The less said about debaucherous V. V. the better. Set amongst the most stunning karst mountains, you enter along lima site 27, one of the many secret airstrips used by the US during the Vietnam War. From these covert jungle sites, the US launched a relentless air attack on communist positions in southern Laos, largely to no avail. Behind the airstrip, there are rows of half empty bars playing friends re-runs to groups of recuperating backpackers. For me it was Koh Pha Ngan all over again. I would have stayed out of town, but I had the task of finding a cobbler to fix my shoes. Miraculously amongst all the bars and guesthouses was a guy selling bags, with a small sign 'shoes fixing'. An amazing job given his equipment, I thought he would just glue it, but with his hand tools managed to puncture the thick plastic sole and stitch it back into the upper. Despite the best efforts of some Canadians, I did't go tubing, and while they tripped away on magic mushroom shakes and floated down the Nam Song river, I began the ascent to Phu Khoun. It's a pretty long day, I opted to bypass the hot-springs resort at 80km, only to descend a steep hill and then face an enormous 20km climb to reach Phou Khoun. It was a memorable day with stunning views, and I felt well pleased with my achievement when I finally reached the top.
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