Very little traffic. People preparing for a day in the fields.

Its school holidays as the rainy season approaches and its harder to travel to school.

There's probably all sorts of fascinating gorges and vegetation hidden away.

This charcoal kiln was out the back.

Very bright. Kept us entertained.

In the background are the living quarters. One room with roller doors on two sides and a tiled floor.

This gang of workers were erecting signage.

There's a sheet of Dibond on the bench. The black powder is from cutting it with a jigsaw.

The guy with the safety feet was how the work was clamped.

They were fed by the station operator, sat around the food on the tiled floor.

We'd unfortunately eaten otherwise we'd have joined them.

The dense bright green rice is seedlings ready to be transplanted to a less dense field.

We saw lots for sale.

Surprisingly good lane discipline and even indicators to change lane.

Nevertheless, for some reason the driving here was quite stressful.

The gentleman in the uniform was from the Tourist Police and very curious.

It seemed to be a place to visit for local tourists.

Started in 1962 it is incomplete. Interrupted by war and other challenges.

Walked as far as the eye could see towards the river (about 1km to a T junction).

ANZ Bank didn't have any Yuan. Nor did any other bank.

So much for "plan A". Got some more US$. We'll probably brave the money changers at the border.

Our daughter Rachael has asked if we've seen any "same same" t-shirts.

Yes, but nobody wearing them.....

Having taken the photos they rushed back to their print shop (in the back of a car).

We'd stopped to ask directions and there it was.

Some of you may remember that we got stuck in the first week of the test run in Aus last June. One of the complications was the engine cut out after about a half hour ticking over.

We put it down to being on a hill and the pick up pipe not long enough.

I'd brought some new flecible fuel pipe from Brisbane. But it was the wrong size.

The auto parts shop in Vientiane had a better selection of pipe than I've seen in Brisbane.

More about the fuel problem later.

Its a 1970's hydro scheme that supplies Vientiane with some leftover for Thailand.

Dinner in the guest house.

There's a bit of a spillway which provides a fishing spot.

Backpacker heaven.

We turned down here looking for a riverside guest house with parking.

But it got narrower and narrower.