Laos - Apocalypse Now Revisited
We set off on another slow 180km drive on lousy roads towards Vang Vieng. We thought when we left route 13 to go on a newer route 4 over the mountains it might improve - it didn't. We stopped at a cafe at the top of the pass for a quick cup of coffee and a misty view of what should have been a 9km view. Our brakes were smoking on the way down. As we reached the outskirts of Vang Vieng the road was still a dusty potholed mess when we thought it might improve as we approached t
4 hours ago7 min read
Laos - Trunks and Monks
Not far from the Pak Ou village we spotted there was an elephant sanctuary. We’d WhatsApped them and agreed we’d turn up in the morning to be taken for a walk and feed the elephants. We met the guide who said we were the first visitors they’d ever had in their own vehicle. He got us kitted out in welly boots as it was going to be muddy and gave us a good dousing in bug spray. The Luang Prabang New Elephant Sanctuary was only started this year. It is a community project where
5 days ago5 min read
Laos - Time to Slow Down
We’d read updates on the Laos border entry and had been warned to watch out for unexpected ‘charges’. The immigration area was ramshackle and a bit of a mess. We had to hand in our passports to get our visas on arrival. The guy who took them asked for $2 each for a ‘processing fee’. I pointed out that we were paying $40 each for the visas so we shouldn’t be paying an extra admin fee. He shook his head and persisted that we should. In the end I said we’d only pay it if we cou
Oct 307 min read
China - Getting in a Paddy
Our next destination was the Yuangang Rice Terraces in Yunnan Province, which have been created over many centuries and are UNESCO listed. We were probably a month too early to see them at their photogenic best which is when they are flooded with water and glistening. Getting out of Jianshui was slow going as we had to queue our way out of the town past a street market. It continued to be a slow drive on National roads but it got increasingly more scenic as we climbed in
Oct 247 min read
Back to School in China
By the time we were up in the morning the locals were out in force exercising and having haircuts. Today was to be another shorter driving day to a mine in Qianwei then on to a bamboo forest near Muchuan. Our first stop was at Qianwei Huangcun Well - a disused coal mine dating back to the 1930’s. It is also the terminus of the 19.8 km Jiayang narrow-gauge railway. As we pulled up we thought it was going to be a tacky tourist experience, but the site has been developed as a h
Oct 217 min read
