After getting our heads together we agreed to go straight to Savannakhet and sort out accomodation, then have a look around Muang Champhone, an area 1 hour to the south of the city which had a good write-up in the guidebook. Highway 13 was its usual straight and event-free self but we did have a little trouble sorting out accomodation which cut our time short for exploring. Nevertheless our exploring was worthwhile and included a little trip to see a monkey forest and a reservoir via some picturesque villages.