiane to Pakse and the 4000 Islands more on that later.

Trip at a glance

Accommodation - Popular View Guesthouse - Vangvieng - very good - $25/night
Aroon Residence Hotel - Vientiane - excellent - $30/night

Meal costs - $4-$20

Weather - continues to be hot and sunny! Sorry to hear about your snow...

What could be wrong in Luang Prabang.....

We arrived in Luang Prabang in the early evening hours straight from the craziness of Hanoi. The streets were quiet and this UNESCO designated city with it's illuminated building mad scor an impressive introduction. Most cities when they are lit up present well but Luang Prabang is so beautiful that it is in a league of it's own. There is a lot of money in Luang Prabang which sets it apart from the poverty found in most of rural Laos. The United Nations has Laos at the top of their list of least developed nations. The pace of life in this country is joyously slow wand this is why so many people make it there destination of choice. We spent 10 fabulous days in Luang Prabang at Alounsavath, an exceptional guesthouse. We were treated as members of the family and included in an event with a Buddhist flavor. It was a celebration of life for her deceased father. We were invited to the temple where we had lunch and Doug was asked to be part of meditation with the monks (women cannot do this). Another highlight of the visit was volunteering at Big Brother Mouse that is a place for students to go and get tutored in English. Only 61% of children attend school and going to high school is costly. It would appear that most of those not attending school are female. As you walk the streets you cannot help but notice the presence of NGOs. The services of these groups and the tourist dollars are we think are a big help with the high levels of poverty. Much more is needed and the government is well aware of the challenges it faces.

We thoroughly enjoyed our stay in Luang Prabang with lots of walking, volunteering and of course seeing the sights. Doug is training for a 10 km run in Angkor Wat Dec.4 so he works in his sessions in the early morning. If you are considering Luang Prabang, there is trekking, kayaking, mountain biking... And of course, awesome food at a reasonable price!

We are currently in Vangvieng and we will save the details of the place and gruesome bus ride through the mountains to get here.

View of  Vangvieng from our balcony

Day kayaking on the Nam Song River - Vangvieng

Kayak Group at lunch

Rain shower in Vangvieng

Doug at a shop in Vangvieng

Trip at a glance

Weather last 7 days - sunny and hot

Accommodation - Alounsavath Guesthouse - Luang Prabang - $35/night

Food - $6 to $40 (high end restaurant)if you eat at the night market, you get good fox for $4-$5

To see more photos, request Doug as a friend on Facebook.

Adventure Photos

Thailand - Arrival at Wat Po Temple

Li Thai To Monument - Hoan Kiem Lake Area - Hanoi - Laughter Qi Gong Class

Breakfast at the Charming Hotel 

Typical Hanoi Street Scene - Motorcycles in front of Seasons of Hanoi - Great Restaurant!

Street Meal in Hanoi

Cooking Class - The Chefs!

Ninh Binh National Park - 700 year Old tree in the jungle

Boat Tour to Ninh Binh Caves

View on Trek in Sapa

Traditional Dance and Music Show in Sapa by black H'mong Hill People

Interior of our guide's home - her sister and nephew are preparing a delicious lunch

Lunch at our guide's home in Sapa

Lunch at our guide's home in Sapa

Carolyn and guide - May Cham - in her Village - Ta Phin - about 20 km from Sapa

Wedding Photos at Hoan Kiem Lake in Hanoi - these are daily occurrences in Hanoi because the wedding photos are done before the wedding not on the day of the wedding.

Boat tour of Halong Bay near Cat Ba Island - there are about 335 Islands in the Bay.

Sunset at Cat Ba Town - this is the view from our room ($18 a night)!