7th February 2009

So, we're not where we should be and it wasn't the easy option. Let's explain...

We had to be at the airport to check-in at 11.30am for our 1.50pm flight, so we caught a tuk tuk at around 11am to take us there. The journey to the airport was mainly up hill and unfortunately for us we must have taken the oldest tuk tuk in town. As it coughed and spluttered it's way up the hill, our nerves set in, worried it was going to break down! We eventually limped into the airport, which was a shock, as it more resembled a farm and the cattle shed being the terminal building!

Nervously we entered and after fifteen minutes we eventually got some kind of acknowledgement of our presence. Check-in appeared to be quite a lengthy procedure involving a set of bathroom scales and some sticky labels.

We were then informed, in pigeon English, by the check-in clerk that we were now flying to Vientiane, then changing aircraft to fly to our destination Luang Prabang. This was big news to us and seemed totally illogical as it would be like flying from London to New York via Los Angeles! We then asked how long the journey would be, so after receiving a print out, it seemed that a forty minute flight was going to take us nine hours. Bearing in mind the option of the bus would have only taken ten hours and also been a whole lot cheaper! It did not help matters that this was a once weekly flight and was delayed by half an hour.

We sat down on the wasteland of the terminal for 3 hours, firstly in silence and then weighing up all our limited options. As we had no other real options open to us, we decided to go with the plan, even though we were nervous about turning up at Luang Prabang late at night with no accommodation booked.

The time passed very slowly but eventually we heard the welcome sound of an aircraft coming into land. This plane was the smallest that either of us had ever travelled in before and Adam seemed unusually nervous, more so than Clare.

The tractor loaded our baggage onto the tiny plane and then it was our turn to get on board. After a very bumpy fifty minute flight, we landed at Vientiane airport.

We were hoping this time for a slightly more modern airport to help us while away our four hour wait for our connecting flight. This was far from the reality, it was just as rundown as the cattle shed! We had not eaten since breakfast and found a sorry excuse for a restaurant, so we thought we would play it safe and order some sandwiches. Again, the Laos hospitality came shining through as it seemed such a hindrance to them. They really shouldn't have bothered, as not only were they tiny, they were made with rock hard stale bread. To add salt into the aleady weeping wounds, they cost a princely £3 each, needless to say they went straight in the bin!

This was just about the icing on the cake for us and led to Adam confessing his Lonely Planet research into Laos Airlines to Clare. According to the book, they are "mostly safe" and do have a chequered history of poor safety and fatalities! Suddenly Adams prevously unusual nervous state was explained. So our options were, to either get on another Laos Airlines flight or to do a runner from the airport!

Before we knew it, we were in a taxi speeding towards the Laos capital, Vientiane. Obviously we had no accommodation booked, so we plucked out the best looking option from the Lonely Planet guide book. Arriving at the hotel we were met by the porter, who asked if we had a booking. Yes that's right it was fully booked. This was turning out to be a very bad day for us.

We walked around Vientiane feeling like Mary and Joseph, constantly being told, "Sorry, no room". After about half an hour of going from hotel to hotel, we managed to find a room in a decent looking place called The Anou Paradise Hotel. We think they use the term 'paradise' out of context here, but it was comfortable enough and had cable TV with 3 movie channels.

Our first night in Vientiane was spent drowning our sorrows with beerlao (only 64p a pint!) and eating a tasty burger. It was no more friendly here than it was in Huay Xai, so we started planning our escape back to Thailand.

We did however manage to find time to do some sight seeing in Vientiane, firstly the bus station (to plan our exit strategy) and then on to the main temple called Pha That Luang. Even our visit to Pha That Luang was plagued by the usual Lao graciousness. We attempted to pay the 10,000 KIP entrance fee with a 50,000 KIP note, only to be told by the grumpy man that there was no change. So off we went to try and find some change from a local shop. We returned with the correct change and this time he let us in. We did however take a quick look into his drawer, only to see it bursting with all sorts of cash! So Adam paid and thanked him very much for lying to us, he smiled and nodded, clearly not understanding the sarcasm.

Clare especially did not enjoy this temple experience, but it was a very impressive and golden monument. We did at least get some good photos of Laos and it was another temple off the checklist.

Our overall impression of Laos hasn't been a positive one, but due to flight complications, we did miss out the more famous and beautiful places to visit. At the moment we are not ready to venture back, but we have time on our hands and we may give it another go at another time.