The Lost Posts - Part 2: London to Cologne

Another set of photos that I never published despite preparing them to post.

Being back in London was strange and I didn't quite feel like I had much reason to be there at this time.

There was nothing to be there for so I decided to skip town for a while and go to Germany, spend some time with the family.

Now, there's nothing worse than having to take a bus to get anywhere (ok, maybe having to take the Tube) but as a last minute decision it was cheap and would get me there the next morning.

Being on the road again was however a great feeling.

Day 197 - Goodbye Laos, Hello Thailand

I got up early to go to the bus station and get my ticket for the 8:30 bus from Pakse to Ubon Ratchathani. It was not necessary though as I arrived too early and the ticket office was still closed so I had time for breakfast and to chill a bit.

When they open and did put the TV on, it showed the news of the demonstrations in Bangkok and the shootings taking place there. It looked quite dramatic and in a way I almost wished I would have traveled there earlier to cover some of this.

The bus left on time, which is very unusual for Laos, and was pretty comfortable. The journey to the border went by quick and the whole immigration process was done in less than 30 minutes on both sides.

After arriving at the Ubon Ratchathani bus station, at the opposite end of the city compared to the train station, I took a taxi to get my train ticket for the 18:30 train to Bangkok.
Once I had my ticket sorted, I left my luggage at the information desk and headed for the city center to take some photos and do some sightseeing.

The city itself is quite nice but was very quiet, I guess it was due to the demonstrations in Bangkok as there was a lot of police around and they had a few checkpoints on the roads. Most shops were closed but I did visit some of the temples there and walked through the old part of the town.

I was actually quite inspired to take photos and ended up taking quite a lot, even decided to walk the 2km back to the train station when it was time to catch the train. This turned out to be a good decision as I got some of my favorite photos of the day during the walk, at least before the battery on my NEX-3N died.

The train itself is very comfortable with a decent restaurant car, comfortable seats that get converted into a bed in the evening and even the AC was not too cold this time round but unfortunately no plugs to charge my gadgets.

Day 188 - Local Bus to Pakse

After a relaxed breakfast and morning walking around the town, I went to the bus station to get the ticket to Pakse.

I decided for Pakse because it is from where I will cross into Thailand once my adventures in Laos are over and I can rent a motorbike there and return in the same place.

Renting a motorbike has become essential after the bus journey to Pakse, I had to take the local bus to Pakse and this was a pretty bad journey. Being squeezed in a packed bus for over 5 hours with no leg room in the heat of Laos is not fun, sitting on the sack of potatoes on the first bus was actually more comfortable. I really missed the freedom and comfort my motorbike provided when in Vietnam.

Since the journey to Pakse took most of my day and then trying to find a guesthouse that was a) not full and b) not overpriced meant I did not do much photography.
The first impressions of Pakse is that it's more touristy than Savannakhet but with less things to see in the actual city.

Tomorrow,  will rent a motorbike and head to the Bolaven Plateau for a few days to do the big loop before heading south to the 4000 Islands or Champasak or both.

Day 186 - Saying Goodbye

Today, it was time to say goodbye.
Goodbye to a great country and it's people, I will surely miss Vietnam now that I am in Laos.

I also had to say goodbye to my trusty motorbike, unfortunately the Lao immigration did not let my Vietnamese motorbike through so I had to leave it behind with a friend but at least it's in good hands.

Now I am back on public transport and after taking a local bus from the border to Sepon and sitting on a sack of potatoes for an hour, I missed my motorbike a lot and the comfort and convenience.

As usual with what you rad on the internet about Laos it's not always what you find when you get there. I read that Sepon is a good place to break up the journey from the border to Savannakhet but all there is to it is a dusty main road and a market, not much else.

So after having a quick lunch and wander around town, I took the next bus out of town and to Savannakhet.

Well, the next bus was not a bus as much as a songthaew but I was lucky enough to get a seat inside in the front and not the back for the 4 hour ride to Savannakhet.

Arriving in Savannakhet in the evening, I only had time for some dinner and to find a guesthouse for the night.
More exploring and possibly getting a motorbike will be dine tomorrow.

Day 106 - Dien Bien People and Night Bus to Sapa

The day started with some rain but it stopped just after I finished breakfast, unfortunately it remained grey so not ideal for photography.

Most places were also closed and there were not many people around due to 'Teacher's Day' or similar, this meant most of my day was spent eating and drinking in coffee places.

The evening saw me board my first night bus for the long and petty uncomfortable journey to Sapa. I did wonder why it takes 9-10 hours for a relatively short trip but after seeing and feeling the roads it was clear, they are pretty much 'designed' after the Mongolian roads (in other words dirt tracks full of potholes)