We're back online, and this time it's in Laos!

Our journey into Laos from Thailand (last entry) went smoothly, mainly thanks to our hotel proprietor offering her son's truck and driver service to get us straight to the border crossing. After the usual faff with visas, we hooked up with an Australian guy whom we'd met at immigration and together found a suitable sawngthaew. This eventually got us to Pakse, the district's transport hub though not particularly attractive a place in itself. At the bus station we parted ways with Adam (the Australian) and steered towards the Bolaven Plateau by means of a convenient bus. Scenic journeys, mainly rice paddies and wooden stilt-houses (often not so scenic closer up) with a mountain backdrop. When we arrived in Paksong (a cheap Bolaven base, according to our Lonely Planet photocopies), it was tipping down with rain. Luckily there weren't many accommodation options to choose between, so we were soon settled in. Trouble came when we tried to get hold of more money: all the banks in town had closed for the day (Friday) and wouldn't be open all weekend. We had enough to stay one night and get back to Pakse, but that seemed a bit of a wasted trip. Luckily, the hotel proprietor changed some baht for us the next morning, buying us another day.

We headed for a waterfall surrounded by coffee plantations, which worked fine. However, the waterfall would have cost us more to get to and, as a sign politely pointd out, the rainy season might stop you getting to see the falls at all, and they wouldn't reimburse you (or tell you whether the falls were accessible). Some Dutch tourists told us about another waterfall a bit of a walk away which was unmanned, so we opted for that instead. A pleasant walk, through coffee plantations as hoped, if a little wet - the rain hadn't stopped since last night. Along the way we came across a two-wheel driv minibus that had, unsurprisingly, got stuck on the mud track. We helped for alomst an hour, but got nowhere and super-muddy. But adventure points! We carried on to the waterfall, which was pleasant enough. Walking back, the minibus crew had given up and were waiting for a truck. We had lunch and got back to our place, only to discover that our man wasn't prepared to take payment in US dollars, which meant we had 15,000 kip to live on until lunch time the next day - that's about enough for 2 bottles of water and a loaf of bread. Eeeek! Further eek when we couldn't find any bread in town. Fortunately, a friendly girl in a restaurant took us to a shop where they were willing to change dollars. We were saved! Had coffee and dinner to celebrate. THe coffee here is excellent: dynamite strong, but very smooth, and it goes very well with condensed milk.

So, after that stress, we were able to spend another night in Paksong, realise it hadn't been all bad and headed for Pakse the next day. We found an ATM! Wandered round town a bit, half expecting to have to overnight there, but being moneyed decided to go straight on south to Champasak, the official district capital. This was a one-street town, very easy-going and pleasant, a great relief after our slightly blighted stay on the plateau. We found cheap lodgings and OK food, and spent the next day biking to and from and seeing an ancient Khmer temple complex called Wat Phu. Built up onto a hill and not fully restored, it was a very atmospheric place. Lovely bike ride down rural roads as well.

We were getting pretty pooped by this stage in the adventure, so decided to head on south as planned to Si Phan Don ("4000 Islands" in the Mekong) for a relaxing stop. We deliberately chose the difficult way, going by public transport rather than the proffered direct minibus, which a couple of times seemed like a bad idea. It gave us the opportunity to get  more money changed, which was lucky, and all in all it was far more enjoyable. Once here, we wandered round a fair while to make the right choice on rooms. We ended up treating ourselves in the end (still under budget though!) in place with white cotton sheets, rattan furniture, en suite bathroom (clean!) and a balcony over the Mekong with two hammocks. Na-hiiice!

Now we're busy chillaxing, gearing up for the next leg, which we anticipate will be the hardest: down to Phnom Penh. Apologies for lack of photos in this entry: rather unreliable internet connection. More next time!