Hanging Around

Day 90: Don Khon (LAO) – Tat Lo (LAO). Travelling through Indochina had been relatively easy for Karen and me. Never concerned with the formalities of timetables or service routes, we just turned up with a map, pointed to our required destination and we could always find somebody who knew somebody with a moto, tuk-tuk or minibus that could help us on our way – the only thing up for grabs was the price.

But paradoxically, arriving in Laos; the laid back capital of the world – things had suddenly become more difficult for the pair of us. Gone was the enthusiastic entrepreneurialism of the local communities– it didn't matter how many kips or dollars we waved; it was all just too much effort for the Lao. And so Karen and I were back to studying routes and timetables and hanging around pick up points in optimistic anticipation. Not that the buses ran to any published timetables, preferring instead to adhere to the much more relaxed 'whenever' of Lao time.

As always though, taking the local transport option on our 150 mile trip to the Bolaven Plateau town of Tat Lo, proved to be a fascinating insight into local culture whilst providing an endless source of entertainment! With 5 modes of transport necessary to complete the 10 hour journey we journeyed part of the way using a Sawngthaew; Laos' most common form of public transport. Essentially, a converted truck with two wooden benches down each side, these vehicles are capable of transporting about 50 people in bum numbing comfort for as long as they can before breaking down. There's even space on top for a few motorcycles, chickens and pigs (or more people, perhaps?).

At Pakse, we transferred on to one of the oldest and most battered buses we had ever seen. Packed to the rafters and sporting a spiders web of gaffer tape holding together bits of glass that once probably formed the basis of a windscreen. With switchgear long since broken, the driver was forced to fuse bits of wire together whenever he wanted to operate vital equipment like the horn or the indicators. And thoughtfully positioned fans, taking away the edge of the tropical heat that ground to a halt whenever we ascended any hills. Still, Karen and I weren't complaining. This bus had cushioned seats and after our Sawngthaew experience; that was just what we needed to nurse our bruised posteriors!