From Vientiane we took a sleeper bus down to Pakse in the south of Laos. We had a luxurious 180 x 90 cm bed for the two of us. Luckily we had each other since single travellers got to share the bed with a stranger.
In Pakse we rented a semi-automatic motorbike for four days and headed on to the big loop of Bolaven Plateau. A more describing name for this loop might the the waterfall loop. There's around 20 waterfalls to see but we picked only a handful of them.
First up: Tad Fane, a 120m high waterfall - the tallest one in Laos.
At the end of a very bumby dirtroad you can find Tad Champi, which is a very nice place to swim. Here you can also walk behind the waterfall.
Hit the road, even if it's a sandy one!
Dos Bandidos! The breathing masks were an absolute must on the dusty roads.
After a night spent in a small village called Ban Nong Oy we headed on towards the main waterfalls of the loop: Tad Tayicsua. This area has five waterfalls to see but to get to them you have to trek through the jungle. At times the trek was quite extreme but it was well worth it in the end.
The first waterfall was easy to get to
Jungle path between waterfalls
Up, up, up the stairs we go. A lot. And this was far from the steepest ones and we didn't need pictures to remember them by...
Our guide dog had to wait for us all the time. Apparently we were too slow...
The second waterfall was the most fairytale like even though the picture doesn't do it justice. Think lush green grass, pink flowers, a tall waterfall and a rainbow as a sprinkle on top of an ice cream bowl.
The third one was more like a river with rapids than a waterfall
The fourth waterfall. This one we saw from the top. Not for those with a fear of heights.
The last and the least visited, yet very majestic waterfall
The trickiest part was finishing the waterfall trek by crossing the strong rapids to get back to the starting point. Ville balanced himself over a fallen tree with the help of a bamboo stick. Malin tried to find a safer way but ended up choosing a slippery branch. Fortunately Ville was at the other end to give a hand.
After four hours of blood, sweat and tears, we made it!
And off we go again. Hop on my bike, honey bunny!
Stopping now and then to admire the beautiful views.
We had to go to the middle of nowhere in Laos to sleep in a tent together. Then again it was on a wooden platform so maybe it doesn't count. Nevertheless, watching the sunrise from inside the tent was amazing.
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