Houaygnangkham Hotel Pakse

3rd November - back to Pakse<br><br>Back to the hub in the south: Pakse. Slept late, had an easy-going breakfast at Tim's restaurant, which is run by a nice guy Soulideth and his wife Tim. Soulideth speaks very good English and has been collecting jazz music for over 20 years, which he plays in the restaurant. Lovely! It's nice to hear Diana Krall and Billy Holiday in Laos. He also played music like the mellow ...

... he used some wet travel napkins to wash his hands and face, she was all curios and he gave her one. She proceeded to gesture as if wiping her ass with it. <br><br>Gay boy<br>The student boy was a very feminine boy and I suspected he was gay. He and the girls had been asking me my age, and whether I had a husband or kids... later he asked again if I had a boyfriend, and I told him, no but I'd like to have a girlfriend. He clapped his hands in excitement and said ...

... Don Khon.<br><br>When we arrived on Don Khon the four of us were a little bit shocked. We were staying in a basic bungalow (a wooden hut) with no hot water and the electricity only sometimes worked. There were only a few restaurants on the whole island which were basically peoples houses where they make you dinner and there were chickens and water buffalo everywhere. We all hired bikes to get around the island and soon realised that once you get over the initial shock of ...

... survived down pours of rain with pour trusty poncho's!!<br>Just had a fab time exploring away from tourists and seeing great countryside. The best waterfalls I have ever seen (you can not compare to Vic Falls, as so different) and just so unspoilt.<br>The last 40km back to Pakse, we left a little late and had to drive in the dark which was not the nicest, but we made it!! Covered in filth and aching all over, we headed to a great Indian restaurant for some grub before hitting the sack. <br><br>

... falls in Zambia and thats saying alot. We found it hard to find (went 6k past it and had to come back) but it was well worth it. You cant actually get anywhere near the waterfall, Tad Katamtok, instead you are looking at it from a height. The waterfall itself is 100m high and you are looking at it through an opening in the trees. Its like you have this natual border to this truly amazing sight. I ...

... him drive up the road in his own time. Meeting him at the top to continue our journey. The local kids found it to be quite funny and a small crowd gathered to watch! To be fair to him, he managed it in the end. Otherwise I wouldn't have been able to write this blog and we would probably still be there! <br><br>Back on the highway we soon found out the next turn was for Tad Fane waterfall. We parked outside the eco lodge and paid the 5,000 ...

... with a stranger in the same size beds. Some arguing brakes out at the front of the bus and a police officer gets on the bus trying to get a man to move beds. He claims the man is racist and blah blah blah the officer leaves and we carry on. The bed is so dirty that it is actually gritty on our legs and i decide to leave the blanket at my feet until ...

... songs. Also they realized I had a ton of pictures, so I showed them all the pictures I had taken this summer so far. I showed them Chiang Mai, Vientiane and even around Pakse. I had a bunch of videos, which they loved. I tried to explain where everything was and I think they understood. I told the girls that I had the first four Harry Potter movies with me and a movie I got in Thailand called Twilight, so I went and got them and we watched the first Harry ...

... br>"Sorry, we've only just arrived here ourselves. What's ahead?"<br>"A very old bridge. I wouldn't try and cycle across it if I were you. You'll be down at the bottom of an old gorge beneath it in no time."<br>"That dangerous! What's with the bike? Been traveling far?"<br>"I've rode from the Chinese border, maaann," he boasted.<br>Short of making a big boast about it, typical of a great deal of Americans, I could have done it myself.<br>We reached the ...

... it's developing fast, so the men do more than their fare share."<br>She turned to the woman, <br>"5,000 Kip is too much. Why not 2,000."<br>The woman let out an incredulous bashful Laotian toothy smile,<br>"If I only charge 2,000, I'll barely make any business."<br>Seeing her point,we sped off - again - this time along a conspicuous trail that ended abruptly at a beach-cum-bay area. Besides other ensconced tourists lapping up the heat, and ...