Day 6 - and what a day it was! Breakfast at the Pakse Hotel to load up on bread and the discovery of the egg station was a bonus. A few haggles later we caught a cheap tuk tuk ride to the Southern Bus Station for half the price we paid last time to catch a bus to Kiet Ngong where the Kingfisher Ecolodge was based. We were told by the tourist information that the bus left every hour. On arrival the tuk tuk driver said 15 minutes for the bus to Kiet Ngong which was cool.......

.....3 hours later we set off, fully loaded with people, bags and food. We hadn't even got out of the depot before the driver stopped to pick up 20 bags of, wait for it, ready mix cement!! Not sure I've ever seen that on the no.12 bus into Maidstone!

We thought it was a snug fit before the cement arrived! After about 2 hours and 4 long stops on the way, to pick up ice, water butts, fish, another random strimmer and more people (who sat on the roof), we were at the turning off the main road sign posted Kiet Ngong. We thought to ourselves - not too long to go now - how wrong could one be as what followed was undoubtably one of the worst experiences of our lives. In a songthaw (local bus) completely stuffed to the brim with people and shopping we proceeded onto what can only politely be described as an 'unmade road'! It was 45 minutes of hell as the concrete stopped us moving our legs and stress levels were rising! Whilst all this was going on there was a young woman breast feeding opposite us and an older woman hanging on the back but both seemed oblivious to what was going on, how could this be normal?! The same child, now blissfully unaware had earlier turned down my ipod with Girls Aloud playing. What the guys on the roof were feeling about the ride quality, who knows.

At the end of the 'bumpy road' we were dropped in the village to walk the rest of the way, only about 1km but with heavy backpacks it was hard going.

We arrived at the ecolodge thoroughly exhausted and were shown to our room. The first two nights we are in an eco bungalow which looks out over the wetland reserve. Dinner in the upstairs restaurant which was suberb and a few well earned beer lao's. The gecko's were out in full force and the mother just had to keep a watch outside our room didn't she!!

Fell to sleep with the sounds of the wildlife outside which was interesting to say the least as it sounded like we were actually with them!

Thought of the day - Dutchie has a lot to answer for as he didn't warn us about 'that' road!