The bus trip to Paxse from Thakhek to Paxse was a cruel joke played by the cosmic clown on me. I had thought I was going in air conditioned luxury. This turned out to be a shagged out local bus with broken seats and no leg room at all. Apparently the VIP bus was broken. If it was broken then I'm not sure what could have happened to it because the replacement was in a parlous state. I think it must have burnt to the ground to qualify for "broken". Anyway I prefer to put these little trials behind me and focus on the good things.
Paxse is a great base for exploring the south. My hotel is good. My first night was in the VIP suite due to a booking cock up. I had a discounted price and enjoyed Air con and huge TV all night. In the morning I moved into a small airless Fan room that was much cheaper (60,000 kip). I also hired a bike for three days and headed off to Champasak and Wat Phu ( pronounced "Poo") . The trip to involved a "ferry" ride across the Mekong. This was quite spectacular in that the ferry was two canoes joined in the center by a sort of deck and powered by the ubiquitous Honda standing motor and a bloody long screw. The motor bike and I perched on the deck like a pimple on a childs face.
Champasak is a totally lovely town spread out along the river like a thin coating of butter. Tranquil guesthouses nestle on the river bank with the occasional resteraunt and temple or school. There are a couple of very impressive french mansions that loom over everything around them and suggest of luxury in days gone past. All in all a place to revisit and chill for a while.
Wat Phu is my first Khmer temple and it is very impressive in an understated way. It is very old (5th century) and its location is magnificent. The views from the temple itself are boggling. The temple is the understated bit in that it is not overly large. The whole site however is huge as only Khmer sites can be. It climbs up the foothills of a large mountain (in English it translates as Penis mountain after the natural Lingam on the summit) to an altitude of 100m above the plain. On the plain are two huge Barays, large water reservoirs. They represent the oceans and the mountain represents the sacred mountain. On top where the temple is, there is a sacred spring that provides water for the temple Lingam. I put my head in the flow of the water and "bathed" in the sacred waters. I don't feel any more sacred! But certainly I felt cooler. The whole experience was great for me. I'm looking forward to Angkor.
Back in Pakse I had a massage that really hurt! If someone recommends a Lao massage either run away or hit them with a large piece of wood. They do not wish you well. I'm hoping that it will do me good in the long run. It's a bit like bashing your head against a brick wall. It feels really good when you stop!
I ate dinner tonight at the Indian resteraunt across the road from my hotel. I've eaten there ever since I arrived and have enjoyed each meal. This mornings Masala Dosa was the first I have had in 37 years and it did not disappoint. If only they did Murtabaks. Tonight is was a Rogan Gosh, a butter Naan and a fruit and veg curry. Delicious.
Tomorrow I go to the Boleven Plateau for 2 days and then it's the 4 thousand islands. Things are picking up speed as I hurtle toward the end of this sojourn. I wonder how I'll feel at the finish?
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