Mar 27, 2009 - Tat Fan Waterfalls and Tad Fane Resort

The Tad Fane resort is on the edge off the Bolaven Plateau in southern Laos, nestled on top of a mountain surrounded by dense jungle and coffee plantations.The Tad Fane resort is on the edge off the Bolaven Plateau in southern Laos, nestled on top of a mountain surrounded by dense jungle and coffee plantations....

Mar 25, 2009 - VIP Sleeper bus to Pakse

Took a VIP sleeper bus from Vientiane to Pakse, which is on Southern Laos. ... I have asked around in Pakse and this is being denied, but I'm not sure I want to put it to the test. ...

Mar 7, 2009 - 4000 Islands

Viva Si Phan Don!!!! Often called the 4000 Islands we have hit a small piece of paradise.Viva Si Phan Don!!!! Often called the 4000 Islands we have hit a small piece of paradise....

Feb 27, 2009 - 4000 islands

ok, so i feel like the entries may be getting slower and slower, and less, shall we say, involved, and you can probably expect less and less out of me as i start to make my way around southern thailand, drifting from beach to beach, but i will at least try to make it sound like i have been doing more than laying in a hammock and teaching my european friends to play american card games. a group of us left the sleepy little town of pakse and made our way to the very south of laos to this place called 4000 islands, which is basically a group of islands that range in size (and level of human activity) by a great deal at the very southern tip of laos, where the mekong splits off just before you hit cambodia. ... there was a little voice in my head all week telling me to take a plane from the mainland (back in pakse) to cambodia. ... ALWAYS obey those voices! i wont go into all of it here, but the long and short of it was we got on the bus, just across the border, and the driver immediately stands up and tells us that we all need to get off and push the bus, because he needs to pop the clutch!! ok, no big deal, right? did i mention that (in another long story) i didnt have enough american cash (the only currency worth a damn over here!) and so i had to surrender my passport until i paid at the end of the trip.ok, so i feel like the entries may be getting slower and slower, and less, shall we say, involved, and you can probably expect less and less out of me as i start to make my way around southern thailand, drifting from beach to beach, but i will at least try to make it sound like i have been doing more than laying in a hammock and teaching my european friends to play american card games. a group of us left the sleepy little town of pakse and made our way to the very south of laos to this place called 4000 islands, which is basically a group of islands that range in size (and level of human activity) by a great deal at the very southern tip of laos, where the mekong splits off just before you hit cambodia. ... there was a little voice in my head all week telling me to take a plane from the mainland (back in pakse) to cambodia. ... ALWAYS obey those voices! i wont go into all of it here, but the long and short of it was we got on the bus, just across the border, and the driver immediately stands up and tells us that we all need to get off and push the bus, because he needs to pop the clutch!! ok, no big deal, right? did i mention that (in another long story) i didnt have enough american cash (the only currency worth a damn over here!) and so i had to surrender my passport until i paid at the end of the trip....

Feb 19, 2009 - Pakse, Laos

i am in pakse in the south of laos now. ... pakse is what we would call in the states a two stoplight town. ... left Lp the next morning, on the bus ride i mentioned earlier, although travel in laos is very slow, so i didnt arrive until 24 hours later in pakse! on the sleeper bus from ventiene, i met some fellow travellers, and we have been hanging out the last few days. ...

Jan 29, 2009 - Tad Fan and the Bolvan Plateau

After spending the day and one night in Pakse we caught a Tuk-tuk out of town heading east into the Bolvan Plataeu. ... And it was good to get out of the heat of Pakse and up into the cooler climate. ... The Bolvan Plataeu is quite high in elevation and thus much cooler than the surrouding low land valleys.After spending the day and one night in Pakse we caught a Tuk-tuk out of town heading east into the Bolvan Plataeu. ... And it was good to get out of the heat of Pakse and up into the cooler climate. ... The Bolvan Plataeu is quite high in elevation and thus much cooler than the surrouding low land valleys....

Jan 27, 2009 - VIP Night Bus...what the %4###*! Vientiene to Pakse

The joke of the hole thing was that there are 4 sleeper buses that go to Pakse from Vientiene and somehow we got stuck with the bum ride. ... We slept next to a man and his wife who were headed back home to Pakse. ... He showed us pictures of his family and gave us his name and number in Pakse. ... We arrived in Pakse around 7am and headed to get some grub. ... Pakse is a beautiful spot. ...

Jan 26, 2009 - Pakse

Hopped onto a local bus down to Pakse and checked into a cheap guesthouse for 25,000 kip. ... After checking in Jamie and I found a cheap restaurant with delicious Indian food.Hopped onto a local bus down to Pakse and checked into a cheap guesthouse for 25,000 kip. ... After checking in Jamie and I found a cheap restaurant with delicious Indian food....

Jan 14, 2009 - S. Laos (Pakse, Champasak, Bolovan Plateau, 4,000 Islands)

The last couple of weeks have given us an opportunity to re-visit some of our favourite places in Southern Laos; Pakse and the ancient nearby Khmer ruins of Champasak (pre-Angkor 7th century), the fertile Boloven Plateau (famous for Lao coffee and numerous waterfalls), the usually-tranquil-but-not-this-time 4,000 Islands, and finishing off at the Kingfisher Eco-Lodge with marvellous views out across the wetlands populated by delicate white egrets perched on water buffalo, and village elephants lumbering slowly through the boggy grass as the dawn mist lifts. ... We arrived, bleary-eyed but ready for our onward journey to Pakse by public bus. ... After some tedious and time-consuming border formalities, we crossed at Chong Mek from where it was only about an hour or so to Pakse, the largest town in Southern Laos at the junction of the Mekong and Xe Don rivers. ... After a couple of days in Pakse, we drove up onto the Boloven Plateau which, with its rich soil, allows abundant agriculture including coffee, rubber, cardamom and tea. ... Returning to Pakse for a further night, we stopped off at the famous 800m drop waterfall of Tad Fan, before inadvertently driving through a swarm of bees. ...

Dec 29, 2008 - Pakse

So, the overnight VIP sleeper bus was not too bad! Essentially bunk beds, instead of seats, set-up on a large bus. We were relieved to find that loud Karaoke was not a feature on this trip (although we were prepared with our earplugs) so we were actually able to get some sleep on the 10+ hour trip from Vientiane before arriving ~6am in Pakse. ... Spent New Year's eve in Pakse and witnessed some very robust partying by the many Thai tourists who seemed to suddenly flood the place. ...

Dec 13, 2008 - Pakse

As our day exploring Muang Champhone was cut short yesterday we decided to finish it off in the morning then head down Highway 13 to Pakse. ... The road to Pakse was uneventful however finding accomodation proved to be a real challange. ... Unknown to us Laos was holding its own verion of the Olympic Games at Pakse and all accomodation for miles around was booked out. ... After 3 hours of fruitless searching, and when you have a motorbike you can do a lot of searching, we eventually ended up at Nazim's Restaurant in the heart of Pakse and explaining our predicament to the owner over a Indian meal. ...

Oct 14, 2008 - Pakse for the afternoon

Stopped here for the afternoon between buses. The stop in Pakse was convenient to the centre of town. ... It was a good day actually to be in Pakse as there was a practice for the rowing the next day and people were floating candles on the river for the good fortune. ...