More Laos transport woes

My faith in Laos buses was restored when lo and behold, the 10pm night bus did appear - and even slightly early. Our travel agent friend had a colleague on the bus who gave us a heads up 40 min before it was due, and there were thankfully seats available too. Massive win.

The journey was fairly bumpy and took many a twist and turn, but, despite the best efforts of a Laos crooner and his keyboard blasting through the airwaves, we actually got a decent amount of sleep on the 12 hour journey (which actually took 12 hours too!).

However, when we saw this as a chance to complete our intended itinerary of a trip to the Vieng Xai caves, supposedly a mere 50min and 10,000kip (<£1) journey from Sam Neua, the detailed info from the lonely planet, wiki travel and various blogs started to deviate from the reality.

Supposedly the buses leave "regularly" from the local bus station, or at least at certain given times. We hoped in an overpriced tuktuk to get there in time, only to be told by the driver the buses were finished for the day and he would take us for 250,000kip (£20+). Armed with internet knowledge as we were, we dismissed his offer. And waited...

After an hour, a lady appeared behind the counter to say there was no 11am, next bus at 1pm. With 1h30 to wait we approached the tuktuks, and were offered 250,000kip best price. We declined (our kip funds were carefully budgeted for our last 24hrs in the country so we're pretty tight). We waited...

At 1.15 our lady reappears to dismissively inform us that the bus wasn't coming. Needless to say, we were kind of expecting this, so after a little deliberation, we decided we ought to bite the bullet and head out to the caves with our overpriced tuktuk.

And, well, a worthwhile decision that turned out to be. The caves were the base and hideout of the Pathet Lao, the communist independence movement, during the 9 years of bombing by the USA in the 1960s and 70s as part of their attempts to block communist spread in Asia. Assisted by the communists in Vietnam in training, supplies and shared ideology, the politburo and the locals lived, planned and survived by building their homes in the caves (there was even a theatre/cinema hall in one cave complex) under daily assault from the air. Two million tonnes of bombs were dropped, with 30% failing to detonate - many areas in the mountains are still littered with them, and at current rate of clearance they think it will take 100 years to make the country safe.

Though it was certainly more complicated and costly than we'd anticipated, it would have been a shame to let a few transport misadventures deter us from our destination. It was a real insight into the beleaguered past of the country and one that puts a few long waits for non existent buses into perspective.

More Laos transport woes

My faith in Laos buses was restored when lo and behold, the 10pm night bus did appear - and even slightly early. Our travel agent friend had a colleague on the bus who gave us a heads up 40 min before it was due, and there were thankfully seats available too. Massive win.

The journey was fairly bumpy and took many a twist and turn, but, despite the best efforts of a Laos crooner and his keyboard blasting through the airwaves, we actually got a decent amount of sleep on the 12 hour journey (which actually took 12 hours too!).

However, when we saw this as a chance to complete our intended itinerary of a trip to the Vieng Xai caves, supposedly a mere 50min and 10,000kip (<£1) journey from Sam Neua, the detailed info from the lonely planet, wiki travel and various blogs started to deviate from the reality.

Supposedly the buses leave "regularly" from the local bus station, or at least at certain given times. We hoped in an overpriced tuktuk to get there in time, only to be told by the driver the buses were finished for the day and he would take us for 250,000kip (£20+). Armed with internet knowledge as we were, we dismissed his offer. And waited...

After an hour, a lady appeared behind the counter to say there was no 11am, next bus at 1pm. With 1h30 to wait we approached the tuktuks, and were offered 250,000kip best price. We declined (our kip funds were carefully budgeted for our last 24hrs in the country so we're pretty tight). We waited...

At 1.15 our lady reappears to dismissively inform us that the bus wasn't coming. Needless to say, we were kind of expecting this, so after a little deliberation, we decided we ought to bite the bullet and head out to the caves with our overpriced tuktuk.

And, well, a worthwhile decision that turned out to be. The caves were the base and hideout of the Pathet Lao, the communist independence movement, during the 9 years of bombing by the USA in the 1960s and 70s as part of their attempts to block communist spread in Asia. Assisted by the communists in Vietnam in training, supplies and shared ideology, the politburo and the locals lived, planned and survived by building their homes in the caves (there was even a theatre/cinema hall in one cave complex) under daily assault from the air. Two million tonnes of bombs were dropped, with 30% failing to detonate - many areas in the mountains are still littered with them, and at current rate of clearance they think it will take 100 years to make the country safe.

Though it was certainly more complicated and costly than we'd anticipated, it would have been a shame to let a few transport misadventures deter us from our destination. It was a real insight into the beleaguered past of the country and one that puts a few long waits for non existent buses into perspective.

Watching and waiting for Laos buses

10 hours ago we sat down for breakfast in sight of our estimated bus stop. It's not a labelled bus stop, just a dirt track on side of the road in small riverside town called Nong Khiaw in northern Laos. We checked with the restaurant that this was the right spot and in her stilted English we managed to convey our destination. She hurried off to find a board to make a sign for the bus driver, engaging the travel agent across the road to help. We were relieved to be in the right place, and be armed with our sign and with a few locals looking out to help us.

Sadly, 9 hours later, we are still waiting for said bus. After 4 or 5 hours they informed us the afternoon bus probably wasn't coming, but there was a night bus. The travel agent even kindly phoned the bus station in Luang Prabang to confirm. We're hoping it will arrive around 10pm as expected, but are desperately considering what our back up options might be otherwise. In a more remote place like this, there aren't many.

We've become a bit infamous in the town. Everyone has seen our sign. When it was clear we had at least 5 hours til our second chance bus, I went for a massage up the road (still within 100m of our bus stop). I started chatting to the owner, and he knowingly smiled when I said we were heading to Sam Neua (close to Vietnam border) - "I've seen the sign".

The travel agent closes in 1.5hrs, and he hopes we'll have gone by then. The restaurant owner keeps popping over and chatting to us in Lao before writing down numbers - we think these are bus times and her way of conveying. I have a habit of looking up every time a vehicle passes now with a hopeful grin, though it's making it hard for me to concentrate on anything else even though I know we've got at least another hour. I speedily return every time I go to the toilet even though I know there's plenty of time. We'll keep watching and waiting til our bright lights come to collect us.

Buses, boats and bread in Laos

The first hour of our slow boat up the Nam Ou has been pretty good so far. I'm nervous about being too pleased as that has had a tendency to backfire if I congratulate myself too early. There are 9 of us on the boat so far - all tourists - taking the 6-9 hour journey up river from Luang Prabang to Nong Khiaw. It's the journey itself I am most interested in, enjoying the meander along the river, taking in the dramatic forested hills climbing steeply on either side of us as we siddle past fishing boats on their daily hunt, and residents washing by the riverbank.

It was not the most straightforward journey to obtain information on - our attempts to find the right pier took 7 enquires at several boat depots, travel agents and from random strangers and resulted in 4 different directions and 3 different departures times. We made it eventually, and despite the horror stories about cancelled boats and over charging, we left a mere 15 minutes after our scheduled departure and paid the advertised fare. Win!

If this journey is good, we'll feel slightly vindicated in our agonized choice to take the 13 hour bus from Huay Xai on the Laos border to Luang Prabang (it was quoted as 8-10 hrs) rather than the 2 day boat journey. Most people we've met found the boat journey cramped, long, uncomfortable but very picturesque. Ours was half as long, very beautiful, and took in plenty of hillside villages along the way. It was also pretty crowded and definitely hungry, as we'd banked on there being hot food stalls on every street corner as with the rest of Asia. The lack of a large electricity network, wealth to eat out and tourist demand meant that most of our food options were of the crisp and biscuit variety so when we stopped at 1030pm after 10.5 hours of travel, we wolfed down 6 steamed cobs of corn. Needless to say, even the bread and butter for breakfast at our hostel the next day felt like food from the gods after our diet of bananas, crisps and melted snickers from our 6am to 1am day of bus journey travel.

Speaking of which, I have thoroughly enjoyed the food in Luang Prabang - from the delicious pastries in French cafes, to the Lao casseroles and sticky rice, and the freshly made chocolate and mango crepes from street vendors, it has all been an epicurean delight. Whilst the colonial legacy has blighted the country in many ways, the Laotians have certainly adopted French bread and baked goods with aplomb. I'm eagerly awaiting the halfway point on this boat journey when I can crack open my chicken and avocado baguette, as I soak up the dramatic views of misty lush green hills of this pleasant rural country.

Welcome to Thailand

I can feel the heat of the engine pulsating through my cramped feet. I fear they will never fully recover from being locked in position in the awkward space between the suitcase and the chair in front for the 16-17 hour journey in this crowded minibus from southern Thailand to Bangkok. I had been expecting them to be rolling out my bed in the sleeper train right now and stretching out to the rhythmic motion of the carriage to soothe me to sleep. Instead I got duped into taking a VIP minibus direct to Bangkok - supposedly due to arrive at 11pm so I could sleep in a real bed; in reality I think we'll be rolling in for sunrise if I'm lucky, a mere 24 hours since I left Langkawi.

I've learnt a few things from this induction to Thailand. Firstly, make sure you've scoped your backup for when things don't go to plan, with estimated costs and times to negotiate with. Secondly, book trains in advance rather than take online advice of their ready availability. Thirdly, a Thai taxi bus will be at least 50% over capacity before they consider stopping others from boarding, rather than being a more convenient, speedy and personal experience than the double deckers. And finally, always estimate 50% more time than quoted for an ETA. Good lessons in life. Welcome to Thailand.

Malaysian highlights

I've now spent 2 weeks in Asia after my southern hemisphere sojourn. Although I'm sweating like a dirty old man in a Thai ping pong show, I am really enjoying this next stage of my journey. So far, I have spent 5 days in Singapore abusing the hospitality of my lovely friends and paying over the odds for a Vietnamese visa, followed by 10 days sampling the varied culinary and natural delights of Malaysia.

To be fair, my experiences in Malaysia have been boosted by some great company. After exploring KL's religious sights with a trip to the Hindu shrines and temples in the Batu caves and a pleasant afternoon taking in the aesthtics of the Museum of Islamic Art, before gorging on the melee of street food on offer (amongst the replica handbags), I left the city to venture into the hills. The stunning views from Boh Tea Plantation, and the cooler climate (the sights included strawberry farms and rose gardens as testament to the more English temperatures) were a welcome relief from the heat and dust of the capital. From here I ventured further north to Penang, an epicurean delight with plenty of temples, national parks and street art to deserve its World Heritage Status. The Penang Food Map was perhaps my favoured tourist map, illustrating the must-eats and the best place to find them.

It was in Penang, or more on the bus to Penang, that I met a fellow British female traveller who had just finished 2 years working in South Korea. The rest of my time in Malaysia was boosted by some good company from her, her friend and a girl I met in my hostel. We made friends with a few resident backpackers which kept our nights fuelled with a bit of social vodka, rum and beer to accompany our drinking games and to complement the days spent exploring Penang's temples and food stalls.

We continued our journey into Langkawi, with its beautiful beaches and duty free booze. I took the opportunity for 3 days of beach chillout, swimming in the clear, warm waters and dozing to the sound of jetskis, accompanied by my friends from Penang and finding an Italian lady to sample the fresh barbecued fish and tour the late night shops with.

All in all, a great time had in Malaysia - from bustling megacity, serene hill stations, culinary overload and some laid back beach culture - I enjoyed the variety the country had to offer. And it was really straightforward - Malay in Latin script and English as a national language helped immensely, and things were as they said they were: buses left on time (more or less), took the duration quoted, and cost the advertised price. I love the adventure side too, don't get me wrong, but I certainly appreciated knowing where I stood too. And in such beautiful surroundings with such great food, why wouldn't you just soak it all up and stay a little longer?