Day 30 - crossing border day

Day 30 - time to leave. Feeling a bit bitter sweet today. When is time to leave that means is time to say good bye to this beautiful country. I still couldn't believe one month could pass so quickly. 5 weeks just gone by with a lot of good memories but also a lot of frustrations. I really enjoy the harmony in general in Lao. Yet, I did look forward to civilizations.

Before we left, mama from the mama's guesthouse where we were staying, she politely and cheerly tried to tie a little white string on our wrists. The white string represents good luck in the Lao tradition. It was nothing but a very warm wishing. I was touched.

Now was time to say good bye. We left Don Det, took a long tail back to where we came. From there we got to take a mini bus to the Thai Lao international bus station back to Thailand. The bus ride was quite an experience. There were 2 mini buses first dropped by the bus station then would take the others back to Pakse. Our mini bus broke down on the way. Me and Ben had no Lao money left (thought we would reach thailand in couple hours, we spent that all), no water, no food. It was very very hot on the road, we had no where to hide. The other mini bus dropped off the passengers to a very small grocery store nearby and headed back to pick us up to the same store while waiting for our bus to be fixed. It was very common that vehicles broke down here in Lao. It happened to me several times in this trip. It could take 15 mins to an hour. I should be more prepared.

We had to buy 2 cans of soda using our USD. As the locals don't know how what was the currency conversion rate, each costed us USD 1 dollar a can, which equivalent to a meal in most places in Lao. Doesn't matter. At least something cold and moist. That was what matters. We left the unfinished drinks on the road next to the minibus while we went checking out the fixing situation. Less than 5 mins, our drinks were gone. Then we saw the mother who sold us the sodas and her little boy were drinking our drinks!! bummer! They looked so cheerful enjoying our drinks looking at us yet a bit cheeky. I wanted to laugh but also was thinking "oh my Goodness! Are you joking me?"

The bus was finally fixed but it couldn't go too far. Therefore, the drivers suggested passengers going to Pakse would go into the fixed bus directly to Pakse and people going to the station including ourselves would go into the other bus directly to the station as the last Thai-Lao bus would leave soon. Here came the drama. Those travelers originally sitting in the "good" minibus were reluctant to swop. They gave the drivers so much shit and they just sat in the bus reluctant to move. The "broken" bus was fixed but just that it couldn't go too far worry that it might overheat.

After a long while of struggling, some passengers were willing to move to the other bus. Most of us squeezed into the "good" bus, but there was still one passenger couldn't fit in because the bus was fully overloaded. It would take those passengers another 30 mins to go Pakse in this bus because it had to drop us first to the bus station. The guy stood by the door was almost begging if anyone going to Pakse would offer to swop. Yet, no one moved and they kept telling the driver to drive. It was such a nightmare and what a scene to see these people so selfishly didn't give a concern to anybody else but themselves. There was a 50-year-old American traveler, who was going to Pakse, sitting next to the driver said "that is not my business. I don't give a shit". I couldn't be more disgusted by these people. At last, I offered to sit on the minibus floor between the driver seat and the passenger seat right on the hand brake in order to let the last passenger to get on this bus. Finally we could leave. It was alomst 45 mins of struggling and looking at these people. We are all civilized people. Where is the caring? Where is the generosity? That made me sick.

We managed to take the last Thai-Lao bus of today and reached Ubon Ratchathani, Thailand. We had to take a tuc tuc to the train station to go Bangkok. Before the overnight train, we had that bbq chicken nearby the train station. It was so good! All frustration went away.