Set off quite early – 8:30 to tour four villages. The first one [Khieng Tang Le – see headline photo] was not so interesting, nor as friendly as yesterday’s Nge village.
Khieng Tang Le. Hello, everybody.
Second village [Pho Tok] had large spirit house and a shamen who wanted us to cure him! – Daisy gave him some E 45 cream for his affliction.
Pho Tok village sceneAlak spirit house in Pho TokUnconvincing Alak shamen: “Show me your unguents & I’ll show you my spirit house”
Third village [Tadsung] was very poor and the only real highlight was the hydroelectric dam at the waterfall.
Tadsung & its dam
Fourth village [Na Nong] was a mixture of tribes – interesting to see. We prove most popular in the Buddhist part, while Ged got teased for his pale skin in the Ta Oy part.
Ta Oy – you – what are you lot up to? Teasing me about my pale skin?Village scenes at Na NongSouey people (above), & Katou people (below)
Light lunch followed by relaxing pm at our bungalow…
Ironically, given the ribbing I had from the Ta Oy folk, I read The Human Stain on this holiday…although forensics suggest that I was reading Barney’s Version that day
…and early supper in preparation for tomorrow’s daftly early start.
Rose quite early. Took breakfast and went off to ferry across the Mekong…
Even buses take the ferry
…on to Um Muang – a ruined Khmer temple.
Deep, deep, deep under cover
Then on to Pakse – saw Champassak Palace view, then on to market for tapes and water.
Then on towards Tad Lo stopping at village Houey Houne – Katou tribe, which wasn’t so nice.
It must be tough growing up in a place named Houey anything…
Got to Tad Lo – took light lunch of grilled chicken and beef – then went off to two more villages – the first in Sekong Province KP (Kok Phoung) village. Kaleum tribe.
The second in Saravan Province – Khieng Khong Village – Nge tribe.
Noukeo poses with one of the young Nge villagers in Khieng Khong Glorious Tad Lo Falls sunset. Even better in real life than in the photo.
Got bearings back at Tad Lo and took dinner of stuffed chicken.
We probably had more transport difficulties on this holiday, Cambodia, Laos and Thailand 2001 than any other, for some strange reason; perhaps the itinerary was a little ambitious for its era:
First stop, the National Museum, then back to hotel to sort out problem over airline ticket.
I can’t quite remember what this problem was, but I think it was an absence of airline tickets for our flight to Vientiane in our ticket pack on arrival at Phnom Penh. This one was resolved easily enough I seem to recall.
But somehow, when we later flew from Vientiane to Luang Prabang, someone made a mess of the Laotian domestic ticket vouchers (which were all in one book), accidentally removing the Luang Prabang to Vientiane vouchers as well as the Vientiane to Luang Prabang ones.
On 15 February, when our lovely guide Prasauth took us to the airport for our Vientiane flight, we were voucherless for that flight/ Although it was very clear to all concerned that the airline handling people must have made a mistake on the first leg, the official refused to let us on the flight without either the vouchers or the full fare being stumped up again; a few hundred dollars.
Could do with a shot of Lao-Lao now, eh Prasauth?
Prasauth, who was unusually white haired to start with, looked even more white haired and pale when this problem unfolded.
I tried to get the official to understand, through Prasauth, that if I did pay for the flight a second time (which naturally I would do rather than miss the flight) there would be one heck of a palaver when I got back to London to get the money reimbursed, especially as the problem was undoubtedly caused by an error by the airline handling people at Vientiane.
But it was more than the official’s job was worth to let us on the plane without a voucher. Indeed, he’d have to pay the money for two flights himself if he was two vouchers short.
Then I had a bright idea.
“What happens if we give you the vouchers for our next flight, Vientiane to Pakse?”
Turned out, that would be OK. The official simply had to have one voucher per passenger. It didn’t need to be the right voucher.
I then suggested to Prasauth that he call his colleagues in Vientiane, explain what had happened and get them on the case to rectify the problem in time for our flight to Pakse the next day.
Everyone agreed that this idea would work. Indeed, by the time we landed in Vientiane, less than two hours later, our guide there, Wang, already had reissued tickets in his hands ready for our trip to Pakse the next day.
