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After we had observed the rest of the bus's occupants sit down at the nearest roadside café's tables and light up and start on their coffees, we assumed that they would finish loading whatever it was they were loading and then we would be on our way again. We were fully prepared to spend the night on the bus when we got to the border at about 0300. But now it was only 0130.
Thank goodness for the young Vietnamese guys who had a smattering of English, "Best you get loom. Me and wife get loom. Bus leave only 7 tomollow."
Ah. That makes sense. All the time other buses were arriving and disgorging their passengers. Everybody was doing the same thing it seemed. Find a perch, make yourself comfortable and try and relax or get some sleep. We found a table and some chairs; wrapped our small kit bag's straps around us and tried to get some sleep.
It is hard to sleep when stray dogs yelp and bark and growl at each other when they are not dodging the buses that make this part of the town's main road a parking lot and every now and again an enterprising person tries to sell you something.
"No, we weren't sleeping. But although your offer is terribly attractive, we would rather decline the (insert objective's name here) you would like us to buy." After a few times of this, it was amazing how a look can communicate thoughts and possible actions without consideration of consequences. And it is amazing how language, in these circumstances, is never a barrier to understanding. It never ceases to amaze me!
Come the morning, and the town beginning to stir, we made ready for our trip to the border post and onto Hué, Vietnam! A long night had come to an end. Ing had long ago abandoned her attempt to sleep and was ready to get going! Good Morning Vietnam!
Because there are few signs to indicate where you are, you can never be sure of your exact location. Even our guide when we did the river and jungle trekking wasn't certain of what roads we might have taken at times. Nor are people particularly good at giving any information about upcoming events. But once again, our man came to the rescue.
"Border one kilomelte that way. No far. Bus come thlough when come thlough. Just wait." And he and his wife jumped onto a motorbike taxi and headed off to the border.
Ah. But now, we had another German couple quiz us about what we knew. Ing had noticed them earlier that morning having a blazing row. I don't think the lady of the couple had expected this to happen on her leave! He was just glad to get some information that could help propel them in the right direction with the mi nimum of hassle (and calm her down a little!).
True to his word, the border post was not far away. A pleasant walk in the morning (actually dawn. Anything before 0700 has to be considered dawn!) led us to the heaving throng that were crowding out the counter of the departure desk. Inside were relaxed border official calming palming the money in each passport and putting them back in a pile.
The throng was agents who would collect passports and got them stamped so that you didn't need the hassle of fighting the crowd. The money in the passports was a sweetener to get your passport done faster; sooner rather than later. The four of us waded into the throng and bullied our way to near the front (having big backpacks lends a little weight to your generally direction!). Those at front were clinging on for dear life, urging the border officials to do their pile first! Even our bags won't shift them!
Thankfully it was our smiling faces and happy countenance that got our passports done quickly and we beat a path to Vietnam in a flash. Not before we saw the German lose his cool within the throng and become all indignant at having to place a 10 000kip(about 80p) note in each passport! Nein. Nein!
The last we saw of Laos was one of the fences that ran around the small office complex. Here the Ho Chi Minh trail (during the American War) that ran literally through the hills above the town a kilometre back. This part of the trail must have received its fair share of aerial bombardment and punishment way back when. But sometime in the past, somebody, somewhere had thought that using the old ordnance from the American War was a good idea! Vietnam came closer as Laos and its bombshell fence disappeared from view.
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