Photo album 0069

Out of town, the Pakse busstation. Laos 2004. Lovely way to travel and meet people. Going to Champasak or the 4000 islands you can go from there, the '8 km bus terminal'. A lot changed since 2004, as all guesthouses now offer (VIP)bustickets. To get to the 8 km terminal you'll need a tuktuk-ride.

Leisure & pleasure; Paksan to Phonsavan

The first time we went to Paksan must have been about 10 years ago, we heard about the most wonderful bus trip in Laos  a few years before. The bus went once a week, in fact the bus was a big truck with seats mounted in the back. First time we came a  day late (guess 2004), then we missed it by a couple of hours (2006), in 2008 we showed up a day early, to be sure. But by then the truck got company, in the shape of this yellow old Chinese bus.
It became one of our most memorable and beautiful bus trips ever. By now they say there is a VIP bus once a day, going from Paksan to Phonsavan in about 10 hours...

Sketchbook 0020

Love public transport, especially in Laos and Myanmar. This trip was in 2007. From Sam Neua to Nong Khiaw. Overcrowded as always. Public transport being late is pretty normal up here. Loads of lovely people and a few animals as well. This kind of trips are disappearing fast. That's evolution as well.

Good to know 0006

               Aids campaign in Laos, 2006. Supported by www.psi.org.

               People campaigning on public transport with condoms and a dildo
               made most Laotians passengers a bit uncomfortable. But after
               accepting free condoms as a tourist they were eager to have some
               as well.

Leisure & pleasure; pink bus ride.

                This one does the first leg from Siem Reap to Sra Aem, Cambodia.

good to know 0002

Good idea!

Get a bus map whenever you stay in a big city. It's fun traveling by public bus and it is cheap.
In Hanoi it can be a lot of work before you achieve your goal! You need to go to the transportation department.

The Bangkok bus map is fabulous. This is a 2009 example,
sarcophagus has one from around 2002, didn't change a lot though.

Kuala Lumpur bus service is a dog without proper information. Not one bus driver seems to have a clue to where the other lines go.