OnTheRoad

At only 100ccs, twice as powerfull as the old "nifty fifty" as we call them back home, you wouldn't think the dinky scooters they have here would be that much fun. But we just completed a roughly 600km cruise around the Bolaven Plateau here in southern Laos, and they handled well.

After failing to convince Melia that riding the little beasts was a simple matter, Wayne and I set out east from Pakse towards Paksong. We stopped riefly to visit a waterfall, which we could glimpse every so often through the thick clouds, the first of many waterfalls (and clouds) we were to see. Further down the road we had our first encounter with the insanely suicidal impulses of Lao chickens, when one threw itself in front of me (missing) and then managed to double back and get itself under Wayne's wheels.

In need of something strong to steady our nerves, the stop in Paksong supplied us well. Lao coffee is every bit as good as the Vietnamese stuff (which, if you were reading this while I was there, is pretty damn good) and they also have it served with condensed milk if you so desire. It's so thick and strong it clings to the side of the glass, almost staining it. And Paksong supplied me the best coffee I've had in Laos. I'm thinking of hiring a scooter again and heading back out there for another tomorrow - it's only 50km, after all.

Two roads head out from Paksong, one to the north east and one to the south east. One beautifully sealed, one pitted, scarred and potholed like none I have ever seen before. You know which one we took, of course... It improved once the seal ended however (although pothole dodging is great fun) and the next few hours (90km of unsead road) cruising past coffee plantation, after coffee plantation, after waterfall, village after village of smiling waving children (and adults); all perfect. A little rain was even provided to cool us off!

Eventually we descended off the plaeau, down to route 18, where the sealed road mentioned before ends up. At the intersection, there is a lady selling deep fried bananas. Kiwi fish and chip stores, purveyors of all things deepfried and unhealthy; get in on this NOW. Deep fried bananas rock.

Now to the south we headed, cranking our powerful engines hard, hitting mind blowing speed approaching, at times, 80km per hour. Attepeu was the destination, but the means here was more important than the end, cruising along a road populated with the odd cow, a few goats, many small children and once in a while another motorist. Meanwhile, the edge of the plateau towers above you, still more waterfalls careening off the cliffs.

Well tired, we were up early in search of our standard Lao breakfast; pheu, or noodle soup. Normally a tasty dish with a thick broth, lots of noodles, chunks of meat and lots of leafy greens mixed in (with optional chilli), on this time there was a misunderstanding. We actually got rice soup, with offal. Liver, kidneys, stomach, intestines, it was all there. Ah well, the coffee was, as always, excellent.

Backtracking for 50km along the Attepeu road, we dropped in for more bananas as we headed north, consuming them in the thunder of yet another waterfall. A couple of coffee breaks, as well as a stop for real noodle soup and we were up at the backpacker hangout of Tad Lo.

Sleepy Tad Lo has not yet been corrupted (much) by the tourism that it's beginning to attract. Many falls, rivers, forests and mountains make it a pleasant place to chill out. Unfortunately, time was pressing; our supply of kip is low, and places to refuel it scarse. Besides, the Thai beaches are calling to me...

A quick 85km dash put us back in Pakse, but we skirted past, heading south, throwing our scooters on a ferry across the Mekong, down to Champasak and Wat Phou. Wat Phou is an attractive spot; built before the famous Angkor, but with some similarities, the temple has been used first by Hindus then by Buddhists, and the decoration shows elements of both.

By this time, my rear was suffering from the repeated impacts of Lao potholes while riding the bike, so it was lucky that my tire went flat and I got a bit of extra time to relax. It was only about 100m, however, before someone was able to help me, and another 20 minutes before I was back on the road, and back to Pakse.

Photos will be up soon, possibly later tonight. Check out the travel section, as always, for quick highlights.