Travel

There’s no doubt that for the independent traveller in Laos, any more than two wheels are a waste. Buses, minivans or cars are a safe but boring and isolating option. Hiring a motorbike for a few days is definitely the way to make the most of your time in this beautiful country. It was time to explore the Bolaven Plateau.

At over 120m tall, the Tad Fan waterfall in Southern Laos is believed to be one of the tallest in the country. Emerging from the jungle high on the Boloven Plateau, the awesome power of the falling water can be heard for miles around.

Before I left on this current trip I toyed with the idea of doing a weekly summary of what I’d been up to for friends, family and anyone else that was vaguely interested. It didn’t happen. No problem, I thought, a fortnightly synopsis is probably a better option anyway. Indeed it would have been, had I written one. Hmm. Oh well, never mind – at least a monthly review will let people know that I’m alive and give them some idea of the things I’ve been doing lately, even if it’s not particularly up to date. Yup. I guess it could have. Stuff it. Without further ado, hello and welcome to my not-on-any-schedule update. Take a seat, make yourself comfortable. Sorry the popcorn’s burnt.

Ko Treung is a largish sandbar island in the middle of Mekong River, near Kratie in Cambodia. I hired a bike to slowly pedal around the perimeter and came across this hayshed and cart by the side of the road. Farming methods and technology haven’t changed much here in a long time…

Before I embarked on my latest set of wanderings around the world a few weeks ago, one of the things that was playing on continuous loop through my head was a nagging question. Can I do it? Not the act of travelling per se – I think I’ve done that enough times for it not to hold too many fears in and of itself. No, what my over-active brain was questioning was whether I was cut out for an extended period of solo travel, particularly through developing countries.