LAOS: Sabai Dee Baidee, Chabadabada

Savannakhet, Pakse and Boloven Plateaux

Le Laos: son cafe au lait condense, sa biere Lao 640ml, ses petites guesthouses a 5 dollars la nuit eau chaude comprise, ses plantations de cafe dans des campagnes verdoyantes, ses Sabai Dee (Bonjour en Lao) a tous les coins de rue, temoignage de la gentillesse des gens... Le Laos, on s'y sent vraiment bien!
Ces 5 derniers jours, nous avons explore Savannakhet, qui bien que 3eme ville du Laos par la taille, apparait a nos yeux de voyageurs telle une grosse bourgade, avec ses routes en terre, ses petits stands le long du Mekong et son absence de hordes de touristes. La campagne environnante que nous sommes partis decouvrir a velo malgre mes reticences initiales (ca grimpe sec!!) est magnifique. Nous nous sommes ensuite diriges plus au sud vers Pakse, qui s'est averee une base ideale pour partir explorer quelques jours a moto les plateaux de Boloven: villages ethniques, cascades et plantations de cafe. Apres un petit passage aujourd'hui a Vat Phu, l'un des tout premiers temples construits par les rois Khmers (ceux-la memes qui restent dans l'histoire comme les constructeurs des temples d'Angkor), nous nous appretons a partir demain a l'extremite sud du pays, pres de la frontiere cambodgienne, plus exactement a Si Phan Don: les 4000 iles du Mekong... On nourrit meme l'espoir d'apercevoir le fameux dauphin Irrawaddy, croisez les doigts pour nous!

I am only slightly exaggerating if I say we instantly fell in love with Laos, the country, and the Laos, the people. Upon passing the border at Lao Bao, we entered a different world, an ideally peaceful, relaxed, friendly one. I had high expectations but I've not been disappointed, and Alexis he is absolutely charmed. He's sitting next to me as I am writing this update, and is having an unbelievably tough time selecting the pics that we will post today! (that's partly because there are so many beautiful pics, and partly because the internet connection is pretty bad)
We first stopped at Savannakhet, a blissfully quiet city where all you can do is visit Wats, talk to monks in the oldest monastery in town, exlpore the countryside by bicycle, and enjoy a cold Lao beer with a mix of locals and the odd backpacker. Talking about the latter, we met 3 of them in Savannakhet, and they're quite typical of the backpacker in Laos: a veteran of the country, who's visiting it for the 6th time (Marc et Sophie) or the solo traveller who rents a bike to explore Laos off limits in The Zone during 6 days(thus named by the UN in view of the mortality rate and the rampant Malaria). We're not yet that experienced (neither that off-limits) but we have very muh enjoyed our motorbike trip to the Boloven plateaux and to Wat Phu, ancestor of Angkor Wat. Check out Alexis pics of the numerous waterfalls we stopped at on our way! Tomorrow we're heading off to the far far south, Si Phan Don also known at the Four Thousand Islands... Sounds pretty, does it not? We're hoping to catch a glimpse of the Irrawaddy dolphin there. And if we make it, expect an entire album of dolphins on Picasa!