Cela roams around: Savannakhet

After I've returned from The Loop, I had in mind one extra day in Tha Khaek, just to chill out and relax. In fact it was quite tiring experience, even though very cool.
But as plans usually don't turn into actions or turn into completely different actions I've decided to go now. I've found out that there are usually night buses to Bangkok so if I stay one day in Tha Khaek and than cross the border and wait another day for a bus it makes no sense, so I should be going now. And this is what I did. Just packed my stuff, told at the reception desk, that I'm so sorry for late check out and went to catch ferry via Mekong to Nakhom Phanom. So I did, left Laos, got to the Thai border and this is where the adventure begins.
In Nakhom Phanom they would tell me that they cannot give me visa on arrival. And they would never explain why. I dunno if they wanted me to bribe them or what, but by then it even did not come to my mind so I just went back to Laos. But strange thing is that Dutch couple that I met in GH got their visas there. So I have no clue how it works. To me they mentioned that I can get visa in Savannakhet.
Now I'm back in Laos and they want to give me new visa. But I don't want new visa, I don't want to pay another 30$ just to stay one day in Laos. So I try to explain them the whole situation. In the end I manage to do it. Guy who come to issue my visa spoke some English and he understood and told them to cancel my departure from Laos. That was so helpful.
If I can get visa in Savannakhet I have to get there first. So I took tuk-tuk to the bus station and I was lucky to catch a bus that was leaving at 4 p.m. And in Savannakhet I was lucky again to catch last bus at 7 p.m. to Mukdahan.
But my luck failed again on the border. To issue visa they had to have my ticket out of Thailand. I have one, but in my mail box. Sweet. Luckily officers were so nice that they've allowed me into their office to print ticket. I could almost see myself in Thailand. But I was too fast again.
Now what they wanted was 10000 Baht to proof that I have enough money (what's more they had to make a photocopy of my notes). In my wallet I had only 2000. So again they led me to ATM to withdraw it. I was just wondering if I have enough on my traveling Visa. I had. And I had picture to stick it to visa. Probably if I would not have it they would get really pissed of. Still I was very surprised with their patience. It would not work anywhere in Europe, not mentioning states.
They were only saying to me that next time I should not take the last bus to the border if I need to have my visa issued at the border. One of them even started nice chat with me when the other one was photocopying my passport. Asking me who I am, where do I come from, what do I do at home and in the end saying that if I was her daughter she would not let me go on my own for such a trip. But I told her that I'm adult and there is no one to forbid me anything.
They were nice, but also slow. So slow that that last bus drove away. I had to take tuk-tuk to the bus station and hope to catch any bus to Bangkok. Tuk-tuk driver was speeding like hell. Small, not skinny at all, Thai girl driving like devil. But we've made it. 20 mins before last bus was leaving. But bus was full.
The only thing I gad in my mind was: it cannot be happening. Why the hell some mystery force does everything to stop me from going to Bangkok? But I'll not be stopped. With despair I've thrown my bags on the floor and told them, that there must be a way to fit me into that bus. And there was. Again it would not be possible in Europe, but in Asia everything is possible. I was sitting with the driver on a small kinda shelf in front of the bus. But in the end, after 2 hours of drive and couple of stops I got my sit. Apparently someone did not come. Lucky me.
Lucky enough too, that I did not get robbed and made it to Khao San Road quite quickly with a motorbike driver for 160B from the Northern bus station. I think that it was good price.
In Bangkok I've met with Todd who is leaving today, I had some beauty treatments done and got invitation to the party in the most posh club in whole Thailand. Maybe that was the reason why I should not be here, but I'll find out about it tonight.

Riverside in Tha Khaek

Tha Khaek

Picture taken from Tha Khaek towards Thailand

I've been told, already in Vietnam that I have to make The Loop in Tha Khaek. So from Pakse I've taken direction to Tha Khaek. You might think that 350 km which is the distance between Pakse and Tha Khaek should not take more than 6 hours, even if you drive slow and bear in mind bad condition of Laos roads. But no. It took like 9 hours before I got to Tha Khaek. At first it was not bad. After 5 hours on half full bus we got to Savannakhet. But than it took ages. Unloading some boxes from the roof, waiting on the bus station, picking some people on the way. And the last people that we've picked was a bunch of young Laotian guys who had to sit in the "corridor" on small stools and who tried to chat with me, even though they did not know any english and I did not know any Lao, but still it was fun. They all seemed a little bit guyish to me, leaning on each other and hugging and having that fancy hair style. One of them started to play to me and send me some Lao music via bluetooth. What he played to me was either covers of some western hits performed by Lao singers or Lao lyrics sang to the western hits melody. Still it was very funny and nice.
In Tha Khaek I went to Tha Khaek Travel Lodge which is the place to meet other travelers who want to do the loop. The first thing that I've asked when I got there was: who is doing the loop tomorrow?
So I've managed to find 3 guys with whom I could do that. Chris - Aussie guy and Kacper and Aspian from Denmark. We've rented motorbikes from Mr Ku, he gave us a map of where to go and so we did.
On Thursday morning we head off to see some caves and take a swim in the river. After we've spent half an hour trying to find Tham Pha Fa (Buddha Cave) and saw it and got so disappointed we've gave up and decided to take a swim only. We were also running slowly out of time as Chris's bike got broken and could not be repaired quickly, so Mr Ku had to come and give him a new one. We went to search for Tha Fa Lang, which took us probably another half an hour, but in the end we've made it too. We were very good at directions, but bad at finding things.
Spot was really cool, clean and almost still water. Some rocks to sit on. We've taken some pictures, jumped into the water, did some swimming and warmed ourselves in the sun. And that was probably when Chris got robbed. We've left our bags on the rock, and we were sitting behind the bush, so we did not see them at all. But no one had it in mind that in that place, some distance from the main road someone will come to steal. And what was surprising, my camera was lying on the top of my bag and they did not take it (thanks God!), but they took his camera, wallet and iPod that were in pockets of his jeans. Weird isn't it?
That was the end of his loop. He had to go back to the city to block credit cards, make police statement and so one. I also asked him to change motorbikes, as mine was old and slow and I wanted to have some fun driving fast. He was so nice and did that, which I've found out after we've come back was very good move as on the way back it got broken and I'd have a problem with it...
We were heading to Tha Lang, where we were supposed to spend the night. We almost did not have any issues, except that Aspian's acceleration line got broken and he had to have it repaired. It cost like nothing - 20000 kip, which is 2 euro.
Last 30 km was on a dirt road, very bumpy and uneven, but so much fun too. It was only appetizer for tomorrow, where we had another 60 km of such a road. And that was insane. We were faster than locals, which means a lot. I got completely covers in red/orange dust. Still my clothes have orange hue. But that also explains why all the kids in villages always have their clothes in similar orangish colour (I've realised that already in Bolaven Plateau), and even their clothes are white or green or red, in the end they are orangish. Everything is covered in dust.
In the evening in guest house we've met another 3 people doing loop so we were playing dices and having fun.
Next day we had to get up early to make everything in time, especially those 60 km on the dirt road, which in fact was the best part of the whole trip. Beautiful view over the trees with halves of their trunks in the blue lake water and orange road. Jumping on the uneven surface was very cool.
At the end of the road, at the city of Lak Sao we lost our 3 friends cause one of them got a puncture, twice in a row and we went to see hot spring, which was the biggest disappointment ever. Thre was no spring at all, only place where you can take shower with hot water from a spring, which we've found out later was not even hot. Failure.
Last 80 km were on the good road, a little boring sometimes, the only entertainment was that my motorbike did no0t want to start sometimes and once one of the pipes has disconnected so it's stopped and whole key socket was turning around and I could not stop/start it sometimes. After a while I've been able to handle it, only if I remembered not to pull key to strong when I was removing it from the socket.
In Konglor we've spend a night in a cosy guest house, where I've even met polish guy, who told me: but your accent is not polish at all. I've told him the same. But no wonder, after five years in Dublin you probably lose your polish accent.
Last day in the morning we've visited Kong Lo cave. And now imagine river 7.5 km long running in tunnel beneath limestone mountain. Here and there sandy or pebble beaches, stalagmites and stalactites all over. Rocks reflecting in water that look like those patterns which we used to make as kids: throwing some ink on the sheet of paper and folding it in two. Just amazing. Nothing like I've ever seen before. I'm pretty surprised though that this place is not yet widely known by tourists. I give it 5 years maybe and it'll be fully packed.
After sightseeing we had almost 200 km of good and boring road. I was afraid that I'll fall asleep. But cold was keeping me awake. I did not have too much warm clothing with me. My jacket was in Bangkok and I only had shirt, long sleeve and pullover. So to keep myself warm I've dresses plastic raincoat poncho underneath pullover to block the wind and that was cool idea. But I started to feel tired again until I almost got killed cause some freak decided to drive out from his garden just in front of me. And there was even no way of overtaking him as there was big truck coming from opposite direction. I could only brake and hope that brakes are good enough. Luckily they were otherwise I'd probably be covered in bruises and scratches right now.
In the end we've made it. We got to the Traveler Lodge about 3.30 p.m. Pretty quick.
For tomorrow I've planned quite day in Tha Khaek, but what you plan never is what happens, but this will be next long story to tell.