Tad Fane to Vientiane

Back to the lodge
We had to wait for about two hours at the Tad Fan. Because our friend had paid to go on the zipline. There was a queue for it. Earlier, because there was fog, the people were not sent during the fog. Later, when the fog cleared, there was a queue to go. The work of the Lao people is a bit like in Sri Lanka, one or two people are interested, but not everyone is interested. So it took a long time to complete the full zipline tour with five lines. With that permission, we also had a coffee at a high price. I had a beer.

It was late when we reached Pakse. Our bus is at 8 pm and we have to hand over the bike to the lodge where we stayed. We also have to search for a bit of food. So the work was late.

We arrived, talked to the hotel, took a shower for two hours, got dressed, washed our clothes, and got ready for the long bus journey.

Traveling from Pakse to Vientiane

The population of Laos is 7.7 million. The land area is 236,800 square kilometers. Accordingly, Laos, which has a population of about one-third of Sri Lanka, is about three times the size of Sri Lanka. That means Laos has land. But more than 80% of Laos' land area is mountainous. We had to travel from Pakse to Vientiane in Laos. The journey was 685 kilometers. That was not a straight road, but mountain roads. So, as expected, the journey took 14 hours. We could have booked our flight tickets in advance. But flight tickets are not as cheap as in India, Indonesia, or Thailand. They cost a little more, so we decided to take the bus.

The bus

Unlike our country, Sri Lanka, the bus traffic in Laos is a bit more organized. We booked tickets before we left. We arrived the night before and booked three spaces at the bus station. Long-distance buses in that country have beds. The beds are big enough to sleep on. Two people are put on one bed. I was sleeping with my friend who went with us. A white man came with the other friend and brought a story. If you are over five feet five, the bed is a bit difficult. Because you can't open it all the way.

Before the bus ride, we ate at the shop at the bus station. The food there was a bit messy. We got off because there were a lot of people. The group that had come from there had come for some contract work. After they all got up and left, we were the only ones left in the shop. The fun of eating good food at the shops where there were a lot of people was over.

Bus journey
The bus stopped completely for about two trips and checked. I removed all the food, drinks, and belongings that were loaded on the bus. During that long journey, other people's belongings were also loaded in the luggage space of the buses. So for some reason, the bus was delayed a little.

Early in the morning from Vientiane.

If you think about it a little like Sri Lanka, there are several places that get stuck when traveling in the country. There is only one bus stop in a town in Sri Lanka. Rarely, there is a small hall on one side. But this time from Vientiane, there are 4 main bus stops. We got off at the southern bus stop. Buses from the southern provinces such as Pakse, Champasak, Savannakhet, etc. go to that stop. From there, it is about ten kilometers to the main bus stop or central.

We came out one night, went to the bathroom at the bus stop, cleaned up a bit, and when we came out, there were a few taxi drivers who followed us. We said we were going out for a bit, so we came out of the bus stop. But taxi drivers don't give us that much trouble like in India. When we say no, they just let us go.