Laos primary coffee growing region the Bolaven plateau is becoming a popular detour on the backpacker trail. With spectacular waterfalls and trekking opportunties we opted to zap up there for a couple of days. Accessible with a two hour bus ride from Pakse we headed straight on with a connecting bus from 4000 islands.
Arriving at Tad Lo the sleepy charm of the place is immediately apparent. 3 or 4 mostly empty guesthouses and a couple of restaurants set by the river and waterfall and that's about it.
Having decided to save elephant trekking for later on the four of us decided to hire a couple of rattly scooters to explore the area. Partly as practise for the more demanding 'loop' due later in the trip. A fairly undemanding day followed gently schlepping around the 3 local waterfalls, enjoying a cooling dip at one.
We also whisked up a dirt track to a local village where many small children were entertained by our mere presence. Fortunately the cash demanding hasn't corrupted the young ones yet although some older kids on the outskirts of the village chanced their arm. The tourist office specifically recommends not giving kids money or things as it encourages begging.
The next day, Nat and Kaylie opted to head straight to Tah Khek to scout out the loop and we took the shorter trip to Pakse for a night before joining them the next. Pakse having no features of much note, although we did enjoy a nice curry there, a nice break for Em from western food and her need to avoid south east asian fare.
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