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Vientiane, Laos: And a Little Pak Kading

photo of the inside of a typical bus in LaosWe left Ban Nahin and bumped down beautiful highway 8 then headed north up highway 13 to Pak Kading. The bus was packed, cost us 50,000 Kip/$6.15, and was about 3 hours long. We were the only ones getting off at Pak Kading and were dropped off at the bridge that crosses the Kading River — not convenient since it was about a km from the centre of town (which the bus would be driving by anyway), but the river and its bridge is about the only sight in the town so we didn’t mind the sweaty trek across it.

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Ban Nahin, Laos & Kong Lor Cave

Laundry in front of mountain
Near Kong Lor Cave, Laos

The day we were set to leave Thakhek the heavens opened once again and we were travelling to Ban Nahin in the rain. Ban Nahin is the town closest to Kong Lor Cave where you can stay overnight and rent a motorcycle.

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Thakhek, Laos: to loop or not to loop?

Cave, Laos
We took a bus from the Savannakhet bus station to Thakhek for 30,000k/$3.70.

Thakhek Travel Lodge is a good place to stay as it gives travellers an opportunity to speak to people who’ve done “the loop” (or find people who need travel buddies). “The Loop” is a 400km, three- or four-day motorcycle tour of the natural beauty of the area: limestone karsts, lakes, and some caves including the 7.5km long Kong Lor Cave. This cave is traversed by hired motorboat and takes about two to three hours.

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Savannakhet, Laos: Adventure to Monkey Forest

Savannakhet, Laos temple at night
A Savannakhet temple at night.
Savannakhet is much like Pakse: a small, laid-back town with not much to do but enjoy the Laos way of life.

The bus was a slow five-hour plod up highway 13 with natural air-conditioning (40,000k/$5).

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Pakse, Laos: The Obsession with Noodle Soup Begins

Pakse noodle shop
Noodle shop near Pakse market
The direct bus from Don Khong (60,000k/$7.60) dropped us about 7km outside of Pakse and we were rushed on to a songthaew (of sorts) to the centre. We should have made a deal before we got on – that was our mistake – and we ended up paying 20,000k/$2.50 each to the guesthouse area of town (I’m pretty sure we should have only paid 10,000k each).

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Don Khong (not Don Khon), Laos

Don Khong, 4000 Islands, Laos
View from Done Khong Restaurant.
The bus ticket across the Cambodian-Lao border was US$15 from Kratie, Cambodia to Don Khong, Laos (part of the 4,000 Islands). It was an easy ride on a VIP Phnom Penh Sorya bus that stopped at the border for a mere 30 minutes while the bus company took care of our visas on arrival for Laos and our exit stamps for Cambodia – a service they offer for $1. So to dispel any rumours (and regardless of what Lonely Planet’s Southeast Asia on a Shoestring 2010
says) the visa on arrival to Laos at the Laos-Cambodia land border is available and costs US$40 for a UK passport and US$47 for a Canadian passport.

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Kampong Cham, Cambodia: The Beginning of our Travels up the Mekong

Mekong River Kampong Cham Cambodia Cow
A cow poses in front of Kizuna Bridge in Kampong Cham
Young Cambodian girl sleeps on a Capitol Tours bus
Capitol Tours: The civilized way to travel
We had banned Phnom Penh Sorya after the last debacle, so we booked our passage to Kampong Cham from Sihanoukville with Capitol Tours (the civilized way to travel) for $9.75, with a stopover in Phnom Penh. We had a couple of hours to kill between our connecting bus in Phnom Penh (it seems like we can’t stay away), but the Capitol bus station had a restaurant serving relatively good food and, most importantly, cold beer to stave off the sweltering heat of Phnom Penh.

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Koh Rong: Cambodia’s Island Paradise

paradise island Cambodia white sand beach
One of Koh Rong's pristine, white sand beaches.
Koh Rong is perfection. Turquoise waters, white sand, beer (cold: thanks to a daily ice delivery from the mainland). With no internet and no electricity (until the generator switches on at dusk till 11PM) there’s not much to do but relax and enjoy the serenity of the island. A far cry from the insanity of the beaches of Sihanoukville, Cambodia. We brought a bottle of rum ($7) from the mainland which helped us save a bit of money given that beers and Cokes are a $1 a can on the island.

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Sihanoukville, Cambodia: Beach, Please!

Sunset Ochheuteal Beach, Sihanoukville, Cambodia
Watching the sunset with a cold draft beer.
We paid $10 for a bus ticket from Siem Reap to Sihanoukville with Phnom Penh Sorya. We were told it would take nine hours; it took twelve, and included a bus change in Phnom Penh. The bus station in Sihanoukville is a little far from the beaches and guesthouse areas, and the tuk-tuk drivers/taxi drivers are not open to negotiation. We arrived after dark and took a taxi for $8.

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Siem Reap and the Temples of Angkor Wat

Chann Na speed boat
Boat trip from Battambang to Siem Reap

We took the Chann Na speed boat from Battambang to Siem Reap. It is referred to by the Lonely Planet as “Cambodia’s most enchanting boat trip.” Unfortunately, I was battling food poisoning and seasickness. I don’t remember much of that boat trip. I do remember being conked out on Gravol perched on a hard-seated, straight-backed bench with nowhere to rest my head. Boats and Sara do not mix. Boats and food poisoning and Sara are even worse. According to Ryan, the scenery was wonderful and although it took 7 hours to get to Siem Reap the worst part was a numb bum.

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Battambang: A glimpse into Cambodian rural life

Battambang river
Battambang's river

We tried to avoid the regular backpacker (read: Lonely Planet) guesthouses and found ourselves at Senghout Hotel. It was great! $12 for an air-con room with cable TV. Seng Hout has a surprisingly nice rooftop garden with panoramic views of the city, and a great group of tuk-tuk drivers who charge less than the going rate for day trips. We rented a tuk-tuk for $15, heading out at about 11AM and returning to the guesthouse at 7PM. Our driver was a nice young man who was eager to make us comfortable.

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