It's a hot and steamy night here in Pakse, Southern Laos, unfortuantly I'm talking about the weather and not my social life ....

I got back to Pakse this morning after a couple of nights up on the Bolovan Highlands on my rented motorbike. (not up to Thai standards, sounds like a threshing machine) The first night I spent at Tad Lo .... found a lovley guesthouse overlooking the falls. The lady who ran the place was an older Laotian woman who had studied in France and we were able to have quite a delightful conversation. She ran the place with her children, and had the sweetest pet monkey which seemed to live on her shoulder .. no chain or anything ... It was a quiet evening .. but the food was good and the garden setting delightful.The cicadas chirping in the trees were almost deafaning!

The next day I hired a local guide "Pep" for a "trek" ... a walkabout to visit some villages back in the bush ... he didn't speak much English, but we got along well ... and it was fascinating ... in the space of five or six hours we walked about15 kms and visitd three villages, each speaking a different dialect. It felt ok to be there with someone who know the folks we were visiting rather than being part of a group traipsing thru and gawking. All had a ceremonial hut in the middle for buffalo sacrifices held on the full moon. I managed to get some lovley pictures .. but didn't take them of the people .. didn't feel right ...

Unfortuantly I'm having problems getting the file size of my pictures reduced so I can post them here .... maybe I'll have more luck in Vietnam.

That evening ... exhausted .. it is really hot here ... I rode to Saravan ... the end of the road so as to speak. It's a provincial capital .. but really just a dusty bush town. The red earth and general state of develpment really reminded me of my days in Lesotho in the early seventies. There were no falangs in town, except a few involved in aid agencies ... CARE, OXFAM and the UXO people ...

UXO (unexploded ordinance left over from the war) is such a huge problem in Laos, even today. Many are killed each year. If you'd like to know more, here's an interesting link
and here too

It's hard to believe how heavily bombed this country was, it seems so peaceful, as villagers go about thier agrarian lives ... my experiance of Laotians has been that of some of the most peaceful and respectful people I've ever met. I knew the US adventures in South East Asia were wrong in the sixties ... but it is hitting me hard how diabolically insane the bombing and fighting was, and how little responsibility is being taken for the mess left behind, which is still killing men, women and children.

I was the only one in the Hotel in Salavan ... a bit of a dreary place, and rode back to Pakse quite early this morning to escape the heat ... it was a great ride ... lot's of folks are out and about early morning ... the road was full of people, tuk tuks, bikes, geese, pigs, monks gathering alms, water buffalo and even the odd elephant.

Well it's off to Vientiene tomorrow on the "VIP" bus .. woo hoo .... an overnight a/c bus service that advertises movies, water and dinner ... we will see ... please no karaoke!!

After that it's on to Hanoi, where I'm told to expect a complete change of pace ....

So that's all for this post folks ....