Across the border into Cambodia and Siem Reap

Entrance to Angkor Thom: the demon is on the right!

Bayon Temple at Angkor Thom

Angkor Thom:Terrace of the elephants

After being sad enough to being excited at the prospect of a 'proper' bus we were left stranded just across the Cambodian border in a very basic "cafe" (on asking for the loo we were pointed into the jungle) for 2 hours and then eventually the most overcrowded  minibus yet arrived.

We eventually arrived in Siem Reap 4 hours late, tired and  hungry into  the surreally luxurious lobby of our hotel and the now traditional blessedly chilled flannel!

Angkor Wat

There followed four hectic days of tours and sightseeing along with Robert and Liz who joined us for this section of the trip. The sights, especially Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom were extensive and as memorable as we we hoped but the highlight at 6am was "Angelina's" temple, ie. Ta Prohm, from the original tomb raider film, really tremendously atmospheric. 

Yes, a carved face peeking through!

Cycling and walking tours got us out into the countryside and hills, and we also went on a boat trip from one of the 'floating villages' to Tonle lake.

Kompong Khleang

As you would expect with Robert and Liz we also got out for some good meals and even some drinkable wine. Had some real laughs too, Robert in the "pedicure" fish tank and Liz in the swimming hole by a waterfall having her toes nibbled by the wild version of the fish were highlights! We also had a fun evening in the Big Top watching a great modern dance and gymnastic display from Phare, a Cambodian circus troop set up for kids from particularly poor backgrounds. It was very nerve racking as the performers were very close and very sweaty!

Vientiane, and onwards to the South of Laos

For a change (!) a long bumpy minibus ride but the first one with aircon.

The Jungle House

Vientiane is now the capital of Laos but there is not lot a lot to see and we had booked, through AirB&B, accommodation outside of the town with an expat, Mike Boddington (OBE we learnt) who we knew was involved with land mine/UXOs and prosthetic limb charities. Laos had had a greater tonnage of  bombs dropped on it, mainly covertly, by the US, than they dropped in the whole of WW2. Mike is married to a local, Soukiet, a medic who is high up in the anti trafficking movement. We had a very interesting dinner with them and enjoyed their home, their G & Ts and pool.

As a change of onward transportation we booked a flight with Laos airlines the next morning. A very scruffy terminal for a capital city airport but the flight was fine,  Savannakhet, allegedly the sleepiest city in the world, lived up to its reputation though it was after all a Sunday afternoon but it was like a ghost town and we struggled to find anywhere open but there again, cycling around was easy. The most memorable thing in Savannakhet was a live performance of 'the twilight bark', that is,the local dogs barking furiously at the farangs cycling past and setting off the pack in the next street,that we remembered from the Lady and the Tramp.

On to Pakse... By local bus, the most crowded vehicle we have ever been in though we noticed that despite the press and heat that there was no BO. A pleasant change from the underground! The Laos are a very clean people and you see them outside their houses or in the river, soaping themselves. We were watched with interest and offered snacks to share on this particular bus as we don't think many foreigners chose this route!

Snack sellers leap on the bus at every opportunity!

Passengers are also transported....just look at the rear axle.

Our next stop going South was Champasak, a little town running along the Mekong, still with some enviable colonial architecture tucked between the rustic abodes.

A poor substitute for the love of Nic's life...

Palace of Prince Boun Oum

We spent a few days cycling around and toured the Bolaven Plateau, one of the main coffee growing areas. Actually the coffee in Laos is excellent though they normally have it as almost sludge like with a bottom layer of condensed milk which may explain why on menus the choice is either black or brown coffee. The plateau is also home to a number of spectacular waterfalls.

Tad Fan, over 100m drop

Fishing also seems to be a predominantly female occupation....

But Wat Phou was probably the most impressive sight in the South of Laos. A series of ruined temples and shrines dating from the 6th to 12th C in a lush green valley dominated by a sheer 1500m mountain, Lingaparvata, it provided a great taster for Siem Reap to come.

Krishna tearing his uncle in half: just one of the superb carved lintels

And onwards again to the Four Thousand Islands (Si Phan Don) and Don Khong. A sampan with a definite list and a tuk tuk to another crowded bus ; this time we were on the little plastic stools in the aisle but not for too long. We then again stopped in the middle of nowhere, the two of us told to get off and again then in a tuk tuk heading off into the countryside trusting to the honesty of the locals. Apart from being a truly friendly bunch we have never felt in any way that anybody, anywhere in Laos has had any intention of taking advantage of us, let alone trying to rip us off in any way.

Everything gets reused!




Si Phan Don includes some "party " islands but we were in a very rural spot but with a breathtaking view over the Mekong (and the dullest food of the trip to date). We hired a little Yamaha and explored the whole island, no other farangs in sight. Each village has a petrol station similar to the one below so we were a little nervous about breaking down in the middle of nowhere! 




We also spent a great day on a boat trip to one of the other islands, Don Khon, followed by a long hot cycle ride on the old French railroad. Sadly ran out of time for a further boat trip to try and see the freshwater dolphins.

Vang Vieng

Vang Vieng

No, that's not us in the balloon..

This dusty little town was once infamous for its boozy and drug fuelled " tubing" ie floating down the Nam Song in an inflated lorry tube for one to two hours whilst seriously under the influence. It's been calmed down because of the resulting death rate but is still pretty lively. As boring old farts we tubed down first thing in the morning and had the river and the amazing scenery to ourselves for a blissful two hours.

10 days in Luang Prabang

By Sawngthaew to Luang Prabang, a bumpy, hot four hours in a  converted open air truck through the countryside. Fascinating glimpses into a very different way of life.

Sunset from Mount Phousi

Luang Prabang, on the confluence of two rivers is the former " royal capital " of the land of a " Million Elephants and the White Parasol " and is an elegant mix of the Orient, French colonial architecture, Buddhist temples and also has the best food in the country. Apart from exploring the town we also managed some steamy treks (highs of 94 degrees F), kayaking, (which saw the demise of another of Nic's cameras- too rapid rapids), some wonderful waterfall swimming and a market tour/ cookery class.

On the Nam Khan

Huge and colourful butterflies abound

To work in seeing the Annual Festival of Lights, we ended up staying 10 days and did get some feel for the place. With the recent opening of a new international airport, the town is beginning to see an influx of mainly Chinese and South Korean tourists and in a year or two the town will not be the same but for the moment it is delightful.

The treks into the hills took us into Khmer and Humong villages, some adapting to more modern life, others still off the grid, subsisting on what they grow, trap and shoot. One youth showed us his handmade muzzleloading musket, with a hand crafted mahogany stock, firing pin, homemade gunpowder etc.  And what he had shot that morning for their meal, actually a very attractive small bird. To be fair, the locals were gazing at us with as much interest as we in them.

Local blacksmith forging a knife

Yep, cute small kids playing with large knife..

Watching Grandad weaving a fan to separate the rice

At Kuang Si waterfall

Our favourite waterfall in Laos, and there are many!

Refreshing swim after a long hot trek

A local farming collective run a day out learning about rice cultivation and processing.Highlights were (literally) getting stuck into the rice paddies. Everything is incredibly labour intensive with still very little mechanical input.

Nic's attempt at ploughing

Carolyn's attempt at planting rice ended badly!

The market tour was fascinating and helped us put names to many things we had seen previously.

Wonderful fresh veg and herbs

Butchery is definitely a female profession

Buffalo bile (to add sourness to dishes) and blood

The cookery class was conducted in a idyllic setting, by the river and a lily filled pond. We have really enjoyed the Laos food in Luang Prabang. It is characterised by the use of lots of fresh herbs and vegetables and intense chilli and garlicky dips and lots of sticky rice rolled into balls and eaten with the fingers. We have avoided the bush meat!

Folding a banana leaf to fill with fish and herbs for steaming

Buffalo laap and lemongrass stuffed with pork  (not vice versa!)

Giving alms to the monks

On our last day in Luang Prabang we finally got out at 5 am  to witness huge numbers of locals lining the street on their knees giving alms (sticky rice, packets of cakes and biscuits and money) to lines of monks walking by. By this means Buddhists gain 'merits' which help in their next reincarnation. The quantity of donations was huge, perhaps particularly because it was the day of the festival,  and the monks then off loaded excess into carrier bags and bowls held by local kids. All in all watching this transference of foodstuffs was a rather strange experience!

The Festival of Lights, which marks the end of both the rainy season and a 'lock in' period for the monks was a spectacular evening. Suddenly, as the sun waned the sleepy old quarter was swamped by thousands of the locals in party mood and then the procession started with 30 to 40 garishly painted floats ablaze with light from hundreds of candles, big and small. Behind each float were it's supporters, ranging from neatly dressed schoolchildren to  groups of adolescents and older, dancing and even fire-eating with the BeerLao flowing.The noise from the drums, cymbals, chanting and general mayhem was deafening. In addition the grounds surrounding the many wats in Luang Prabang were decorated with colourful lights.

The floats eventually made their way to the  grandest Wat, Xong Thong for judging and then they were hauled off to the slipway for their launch into the river, candles still lit.They were accompanied in their voyage downstream by many hundreds of individual offerings, small floating parcels of banana leaves, flowers, and sometimes money with their own candles and incense alight.

We walked back down the river, the floats and offerings alongside, away from  the town lights with just the flickering candles on the river....a very memorable evening.