"Spirit of Laos" Exploration Was Over

The less said about the gala New Year's eve celebration in Tad Lao, the better. The Hotel was jammed with Thai tourists and locals...huge speakers set up around the entire outside area ready to let loose with mega-amps guaranteed to deafen, and the worst, worst food of the entire trip. Fortunately, New Year's Eve dinner supplement only cost about $6.50 a person, a bargain when you consider the many times over our lifetime that we've paid a lot more to eat awful food. (Almost everywhere in the World, you will be charged a supplement for a New Year's eve or Christmas dinner...guaranteed!)

Hint: ALWAYS bring ear plugs. Even with plugs in, you could still hear the music along with the "entertainer," a screechy, Lao singer, that went on until 2:00am.

Last day: Most of the group went for a walk to the village up the road from the Hotel to distribute the knives/machetes. I couldn't take one more village and stayed behind in the garden at the waterfall, people-watching.

More Tad Lo Falls

Last Drive: The vehicle headed out for the drive across the Lao/Thailand border to Ubon Ratchathani for a one-hour airplane flight back to Bangkok. We drove back through Pakse, and turned east towards the two borders. Our driver raced to get ahead of all the double-decker buses filled with Thais heading back home after their weekend in Laos. Sue handled all the passports and we bid a very fond farewell to Mr. Sa with many thanks for the interesting information on Laos and his infinite patience.

The border was a madhouse with shops and food stalls up and down the entire highway...View image...tourists browsing while all the guides handled passport/visa formalities.

highway on the border

Last Wat: Mr. Sa had instructed our Thai bus driver to make one more 200-year old Wat stop. I haven't any clue what it was called and think it was on the outskirts of Uban Ratchathani...sorry, don't know...but one section reminded me of Angkor Wat.

Last Words On Laos:

- It would almost be impossible to have had better guide than Sue. Sue was organized to the max, an extremely warm and caring person who not only went out of her way to ensure that everyone's requests were met, but went the extra steps - taking photos of the villagers, developing them and bringing them back to the people on each one of her tours along with promising the villagers that she would photograph each and every one of them before the season was over. Sue had notes, little maps, would read information, jump off the bus to buy muffins, bring snacks for the group...what more could you ask from a guide. I would jump on any tour that she leads...thanks, Sue.

- Our primary local guide, Mr. Sa, was equally wonderful and determined that everyone leave his country understanding and loving it.

- The UXO Sight, SOS Orphanage and Pat's school (Pat was our Phonsovan guide) really immersed us in Lao history and gave more insight into what these people have endured. (My mind probably slept through that entire period in their lives.)

- Luang Prabang, Muang Khong and Vientane were our favorites and should be on anyone's list of places to see in Laos.

- The food in Laos was surprisingly and consistently good and SO INEXPENSIVE! In small little towns or on the road, a 50-cent dish of fried rice was always filling and tasty. I still think of the "Spicy Squid Salad" we ate in Pakse...so yummy!

- The important Lao words and phrases that we learned were: Sah-Bah-Dee (hello); Bah-bab-bow (crazy); Bow-Pin-Yan (you're welcome); and Cop-Chai (thank you). This is all my version of phonetics.

Explore UK? This itinerary was extremely varied and there was something for all interests. We had ...the freedom and time to go off on your own "exploring"...only a few group dinners were included which gave the flexibility to discover a restaurant (take one of Sue's always excellent recommendations), order a sandwich, go on your own (or make arrangements with others in the group). This is such a big plus when you travel for 17 days with a group, spending every waking hour as well as eating most meals together. A nice break for everyone. I hope this gives you some understanding of why we travel with them so frequently. And if you decide to visit, it's never too early for reservations. Prime tourist season is December, January and February before it starts getting very hot.

The memories that will remain with me are always of the friendly, hardworking people... Thanks to Sue, Mr. Sa and Pat, our Explore group did experience "The Spirit of Laos"....