Month: June 2016

Day 320: Pakse, Laos to Kontum, Vietnam

Posted on by ajrtw

At five in the morning we found ourselves being shuttled by our hotel owner in Pakse to catch the bus heading over the border to Kontum, Vietnam.  Literally, the bus was already heading out of town and our friendly host flashed his lights to stop the bus and get us onboard.  Immediately as we got on we knew the ride would be less than ideal (however we did some considerable shopping around for this bus trip and got a great price).  Crammed under and in between all the seats on the minibus were boxes full of goods.  Naturally, there are no highways in Laos or Vietnam, and despite being a 13 hour journey, just about any local can commandeer a seat or standing area on the bus (for about a third of what we paid).  The journey took a bad turn when a large group of male workers jumped on the bus.  They chain smoked the rest of the day into Kontum and were annoyingly loud.  The only relief from the second hand smoke was opening the window as wide as possible.  At the included lunch stop, the friendly bus helper invited us to join at the family style meal, and gave us a bit of a lesson in how to eat the various dishes.
After an insignificant border crossing, we were so relieved to get out of the bus and into the bustling streets of Kontum.  Of course the bus stopped a few km out of the downtown area, so we began our walk, and stopped along the way to grab pho and a few banh mi.  We realized that the hotel was too far of a walk, so we quickly grabbed a taxi (luckily most taxi’s across Vietnam are reputable and always use the meter).  Fatigued, we retired to our private room at the Konklor hotel just happy to have made it.  

Days 315-319: Don Det, Laos

Posted on by ajrtw

In the riverside town of Nakasong, we trekked through the main drag from the bus station to the longtail boats, along with dozens of other island goers.  Situated just north of the Cambodian border, Don Det is one of the larger and more touristic islands among the 4000 islands river delta.  On arrival we took a long hot walk along the eastern shore of the island in search of a river-view room somewhat away from the commotion of the village.  We found a very basic room with shared bathroom that would suffice for the first night.  Wandering around the Don Det village, we happened upon a great local husband and wife eatery that didn’t seem too busy.  The menu was creative and not the same old tourist smorgasbord which we have grown an appreciation for.  The other options were lackluster so we returned twice more to the same spot for dinner.
After 2 nights were relocated to another riverside bungalow with it’s own bathroom, and continued to lounge in the hammocks, watch fishermen whiz by on their motorized canoes, take the occasional bike ride, and grab a hearty lunch at the no name family-run store across the main “path”.  Although we didn’t witness one of the iconic Mekong sunsets Don Det is known for, we really enjoyed the atmosphere of the island.  The husband from our favorite dinner joint explained at length the struggles in starting his business and the effect of tourism on Laos in general.  Another prime example of a genuinely nice person we’ve met in our travels.  Four days came and went, and we boated back to Nakasong.  At the bus station about a hundred people were waiting and none of the bus employees were very helpful, making the process of boarding the buses dreadfully slow.  We were happy to arrive back at Nang Noi guesthouse in Pakse, and shared a great authentic Italian dinner on our last evening in Laos.  Next stop: Kontum, Vietnam.