Wednesday, December 27, 2006
15 December, 2006
We woke up at 5h45 again absolutely crazy, what kind of holiday is that? We headed to the one and only main road where we just randomly picked a spot to wait for a mode of transport to take us to Savannekhat. At 7h05 a truck (sungtaauw) pulled up and he said he would leave at 7h45. So we went to the one and only restaurant for some breakfast. By the way, we left our luggage loaded on his truck whilst we ate- they are such honest people. This was the best breakfast of the trip so far. We had two juicy fried eggs each with tea and stunning sweet bread scones. It cost us a whole dollar! We got back to the truck and waited until it was full even though there were already 8 people + us, a motorbike, plenty empty beer crates loaded and other paraphernalia… The drive was quite pleasant except for the stops along the way but the scenery was wonderful and the country is so green and lush. We passed many villages and it was very interesting to see how they live and the daily life. When we arrived in Savannekhat we searched for accommodation for ages. All the guesthouses and hotels were shocking and you must understand that at this stage it must be bad for us not find something. We settled for the Mekong Hotel by the river and one could see Thailand across the Mekong River. We were a little on edge since we had no money on us by now (only $ travelers cheques, credit cards and some Ding Dongs). There are no ATM’s in Laos so drawing cash was not an option. We got to a bank and managed to get some dollars and Kips and now we could relax. The town was like a morgue and there was nothing really happening. We had a bite to eat and walked along the river, stopping by at the Wat and we met some novice monks who wanted to practice their English. A massage went down really well and by then it was already dark. The market was closed and so we went to the river and had a local fish on the barbecue which came with a huge bowl of sticky rice and lettuce. It was fresh and delicious. We got back to the hotel and the music was blaring. It was coming up through the floor so Rich went downstairs to tell the guy that we had to move out. He not only gave us our money back, even though we had left our stuff in the room since 12h00, but he also drove Rich on his motorbike to help us find another hotel. How is that! These people are incredible: friendly, honest, trusting and kind. We had a cold shower, eventually, and got to bed ready for another challenging day in Laos.
We woke up at 5h45 again absolutely crazy, what kind of holiday is that? We headed to the one and only main road where we just randomly picked a spot to wait for a mode of transport to take us to Savannekhat. At 7h05 a truck (sungtaauw) pulled up and he said he would leave at 7h45. So we went to the one and only restaurant for some breakfast. By the way, we left our luggage loaded on his truck whilst we ate- they are such honest people. This was the best breakfast of the trip so far. We had two juicy fried eggs each with tea and stunning sweet bread scones. It cost us a whole dollar! We got back to the truck and waited until it was full even though there were already 8 people + us, a motorbike, plenty empty beer crates loaded and other paraphernalia… The drive was quite pleasant except for the stops along the way but the scenery was wonderful and the country is so green and lush. We passed many villages and it was very interesting to see how they live and the daily life. When we arrived in Savannekhat we searched for accommodation for ages. All the guesthouses and hotels were shocking and you must understand that at this stage it must be bad for us not find something. We settled for the Mekong Hotel by the river and one could see Thailand across the Mekong River. We were a little on edge since we had no money on us by now (only $ travelers cheques, credit cards and some Ding Dongs). There are no ATM’s in Laos so drawing cash was not an option. We got to a bank and managed to get some dollars and Kips and now we could relax. The town was like a morgue and there was nothing really happening. We had a bite to eat and walked along the river, stopping by at the Wat and we met some novice monks who wanted to practice their English. A massage went down really well and by then it was already dark. The market was closed and so we went to the river and had a local fish on the barbecue which came with a huge bowl of sticky rice and lettuce. It was fresh and delicious. We got back to the hotel and the music was blaring. It was coming up through the floor so Rich went downstairs to tell the guy that we had to move out. He not only gave us our money back, even though we had left our stuff in the room since 12h00, but he also drove Rich on his motorbike to help us find another hotel. How is that! These people are incredible: friendly, honest, trusting and kind. We had a cold shower, eventually, and got to bed ready for another challenging day in Laos.
# posted by Heidi & Richard's travels @ 3:46 AM 
