Pakse

An early start to the day. Bus at 7am. For once I did not need to head to a bus station. Te owner of the guest house told us that the bus to Pakse go past the end of the road. No Tuk Tuk required. There were 3 of us from the guest house waiting for the bus and in due course it arrived. What a sight. I do not think it would have past its MOT - 'control technique' - due to the little crack on the front windscreen. This was our home for 5-6 hrs. Certainly the most local bus I travelled in Laos. It looked worse that it was. There was more leg room in any modern buses. Just before we arrived in Paske, something fell off the bus. I do not mean a bag etc..

As we got off the bus, the backpackers - we were 4, the most since Vietiane - headed to the centre of Paske . Shared Tuk TUk of course. For some apparent reason, in Laos, they love to put the bus stations far outside the centre. On average 8km.

We hunted for a guest house together, rejecting the first one above a Indian restaurant and then decididng to head to one recommended in the guide but which is normally always full. However the Sabaidy 2 Guest House had room for us all, for me in a dorm. This was Xmas day. The 3 of us, Helen a swiss, Peter a dutch and later joined by Bob, a Glaswegian I met a few day earlier in Savankhet, celebrated Xmas with a Indian (meal) - not my choice.

What is there to do in Paske? Well nothing really. On the first day, I explored the town, a market, a couple of Wats, the Mekong - Yes, Paske is on the Mekong however Thailand is not on the other side - and the local food. Paske was not that interesting. I preferred Savannakhete.

However, outsiide the city, there was of interest. The Bolaven Plateau. Why was I so excited by the Bolaven Plateau? Well, as Claire correctly Wikipediaded, they grow coffee on the plateau!!!! How could I not go and visit!

I did try and make my own way to the plateau. I caught a local bus to Paksong, the main town on the plateau, 1hr from Pakse. As I got there, I found no information about coffee etc. I decided not to waste anymore time, checked straight away from the guest house I checked in a hour previously and headed back to Paske and the guest house. On arrival I immediately booked a tour with the Guest House. I tried the unorganised - disorganised - approach, it was a failure. It was then time for the organised approach.

However the day was not a total loss, I did meet on the local bus on the way back - I should say that the local bus on the way there and back is a pick up - a young Israel couple from Hadera. Up to that point I am sorry to say, that out all the back packers I met, the Israelis were the least sociable. These 2 changed my opinion of that. Hope you had a good time in Savannakete and the rest of your trip.