Inthira Hotel Pakse

... was really nice. Later on the guy went to use the internet and the girl and I went to the Mekong river to see the sunset which was nice but not that spectacular. Loads of bats were flying there. <br><br>I had some Indian curry for dinner which was delicious, and a chocolate pancake for desert. <br>And I thought I might as well get another massage... why not? This one was a good one by a friendly lady. <br> <br>

... In the evenings you see people playing petang (jeu de boules), badminton, volleyball, soccer volley. card games, flying kites, etc. <br><br>Oops, bought chicken embryos<br>At a short stop some ladies and kids offered foods for sale through the windows. I heard one girl saying 'khai', chicken, so I bought that, thinking I was buying round cakes containing chicken. But they turned out to be eggs with baby chickens! Yuck. I gave them to the students and they loved ...

... our dinner from her which she cooked on a bucket of coal and a bowl (4 big meals which were delicious). Her husband was there and her brother and friend, the rest of the island are in bed by about 9.30! <br><br>Another place i wasn't ready to leave but we had one day to get to China via Bangkok so we had to leave Simon and Mel and go our seperate ways. We all agreed that our time in Laos had been brilliant, beautiful and fun and hope that we can all meet up again somewhere.<br>

... thankfully minor condition at first glance and we were in and out within the hour, armed with tablets and cream.<br><br>Whilst in Vientiane it was funny to see how this town had changed in only two weeks. Next week marks a major festival in the Laos calendar and the sleepy Mekong river front had been transformed with hundreds of people milling around and fairground balloon games ...

... as quickly when we left. We then headed back to Pakse to return the bike and catch the bus to Vientiane, the capital of Laos.<br><br>The bus took us about 9hrs and it was a sleeper. The bus was quite empty so nat had a double bed to herself and I had the back row of the bus.. ALL FIVE BEDS... we sprawled out but we still only managed a few hrs sleep as it was so bumpy but at least it was comfortable.<br>

For our last day in Pakse we hired a private driver for a half day trip to explore the Bolaven Plateau. The plateau is famous for three things; coffee, tea and some of the best waterfalls in South East Asia. Most of Laos agriculture is carried out here due to the high fertile nature of the land and also because of the rugged and unforgiving landscape in the North. <br><br>We left Pakse around 10 am and our first stop would be a coffee and tea ...

... playing along the banks, fish traps in the water. At one point we thought something had gone wrong with the motor and turned round to see the boatman taking a leak off the back of the boat !<br> <br>Back in town we went to Champady for dinner where we ate some of the hottest thai curries ever - our chilli tolerance is up but we're still not up to local standards !! All washed down with two large bottles of Beer Lao - bliss!<br>

... do a homestay and they would set me up. Now, I've gotten pretty good at turning up in a town that I'm not at all familiar with and finding a hostel to stay in. But, it seemed a bit strange to be turning up on an island (an island where very few people speak any English) and inviting myself to someone's home! But, I figured, why not give it a go??<br><br>I headed to the morning market (of course got horribly lost on the way...why do people have such a problem with street signs in ...

... hour and a half and it was incredibly relaxing. I had not felt that way in a long time, I also had not done yoga for almost 2 years so it was great. Afterwards the attorney drove us to the bus station. On the bus, we each bought 2 seats because the seats were each really half a bed, therefore, we got our own bed for the night. Melissa and I settled in and chatted for a while, it was nice to have girl time because I live with two guys that just don&#8217;t ...

... were lots of little islets, too small to call them islands. We decide to strip off and go a swim in the cool wet delights. It all was very peaceful: solitary fisherman hoping to get a catch, manning their boats to find the best spots on the river; several kids were playing nearby. <br>As we ventured in the water and swam to the nearest island, Anne-Marie got worried as the kids passed our valuable belongings:<br>"I don't like that!"<br>An anxious ...