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At 9pm on Sunday night I left on 11 hour local (ie non-tourist) bus ride to Mukdahan, Isaan, just this side of the Mekong River. My destination was to be Savannakhet, Laos.
Again as is usual for the way I like to travel I was the only foreigner on the bus and one of several at the few stops we made at regional bus stations. This was made much easier this time by the fact that I can now speak basic Thai....
... This time the new Friendship II Bridge has been built over the Mekong River to Savannakhet, Laos and the going was easier, if more beaurocratic than before when we had to cross by boat (which was a lot faster).
This time I kept away from the rip off low lives that prey on unsuspecting foreign tourists with wildly exaggerated prices and stories and I had a much better time than last trip to Savannakhet.
Upon arrival I spent the first 3 hours walking around Savannakhet, Laos to try to find somewhere that I could hire a motorcycle for the day for a short recon mission. Turns out that the one motorcycle hire place I found had rented out their bikes. As it was within the 3 hours I had walked a perimeter of Savannakhet, Laos and had a good idea of the layout and what was happening there - such as the central 'square' which contained this...
Central Savannakhet - the ONLY set of traffic lights in town
A dream come true, one set of traffic lights in the whole Savannakhet, Laos and not a round-about in sight. But then again, as you can see, there was not a lot of traffic about either.
Next I stopped off to have a look at some shopping as my girlfriend requested that I brought her back a present from Savannakhet, Laos. Check out the spelling on this shirt....
I still call Austraria home
Yes, the Laos do pronounce their 'L' similar to an 'R' as do many Asiatics.
Now the main reason that I had a better time in Savannakhet, Laos this time is the valuable lesson I learned from fellow travellers last time - namely the 'expensive' foreign targetted restaurants and bars (I counted 2 but I believe there were far more) charged the same prices as the little cookpot on the side of the road food stalls. Ah ha
So when I met an intelligent, educated Englishman by the name of Peter and he asked if I would like to go for A beer I was happy to oblige - and amazingly surprised at the bill. Honest pricings!
We were so happy we decided to celebrate, Peter introduced me to Smirnoff Blue Vodka, 50% alcohol by volume and so smooth to drink that it tasted like warm water when you drank it with a mild aftertaste.
2 bottles later, admist warnings from Peter that this stuff was sneaky, neither of us remember leaving the restaurant, I barely remember going to find a hotel room at midnight(ish) and was 'awoken' from my inebriated state when I put my finger into the fuse box and recieved a rather nasty shock while hunting around for the light switch.
Peter As Seen Through Smirnoff Blue Vodka Goggles
Next day, besides a bad sleep and dehydration I can happily report that the Smirnoff Blue Vodka left the both of us without headaches or hangovers, once again reaffirming my theory that it is the rubbish they put in cheap alcohols that gives you a hangover and not the ethanol.
On the way back at the Savannakhet, Laos bus station I noticed this sign for trips to other destinations. Keep in mind that us$1 = 10,000 Laos Kip and you are looking at us$20 to travel to Hanoi, Vietnam and closer to us$10 to many other Vietnamese destinations.
Cheap Travel From Savannakhet, Laos
Hmmmm.... I was sorely tempted to jump on the bus to Vietnam as I have not been there yet... next time.
Oh and yes I did finally find a present for my girlfriend - another 2 bottles of Smirnoff Blue Vodka! Just what she was expecting from Savannakhet, Laos.
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