Day 10 - Not a great deal to say today as we had a lazy day relaxing at the lodge in the hammock watching the buffalo graze in the wetlands.

Woke up early (probably because we were in bed by 8pm!) to watch the water-buffalo heading out for the day. Then enjoyed a cup of tea in bed looking out to the wetland and listening to the bird's morning call. Nice chilled out breakfast at 08:45 and a nice lunch by the lake. During lunch, Massimo (the owner of the lodge) came over and spoke to us about the trek and he apologised for the standard not being up to scratch in terms of the accommodation. What we found amusing was the fact that he will no longer be offering the trek to Ta Ong due to the feedback our guide had given in regard to the guesthouse and facilities. It's quite nice to know we were the last people to conquer "the hardest trek in Laos" (Lonely Planet 2010 edition)!!

One thing we did discover today though is that we may run out of money by the time we next see an ATM which could be interesting. We are also on the hunt to find somewhere to get some Vietnamese Dong, just enough to get us from the bus station into town after we've crossed the border in a couple of days time. We have hired a minivan again tomorrow to take us to Pakse to then get the local bus to Attapeu. Think it's a VIP one though not a songthaw. When I say VIP please don't be fooled!!

Spot of research about tomorrow before dinner as we haven't booked a hotel in Attapeu yet and as we have found out, buses hardly run when stated.

All in all, a really good day just chilling out after what has been a pretty hectic first week and a bit.

Fact of the day - 66% of people living in Iceland live in one city, Reykjavik(National Geographic, March 2008) Read whilst lazing in the hammock.