Blogs from Champasak, South, Laos, Asia - page 4

Getting up early on Monday morning wasnt that difficult at all, since we went to bed at about 10 PM. Our destination was Bang Tang Beng, a village close to Kiet Ngong (pronounced Kiet Nyan), where the elephants awaited us. The first challenge for us and the trip organizer was how to squeeze 13 people and 11 big rucksacks/suitcases into a 12-seater mini bus. We experienced it takes about 20 minutes, a pinch of creativity and some people willing to put up with a feeling of being a sardinne in too tight a can. Oh, almost forgot to mention. Prior to entering the bus, I bought 20 bananas again at the same shop as 3 days ago. This time for even less, $0.40! The mini bus was soon heading for Pakse, the capital of Champasak province ... read more

Champasak was a bit of an experience. Well the getting to and fro bit. It all started with the guy at the travel company in Pakse proclaiming on the day that we had arranged to leave that he had no minibuses today! (NICE ONE MATE!) The only alternative was for us to take the local bus service…… The pictures tell the story. 26 adults and 6 kids, along with the fruit and veg counter of Sainsbury’s all packed into a little van!! It wasn’t as bad as it looked (apart from the sleeping lady on my shoulder!). Even with a pit stop to change a burst rear tyre that would have had Bernie Ecclestone salivating! It was that quick! We got to Champasak a lot faster than we thought. Champasak is a little bit off ... read more

There's not too much to write about my short stay in Pakse, where I went to recover from the Loop trip and get money at one of the few ATMs in Laos. It was soooo hot that I spent two days taking cold showers and sitting in front of the fan reading. Quite pleasant actually. When I decided enough lounging around had been done, I caught a small longtail boat with six other tourists for an hour and a half ride to Champasak. It's a small town with very little traffic. The main attraction are the pre-Angkorian temples. With a German guy Sebastian, who was also on the boat, we rented a couple bicycles and peddled out to the temples. The town itself is quiet and the thatched houses sit close to the road. The ... read more

Nachdem wir Savannaketh auf unserer Rueckreise hinter uns gelassen haben, blieben wir fuer eine Nacht in Pakse, der zweitgroessten Stadt in Laos. Dort trafen wir ein polnisches Maedchen, die so begeistert von Champasak erzaehlte, das wir uns entschlossen noch einen Abstecher dorthin zu machen, da es eh auf unserem Weg lag. Champasak ist nur mit einer Faehre zu erreichen, es gibt keine Bruecken dorthin, ausser man nimmt eine Heidentortour auf sich und nimmt die Bruecke bei Pakse um dann auf nicht befestigten Strassen sich den Weg dorthin zu bahnen. Nein, wir nahmen den einfacheren Weg, und die Faehre. Champasak versprach das was uns am Vorabend so begeistert erzaehlt wurde. Am Mekong gelegen zieht sich der Ort ca. 8 km entlang, leicht mit dem Radl zu befahren, aber heiss!!! Dort liegt auch die beruehmte Tempelanlage aus dem ... read more

In Southern Laos I saw a wonderful Khmer style temple that was built around the same period as Angkor Wat in Cambodia, and was almost as impressive in its own way. I hired a bicycle to cycle to the ruins and had a great day trip exploring the area. The temple was built at the edge of a mountain with steps leading up to different levels, and as I climbed up each level I kept meeting different people and stopping to have a chat! I finally met some people from Adelaide, which was really nice! I had been travelling for 8 weeks before I met anyone from the same city as me - all of the Australians I have met seem to be either from Sydney or Melbourne - and most can't seem to tell from ... read more