The Pearl of the Mekong
Vientiene is the capital of Laos and is not written highly of in my Lonely Planet. After spending a day and a half there I had to disagree. It's a quiet little capital with some nice things to see and a wonderful outdoor public pool that was absolutely empty! From Vientiene I busted down to Pakse overnight and then onto Tadlo in the Bolivian Plateau which boasts a very nice waterfall and a pretty chill atmosphere. I attempted to go hiking to find the two other waterfalls but ended up in the middle of rice fields in my unsuccessful mission. From Tadlo, it was down to my last stop in Laos and one of my highlights for the country - Si Phan Don. On the trip dowm I managed to meet three others and we all headed across to the island Don Khon which is quietly nestled in the Mekong right above the Cambodian border. We stayed in riverfront bungalows for $1.50/night complete with a shady porch and hammocks. There is not all that much to do down there but chill out, bicycle around the island, wander down to the beach or read in hammock. The second day we hired a boat to take us out to see the Irrawaddy dolphins. We managed to spot them from quite a distance (we were not allowed to go to the Cambodian side which they were on) which was lucky as it's not quite the right season to catch them. All in all Laos has been lovely but I'm very excited to head to Vietnam tomorrow even though it will be an epic journey by bus. All the photos are from Si Phan Don - the pearl of the Mekong.
posted by Erin @ 5:45 AM
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