I Pity The Wat Phou

After leaving Vang Vieng (goodbye sweet water trapeze), we spent a night in the capital city of Vientiane (so so so hot). We checked out the Laos version of the Arc de Triumphe, which had a sign on it that literally said, "from a closer distance, it (the Arc) appears even less impressive, like a monster of concrete." Ooh, that's harsh. We didn't think it was that bad but the top floor of the structure looked like a ghetto for sure. After visiting a wat and seeking air-conditioned refuge in a wine store that was playing Thai pop music videos, we felt we'd had enough of Vientiane. We booked ourselves a sleeper bus for the 10 hour journey from Vientiane to Pakse.

We were shown photos of the bus were were going to be on: seats that recline all the way back to make beds, with little pillows and blankets. We had heard some "rumors" that the bus you think you are booking isn't necessarily what you are going to get when you arrive at the bus station but at this point in our travels, we are prepared for the unexpected. At least I thought we were. We imagined what the worse situations would be: seats that did not recline, loud/drunk neighbors, no leg room. At best, we'd have a nice comfy sleeper berth to stretched out in, with a curtain we could draw around us for privacy. However, I never anticipated the situation that became our reality. After waiting too long for the tuk-tuk to pick us up at our guesthouse (we started to think it wasn't coming), then packing 15 people into the tuk-tuk, then dropping the driver's daughter off at the medical clinic, we made it to the bus station. We got our tickets and moved excitedly to our "VIP" bus. (Sidenote: in Thailand and Laos, they use the term VIP very liberally.)

As we made our way to our seats, we looked to the back of the bus and slowly, tragically realized that we were to be spending the next 10 hours sharing a bed in the back of the bus with 2 perfect strangers. Aaah ha! Laos travel company, you stumped us! We thought we had imagined every possible scenario, but alas, you got us again! Yes, our seats (actually our beds) were part of a 4-person bed at the back of the bus.  As I began to unravel, Tyson talked me down. There was nothing we could do but crawl up there, laugh and get ready for a slumber party with our new friends. People in the sleeping berths around us were turning around and taking photos of us like we were animals in a zoo.

From Luang Prabang, Vang Vieng, Vientiane, and Pakse

I have to say that after the initial shock of the 4-person bed, it wasn't bad at all. We actually wound up having more leg room than the smaller sleeping berths and we both slept like babies. Oh yeah, one other surprise: the bus didn't have a bathroom. That's ok, we just won't drink anything for 10 hours. No problem!

One last thing about the sleeper bus. We stopped at a bus station at 1:00 am (so we could use a bathroom) and there, our bus broke down for two hours. No big deal. The bus driver and his other bus driving friends fixed the bus and we were on our way. All this and we would say that the sleeper bus was one of our most pleasant travel experiences. Seriously.

After spending day and night in Pakse (which was hot and not very pretty), we headed to the Bolaven Plateau and the village of Tadlo for some waterfalls and nature.  We love Tadlo!  We found a perfect little bungalow next to Tadhang waterfall and spent the next few days wandering through the surrounding villages and swimming in the waterfalls.  It was so nice for us to be out of the concrete, traffic and heat of Vientiane and Pakse.  Tadlo had some travelers, but it felt much less touristy than most of the places we have been and we welcomed the quiet and relaxed pace.

From Pakse, Tadlo, 4,000 Islands; Laos

Instead of heading back to Pakse the way we had come, we decided to try to continue east around the Bolaven Plateau to see a few more waterfalls and the coffee plantations that grow the amazing Lao coffee we've been drinking for the past month.  Our Lonely Planet did not have any information about taking the public bus in this direction but we had spoken with several people who owned guesthouses in Tadlo and they told us exactly what we would need to do.  We felt so adventurous!  Look at us, going off the beaten path!

We got a ride to the bus stop at 8:00 am where the bus would supposedly pick us up at 8:30 am, take us to the next bus stop, where we would then transfer to another bus that would take us to the village of Paksong.  There were locals waiting with us at the bus stop and they were going in the same direction we were, so we assumed everything was on track.  And then we waited.  And waited.  And waited.  For 3 hours.  And the bus never came.  And we are in southern Laos and it's a million degrees out and we are defeated because our plan to get away from the guidance of the holy Lonely Planet was foiled.  So we pulled the plug.  We walked across the street, took a public bus back to Pakse, and then headed down to the town of Champasak.  Tyson is still upset that we missed those two waterfalls....

Champasak is a one road town that used to be the capital of a Laos kingdom.  There is not a ton to do there but relax, eat, rent bikes and ride to Wat Phou.  Wat Phou is Angkor Wat of Laos.  It was actually built before Angkor Wat between the 9th and 12th centuries and includes a large promenade lined with lingas (phalluses), two large pools of water, a north and south palace, and the main temple.  Aside from being very old and very beautiful, this wat is interesting because it was originally created as a Hindu temple so there is a lot of imagery of Shiva, Brahma, and Vishnu along with the more recent depictions of Buddhism.

From Pakse, Tadlo, 4,000 Islands; Laos

I'd like to say that the highlight of our day in Champasak was visiting Wat Phou, but it wasn't.  The highlight of the day, and one of our favorite experiences of the trip so far, was the detour we took off the main road as we rode our bikes to Wat Phou.  On the right side of the main road, we noticed a pipeline pumping water from the Mekong into a large concrete structure.  Tyson, being the curious guy that he is, went up to get a closer look and discovered a dirt road that ran perpendicular to the road we were on.   We started riding along the dirt road and realized that the water being pumped from the river was being directed into an aqueduct that was irrigating a series of rice fields.  Expanses of bright green rice crops stretched alongside the dirt road as we continued riding.  The sky was clear and small lush mountains climbed gently and gracefully in the distance.  We rode through several villages where the locals were just going about their daily lives but always had time to shout "sabaidee" or hello to the crazy Westerners on their bikes.  Just when I started worrying that the dirt road was a dead-end and that we were going to have to backtrack to the main road to find Wat Phou, we found ourselves 2 minutes away from the wat!  We had taken a chance on a curiosity and had been rewarded greatly. 

From Pakse, Tadlo, 4,000 Islands; Laos

We have been in Si Phan Don, or the 4,000 Islands, for the past 6 days.  We have loved it here and will try to write more about that later.  Tomorrow, we leave for Cambodia and we can't believe that the trip is already half over.

More photos here.