Last week, we took a photo tour of the Laos capital of Vientiane plus two spots north, Vang Vieng and Luang Prabang. Now we’re going to cruise around the lower part of the country—Pakse, the Bolaven Plateau and at the southernmost tip, Si Phan Don (the Four Thousand Isles archipelago).
Pakse is a jump-off point for destinations east and south, including Cambodia and Thailand. It’s not particularly pretty, there isn’t a lot to do and temperatures push past 100 degrees Fahrenheit, with humidity in the 80s. I did find a fantastic and 
inexpensive medical spa with sauna and massage (Clinic Keo Ou Done) and went on the recommendation of another traveler after the swelling in my feet completely overtook my ankle bones (it didn’t help that my guesthouse was sans air conditioning). Given the blistering temperatures, going to a sauna seemed both counterintuitive and bloody awful, but it worked like a magical Asian charm.
To get to Pakse from Vientiane, it’s an overnight trip on a very sexy bus.
My next stop was the lush Bolaven Plateau, one of the main coffee and tea growing regions in the country. I signed up for a day tour that included a trip to the Tad Fane waterfall and a village visit, where backyards full of coffee beans drying in the sun are a good indication that almost everyone participates in the industry.
My digs up on the Bolaven Plateau were pretty sweet: a teeny hut with Care Bear bedding, a hammock and a great sunset view over the river. During the day, I could lie in the hammock and watch the kids play, including these very determined tree planters.
In one of those “it’s a small world” moments, I met a couple from Vancouver named Gordy and Joyce, and through a series of questions, discovered they were the cousins of a good friend of mine. In this photo, Joyce is playing games with the sweet kids in the village.
A little toot here, a little toot there…
Because Pakse hadn’t been hot enough (I jest), I went even further south, to Si Phan Don. The boat ride down the Mekong was a great seat for observing capsules of rural life, and once I arrived at Don Det, the pace slowed to… well, it just stopped.
The island has full electricity now, but was still without it in 2006, so I only lasted for a couple of nights before retreating to Don Khong, a bigger island that offered all-night air conditioning. It was there that I borrowed a pink bicycle from my guesthouse and rode a hot and dusty road to the other side, leaving a trail of sweat behind me. The market area was worth it, especially because of things like the poster of “multi-sport boy.”
Back in my room, though, the guesthouse owner had thoughtfully decorated with wintery pictures of the Swiss Alps as a visual cooling aid.
Initially, I’d worried that Laos’s landlocked status would feel a bit claustrophobic, but I found that cruising down the Mekong, inspecting new construction projects, or sitting at the river’s edge and watching life happen never did get old.
And remember, the warm and hospitable people of Laos always want you to…
Who’s booking their tickets to Laos? And if you’ve been there in the last couple of years, I’d love to get some updates on how things are looking now (new electricity installations, more transport options for the north, etc. etc.).
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So beautiful! Love the photos of the people. Such stories in their faces! <3
I love people photos, too, but find them so hard to take without feeling like I’m objectifying someone. As I went through the photos for these Laos blog posts, I found several of young children who just looked plain scared of me and my camera, and reminded me of how delicate the situation can be. But when the person/people are into it, you’re right — oh, the stories their faces tell!
Great pictures and story! Love it! What a great trip!
It was a great trip, and I hope to explore more of the SE Asia region with my hubby next year. Thanks for stopping by, Mary!
Such lovely photos, and I can relate to the feeling of objectifying the people that you are taking pictures of. When I was in Greece, I quickly got the feeling that many of the old ladies I wanted to take pictures of didn’t appreciate it. So then I took to sitting on second-floor restaurants and sneaking photos with a zoom lens. I’m not sure is that makes me clever or overly dense…
And I can totally understand people’s feelings of not wanting to have a camera trained on them — I’d be just the same. But, ohhhhh, there are some beautiful faces, and it’s hard to resist! I think you were cleverly sneaky!
Thanks, Laura. Another really enjoyable post and the pics are great 🙂
Cheers, Chris!
I agree there is so much of life in those faces. I once had a photograph of a grandmotherly Guatemalan woman with such a sweet and kind face–it made her wrinkles turn up in smiles. Sadly, I lost that photo in one of my moves.
I can only imagine what it must be like to live a slow-paced life. Parts of me crave that and other parts are aghast that I’d ever contemplate it for any length of time.
Oh, that *is* sad that your photo got lost. As for the pace of life thing, I think it would be great to be a snowbird — live in the south for six months of the year, and live and work here for six months of the year. It’s becoming one of my dinnertime discussions with my husband!
How’s the plan coming along for your trip to South Africa? A friend of mine is flying out there on July 28.
I love Laos – and was there last January. There are buses in the north, but I used a hop-on hop-off bus tour (hopping off wherever I could) as I had limited time and couldn’t risk being stuck. I’m also a single, older woman, hadn’t been there before, and that gave me an illusion of security.
I’ve written an ebook about my trip – Bombs and Butterflies – it’s on Amazon; I won’t give you the link cos that would be spam!
That’s a great idea if you’ve got a finite amount of time because things are really quite spread out and getting around can take some time. Thanks, Jo!
I’m not as adventurous as Laura. So will travel vicariously thru her. Thanks for being the brave one and sharing.
Ahhh, but I think you have an(other) adventure inside you just waiting to bust out! Thanks for reading, Kris. 🙂
And here I am again, for the second day running, finding more evidence of your skill with the camera, capturing, as you do, the little details that are the mark of the observant traveller. I admire your sensitivity too, as your comment above shows. So many tourists don’t even think about the feelings and situations of the people they snap.
You are already encouraging me to think of Laos as a possible destination, which suggests something of the success of your approach in this blog.
More thanks.
Christina.
Well, hello again! And thank you so much for your kind words. Even though I don’t know much about your travel style and preferences, I think that Laos has something for everyone and I’m pretty sure if you go (and I hope you do!), you won’t be disappointed.