Catching Sunset

From the guesthouse balcony.

Into the North

We've left the Mekong river valley and have entered the mountains of Northern Laos. The roads are rarely flat, which is a nice change from the south. 

Sou weding her way up a hill.

Lotus blossoms

Bussing back to Vientianne

I knew it was going to be a long trip after the bus stopped not a hundered yards from the bus terminal to pick up another passenger.  So began our two bus trips back from Southern Laos to Vientianne.  Riding the bus was an experience to say the least...  The bus was packed full of passengers and stopped repeatedly to either pick up more people or let off people.  When all of the seats were full, people sat in the isles on plastic stools. Lao karaoke played on an endless loop. The bus had all manner of luggage from chickens, sacks rice, our bikes and a motorcycle tied down on the roof.   We were very happy to arrive back in the capital. 

Our bus averaged 25 miles per hour over the course of our trip. 

Si Pan Don (4000 Islands)

After Wat Phu, we rode another four days, with a short stop in the city of Pakse, to the 4000 Islands.  Si Pan Don, as its know in Lao, is an archipeligo in the Mekong.  This is one of the southernmost spots in Laos, and we were looking forward to a few days of relaxation and swinging in a hammock before bussing it back to Vientianne and heading north. 

Champasak and Wat Phu

After visiting Sou's family, we headed South towards the old provincial capital of Champasak and the ruins of Wat Phu.  We turned off the highway and headed towards the Mekong.  The ferry crossing consisted of two canoe's lashed together with planking overtop and a lawnmower engine. 

Campasak was a sleepy, one street village which we both found really laid-back and pleasant.  After finding a guest house with views of the river, we rode 10k out to the ruins of Wat Phu.  The temple was built around the 16th century and is built into the side of a mountain near a spring.  A set of perfectly straight stairs leads to the terrace which houses the temple complex. There are several different temples all with spectacular views of the Mekong river valley.  Sou and I looked around the site and found a couple of other carvings: a crocodile, an elephant, and several buddas.

Laab Flavored Lay's

Sou writes:

Laab is a national Lao dish made of beef, chicken, pork or chicken. It is a salad made of minced meat and mixed with chili flakes, paddek (fermented fish sauce), lime juice, khao khua (sticky rice roasted until black and then made into a fine powder), cilantro, mint and shallots. The meat mixed in can be raw or cooked. It is eaten with sticky rice and various vegetables including lettuce, cucumber and other fresh herbs. It is one of our favorite dishes to eat!!! It is often spicy and is definitely a wakeup call for the tastebuds.


Imagine our surprise when we came upon Laab flavored Lays potatoe chips!! We took our tasty package back to the guesthouse in great anticipation.

Not as we expected but a something to write home about.
 
This package went for about .25 and had about five chips.....

A Present First .... Lost in Translation