Thursday 27 February 2014

Taking it easy.....Today I plan to take it easy as I catch up with some news. I see Chelsea have managed a draw against Galatasaray; the away goal may prove vital. I pay for another night at Mekong Hotel then pop out for something to eat. That will be kow gee (French stick with filling) and coffee. I'm happy with that. I head back to write up some notes. There's a sense of anti-climax after my trip here yesterday, but that's to be expected in R & R mode. It's not as if there's nothing to do here though. From Thakhek there is a popular loop tour into Laos' interior full of adventure and natural beauty with rivers, lakes, caves, waterfalls etc. One could spend a week on tour here with overnight stay in hill tribe villages and towns. Sadly it's all out of the question for me. For those fit enough and with a healthy budget I would thoroughly recommend it. All I dare do is to gather more information for my next move from here but with 2 weeks stay envisaged I'm loath to up the pace at this stage.
Crossroads.....Thakhek lies at the junction of roads leading to the four cardinal points of the compass. West is back across the river into Thailand, east is a relatively easy trip to the Vietnamese border, south is towards Savannakhet and the towns of southern Laos and north is into the next province of Borikhanxai and Vientiane beyond. Initially I'm told that to reach my original destination of Phonsavan in Xiang Khouang province I would have to make it back to Vientiane first but according to the map that's a huge detour. After breakfast, I'm given new information. I should be able to go directly from here to Phonsavan using a through bus from Savannakhet. This will head north into Borikhanxai and head into the highlands of northern Laos via the town of Pakxan. As an option which looks more attractive from here, I could take a Vientiane bound bus and stay overnight in Pakxan thus breaking the journey into two easier portions. Certainly it would put me bang on track and provide a huge boost to moral being set to exceed all expectations. It's time for lunch. For once, I'm so relieved to have all basic needs on my doorstep.
Next Page.