Happy Children

To all travellers out there: Do not take night bus thinking that it saves time and money on accomodation. Yes it may seems to work out that way, however it is unlikely you will get much sleep anyway and will have to spend a day sleeping. Not to mention that it is far more dangerous for buses to drive at night as most places do not have street lights and the roads are more often than not full of potholes.

I have to learn that through experience, so take my advice to me.

On a lighter note, the day was pretty interesting. I dropped off the bus in the town of Pakse. Pakse being the provincial town is in fact pretty boring. Most people stay here and go on day trips to nearby sights. I did not see any point in staying and wanted to go straight to Champasak. A sleepy town 2hours south of Pakse.

Well then i had a problem, local transport in this region is pretty limited and the only way to get to Champasak is to go to the market and together with the "aunties" who finish their grocery shopping, share the transport back home. I was there pretty early and had to wait more than an hour for the ladies to finishing their shopping. Nonetheless it is pretty funny talking to a couple of "fast shoppers" though we did not understand each other very much.

After 25 people and tons of food stacked into the Sorng Thaew (2 benches truck they call it, funny this one had 3 benches with the same name), we started burning rubber.
My 3 benches "2 bench truck"Because most people travel far to the market, they usually buy enough to last a week or two. And around the market, they have all these "porters" who will carry your stuff for a small fee(2k kip=$0.40) What happens when the truck is full?
Cramped in the hot stuffy truck

One thing I noticed is all these empty containers that everybody is bringing along with them. I tried to ask them what are they for and of course with my limited language abilities, i got no answer. It is when our truck pulled in to a gas station and everybody started shouting out prices then I understood that they are for storing petrol! You dont get to see this in Singapore!

Champasak is mainly famous for Wat Phu Champasak, an extension of the Angkorian Era temples. This part of Laos used to be under the jurisdiction of the Angkor Empire long time ago and there is an impressive Wat in this region. People interested in the history will need a trip here.Makeshift boats for passengers to Champasak

Was feeling shitty because of the night bus and i ended up sleeping the afternoon away. Was too late for Wat Phu Champasak and i decided to look around the small town. While walking past a small straw house, I overheard some music being played. I peeked in and saw 2 boys aged 4-5, 1 strumming a small guitar and another beating a traditional drum while both sang along. They said Sabaidee (hello) to me and didn't mind me being the only audience. They were SO SO SO SO happy just making their own music.

Happy!
Happy!!

As the boys were motioned into the house by an adult, I continued to walk on and I heard some laughter and shouting from afar. Needless to say, i went to check it out. A group of children were playing in the sandy dirt road.

Who-digs-up-the-most-sand competition!

When they saw me, they started to run towards me and with their hands together, encircled me, running around. The moment i fished my camera out of my pocket, a couple ran away and a handful started to pose for me. They were EXTREMELY cute and i had a good time kicking up sand with them. Circles!
Say cheese!!
Cool blue boy, little heart red girl and 2 lost and blur kids at the side :D

Everyday as i see the Mekong River and the people living and depending on it. It really dawned unto me how important this is for the locals. If the river one day disappears or is deemed unsafe, the people would be in grave danger. Mekong the river of life

The very next day, i rented a ubiquitous single gear, suspension nil bicycle (10k kip=$2) and make my way to Wat Phu Champasak 9KM away!! I was alone and getting a ride on a tuk tuk would be expensive. I am on a budget remember. So i pedaled my way in the hot sun through small wooden houses and past unused paddy fields, dodging motorcyclist, kids, dogs, chicken, goats, buffalos and numerous pothholes along the way. Thankfully the road is flat and i got there in 45mins. Phew!

A quick visit to the exhitibition hall and i went on in the hot striking sun another km towards the Wat. Wat Phu!Inside the exhibition hall
Beautiful trees lined the stairways up to the wat

Restoration work by the Italian government

The Wat is by far the most impressive one i have seen. It sits atop a hill and has a lush canopy of trees towering over it, providing cool shade for those who make it up there. From the top, you can see the scenery of the surrounding plains. I reckoned it would look far more majestic in the wet season with green paddy fields everywhere. There was not many people when i went and it makes a great place for photography lovers.Random pictureLone statue
Great view of the surrounding

With that my stay in Champasak is completed. Few independent travellers make it to this place and most of them head straight to Don Det (Det island) further south in Si Phan Don (4000 islands). That is where i need to go next.
First i need to get back to the main road across the river

On the pier on the other side, it is about 4-5km to the main road. Since transports is scarce in this part of the country. I had wanted to hitch hike out. Even before i could do that, a motorcycle pulled up before me and said he will take me out for 5k kip=$1. Oh well, saves me the trouble.

Out on the main road, it is another 3 hours south to get to the boat pier for the islands. I was in a hitch hiking mood today and was about to take my signature Orange market board/paper and ask a local to write 4000 island for me when a Sorng Thaew started horning from afar. Immediately all the food vendors rushed up with their raw meat and vegetables in hand to the crowded-to-the-brim truck. I guessed they are pretty desperate for business.

Just then, a lady came up from the back of the truck, looked me in the eye and said "Don Det?" Don Det! thats where i wanted to go! I was elated until I hear her say 30k kip... Well i managed to bargain to 20k kip=$4 and decided to go with them. Apparently the driver saw me and my backpack from afar and had stopped to pick me up! not to buy groceries from the people there. There goes my chance of hitch hiking! My pack's strap dangling at the back of the truck

After a very dusty ride to the pier, me and a naive japanese guy went to look for a boat across. His plan for the island? To drink and smoke..

Why did i call him naive? Because when we went to the boat landing, he asked how much was the boat ride and they told him 20k kip each. The japan guy said ok and started to reach for his wallet. I knew that they inflated the already-largely-inflated tourist price and i told them no firmly. In the end they gave up and issue us the ticket for 15k kip each ($3). Turned out that the boat ride is only about 5 mins and i walked straight into a long war with the transport mafia in this area. The sunset was pretty nice though