Pakse
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Don Khon to Luang Prabang
Today I travelled from the very southern tip of Laos to the northern city of Luang Prabang. It was a long journey covering over 1200 km and taking 27 hours travelling by boat, two rickshaws, three minivans and a sleeper bus. The ticket only cost 360,000 Kip (£37) which was very good value. The journey started from Don Khon where I was picked up at 3.30 pm by a longboat to be taken to Nakasong. It was a perfect sunny afternoon for the boat ride. At Nakasong I transferred to a minivan for a 2 hour trip to Pakse. It was a smooth journey with a very careful driver. I…
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Pakse to Don Khon
After the adventures in the Bolaven jungle I headed south to the 4000 islands on the Mekong river bordering Cambodia. The islands are known for their chilled out atmosphere and I headed for Don Khon. It was a 2 hour bus ride from Pakse to Nakasong followed by a trip on a longboat to the island. The tourist season has begun and the bus and were full. Don Khon only has one street lined with guesthouses and a few restaurants. I checked into a simple bungalow at the Somphamit Guesthouse and chilled out in a hammock for a while and then went out to explore. The island still has crumbling…
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Champasak and Don Daeng island
Today I visited the UNESCO World Heritage Site called Wat Phu (also called Vat Phou). The Khmer Hindu complex extends all the way into the town where I was staying surrounding the town with the ancient city walls. The main temple is located 5 km from the town on a hillside. The temple is from the same period as Angkor Wat to which it is connected by an ancient road. The temple complex was built here due to the religious symbolism of the mountain hill side it is built upon. The mountain peak has a natural shape of the linga (phallic symbol representing Shiva). I think it may have eroded…
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Pakse to Champasak
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Pakse to Champasak
I woke up after a really good nights sleep at the 1918 hostel in Pakse. In the morning I briefly explored the city which has very few sights of interest. It is where the Se Don river joins the mighty Mekong river. I was surprised by how wide the river is at this point as compared to Thakhet where I last visited the Mekong river. The city is the gateway to the south of Laos and also a major transit point for Vietnam, Thailand and Cambodia. The hostel was located next to a local market and the old Wat Luang Temple. I then headed south to the small town of…
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Champasak and Don Daeng island
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Konglo to Pakse
Staying in a jungle bungalow is great but being so close to nature sometimes has it’s down sides. Two giant geckos decided decided to take up residence in the bungalow I was staying and had a territorial fight during the night. I woke in the middle of the night to loud chirping which was very close to my ear. It was so loud that it woke the neighbouring bungalow. I using my head torch and saw two geckos scurry away into the roof. I never knew geckos could make so much noise. Every time I turned the light out they came back scurrying up and down the wall and then…
