Chilling in Champasak

Champasak high street.
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From Don Khon we took a boat to Nakasang and from there we took a bus to the next town across the river from Champasak. We had intended to get the ferry across as it was the cheapest option. However after waiting half an hour there was no sign of the ferry so we negiotiated with a local for the crossing. He agreed on the same price as the ferry and indicated that we should get into a tiny wooden boat. It rocked about so much that I fell on the bottom soaking my bottom. We set off and I have to say I was very concerned about the fact that the boat was wobbling and taking in water at an alarming rate not to mind the fact that it was being skippered by a child who appeared no older than 12. I'm sure the insurance doesn't cover us for this. I was fairly worried when it started pelting down with icy rain and visibilty was nothing. We were soaked through in seconds. Thankfully we hit dry land again and I couldn't get off the boat fast enough. The skies cleared around that moment.

Colonial builing, Champasak.
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We took a tuk tuk to the town, about 2 kilometres away and found a guesthouse for the bargain price of $3, hot water and everything. We had some lunch to steady our nerves and relaxed for the afternoon. Champasak is a charming little town, very pretty with some old colonial buildings, wooden shops, a few guesthouses and that's about it. In the evening we bumped into some Australians we'd met at the border and had far too many beers.

Champasak is a charming little town, very pretty with some old colonial buildings, wooden shops, a few guesthouses and that's about it.

Ferry crossing, near Champasak.
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The next day we hired bikes and cycled the 8kms to Wat Phou. This is one of the first Khmer temples. It's set into the mountain with a very grand entrance. It';s definitely as beautiful as any of the other Khmer temples and some of the carved lintels are better preserved. For situation though it can't be beaten. Originally water flowing down from the mountain was incorporated into the temple. They've even carved some of the massive boulders lying about. It was really beautiful.

We set off the next day for the larger town of Pakse. It's near a plateau famous for its coffee and Cathal couldn't be happier.