Heading South Along the Mekong

PHNOM PENH: Okay I just re-read some posts and realised I'm repeating myself, however, I thought I'd try and drag this blog into the twentieth century with a recount of my trip down to Don Det. Leaving Vientiane I endured an hour or so of karaoke as I tried to get comfortable with the little Laos man sprawled out in the bed next to me.

The next morning I arrived in Pakse and had to wait around in a hammock for a couple of hours until somebody left. There are no actual sites in Pakse so I just walked around the blissfully quiet transport hub, shared a drink with a girl I met who was looking for a room (it's always hard to find accommodation in Pakse)then went back to the hostel and slept the sleep of the dead.

The following day I trekked out to the public bus terminal for a bus down to Champasak, site of the famous Wat Phu. The bus was crowded and uneventful except for the makeshift ferry that took me across to the other side of the Mekong. Champasak is another one of those sleepy towns on the Mekong that Laos seems to specialise in. I found a room, got some lunch and then hired a bike for the 8k cycle to the ruins. Unfortunately I didn't check my bike adequately and my metal steed proceeded to turn the leisurely cycle through the Mekong Valley into a cross continental marathon.

The ruins themselves were interesting enough. Not particularly big but featuring some good carvings and the views across the valley are stunning. A nice little warm up for Angkor. After the horrible cycle back to the guest house I spent the rest of the evening watching the sun sink over the Mekong then just watching it flow by quietly in the dark.

The next day I got up. Went to Don Det and watched as my itinerary was cruelly massacred before my eyes.