Our confirmed hotel pickup to connect us with our 8:30am bus departure, didn't materialize, but it was an indication of how travel bookings seem to happen in this part of the world. There didn't appear to be any real schedule when we got to the bus station, just fill a mini-van with enough passengers for a destination and then go!
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| The littlest banana! |
We were on our way by 9:40am, so not too much later than planned. The route took us up and over several steep mountainous roads, with views into the lush valleys between them. There was a viewpoint/bathroom break about halfway through the journey and a lunch stop shortly after, before reaching Vang Vieng after the 5 hours journey. The minivan was air-conditioned, filled mostly with backpackers from around the world and one local businessman, who seemed in much demand on both of his cell phones.
It was scorching hot in Vang Vieng and a tuk-tuk took all the backpackers into town. We got off near the toll bridge and walked up the street in search of accommodation. Settling on Le Jardin Organique - which didn't seem to have a garden of any sort, but the price fitted our budget at 150,000 kip per night. We set off to explore the town and find something to eat - Lao cuisine was top of the list! We met Ramona at the restaurant, a nurse from Germany, who had quit her job and was traveling for a few months through Asia. She had also just arrived in town and we shared travel experiences while eating.
Wandering around town and looking at the various stalls, we checked out another couple of hotels for the following nights. Crossing the river by way of the more rickety (non-toll) bridge we found Chez Mango, which we had read about in our Lonely Planet guidebook. The owner wasn't home, but we looked around the property. Eating spicy vegetable kebabs from a stall on the riverbank, listening to music from a nearby bar and having a couple of beers, we returned to Chez Mango and found Noë, a very nice Frenchman and we booked a cabin for two nights. It had been a long and hot travel day - time to retire for the evening.
We were on our way by 9:40am, so not too much later than planned. The route took us up and over several steep mountainous roads, with views into the lush valleys between them. There was a viewpoint/bathroom break about halfway through the journey and a lunch stop shortly after, before reaching Vang Vieng after the 5 hours journey. The minivan was air-conditioned, filled mostly with backpackers from around the world and one local businessman, who seemed in much demand on both of his cell phones. 
Wandering around town and looking at the various stalls, we checked out another couple of hotels for the following nights. Crossing the river by way of the more rickety (non-toll) bridge we found Chez Mango, which we had read about in our Lonely Planet guidebook. The owner wasn't home, but we looked around the property. Eating spicy vegetable kebabs from a stall on the riverbank, listening to music from a nearby bar and having a couple of beers, we returned to Chez Mango and found Noë, a very nice Frenchman and we booked a cabin for two nights. It had been a long and hot travel day - time to retire for the evening.
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