Arriving in Laos, in (need to look up town's name???), by the northern Vietnam crossing, is stepping in to a whole other world. One of towering mountains and meandering rivers. With the dusty potholed roads carved in to cliffs and crossing quaint streams.
The two day bus journey finally ends and we all disembark with our newfound acquaintances at a river crossing. Now this crossing really was one of my favourites as there was an old rusty barge used to transport cars and locals from one side to the other. To propel this an even older and rustler boat would, engines blaring, water flying, shunt the barge across. To complete the spectacle the larger vehicles had to provide some get-go momentum. The most entertaining was a giant truck in the evening. This thing had to drive on to the barge slowly and carefully due to its size and take up position at what guess would be the stern (back) of the barge for the crossing. To kick it off the truck's motors screamed to life as it accelerated down the length of the barge as quickly as it could manage. Then, and this part was timed with the boat firing in to action, with meters to spare, slammed on the breaks which just sent the barge flying. Hours of pleasure was derived from observing these crossings over a cool Bia Lao.
Our hotel was ace. A few measly dollars got us beach side, sans flushing toilet, in a hotel sized bamboo tree hut. The rickety stairs leading to the first landing were enough to deter us from excessive drinking. That, and being mature responsible adults *cough*.
This town began the social tourist get togethers which occurred quite coincidentally for almost every breakfast and dinner, in this village and the next. The party comprised two Australian school teachers who entertained us with social drinking games, a typical Australian family, a couple of Dutch cycle enthusiasts biking Laos, and a Polish girl who arrived in Laos donning nothing but a wallet full of Great British Nonexchangeable Pounds. A tip for future travellers: when travelling to remote villages it's probably a good idea to bring a locally accepted currency with you.
After a night settling in to Laos we all (13) set off the next morning, embarking on the three hour boat ride to the next village.
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