Bolaven - Plateau, day 1. 🌧️

It It was already 8 pm when I arrived in Pakse. I checked in and had a watermelon juice while searching for tips and all kinds of information about the upcoming three-day trip into the mountains. A few minutes later, Fabien from France started talking to me and joined me.

I found a place that was recommended for renting a scooter and also felt confident leaving my big backpack and all my valuables there (which basically means my passport – I don’t really carry anything else valuable 😅).
I got up at 6 am because I didn’t want to waste any time.

Fabien was also interested in renting a motorbike, but only for one day. So we walked together to the rental place. (By the way, every tourist I’ve met so far is French – except the German girl I met on the island. 🇫🇷)

The owner of the scooter shop was also French. He gave me lots of helpful information about the trip: must-see spots, recommended plantations and places to stay overnight. Fabien actually changed his mind after hearing about my route and all the recommendations. He thought it sounded much more interesting than just spending a day in the mountains, so he asked if he could join me.🤷🏻‍♀️

We started the trip and soon came across a massive waterfall. After that, we visited a coffee plantation – which was right up about my interests, and it was totally worth it. Unexpectedly, I even tried an insect, red ants.🐜
They actually tasted like lemongrass. 😵‍💫😂🌱
We tasted different kinds of coffee and I ended up having a cup of my favorite one, even the strongest one: Robusta. ☕️😍

A few kilometers later, we stopped at a place that was the starting point for a hike to another waterfall. We started walking. About 30 minutes in, it suddenly began to pour.
We took it with humor, didn’t want to turn around, and just put on our rain jackets. We walked about 40 more minutes until we finally reached the waterfall.🌧️

The way back felt much longer, everything was soaked, uncomfortable, and the sun had already set. We walked quickly. Driving was dangerous at that point, the roots were slippery and it was already dark. 🌚
So we stopped at the first accommodation we found and asked for a room. But everything was fully booked – except one room. So I set some clear rules (no touching or anything else 🚫✋🏾😂) and we shared the room, well, actually also the bed. But honestly, it didn’t matter. We were both just super happy to have found a place to sleep, even if it was just a mattress.😆🙈 Fortunately, there was at least a small shower, though I’m not sure if I was actually cleaner before or after using it.🫢 We just had dinner, chatted with some other tourists, and went to bed, but couldn’t really sleep because it was so hot. It was the first night in a long time without a fan or air conditioning.🥵Читать далее