visiting a different part of Laos
I was in Laos in December 2007, down in the south of the country, and always knew that I had to come back to see the central and northern parts. Finally, with it just a (long) bus-trip away from Vietnam, it was easy to do. I started in Savannakhet, where the bus arrived. Nothing much to see there, but that in a way was good, as I was able to relax for a couple of days without feeling I needed to be out seeing things. From there I would have gone straight to Vientiane, but a friend had told me how I needed to stop on the way in Thakhek, to see some amazing caves. I did so, although it was pricey as I couldn't do the usual tourist thing of renting a motorbike and spending 3-4 days driving the 'loop' but went instead on two day-trip personal tours in a minivan, driven by the hostel manager. Worth it, I think, for some really spectacular caves and pretty good scenery generally. From there I moved on to the capital, Vientiane, a place many travellers bypass, but...