The Deep South

After seeing the more visited North we took a night bus to the South, gratefully on a predominantely straight flat road. The South of Laos is a thin strip of land that mirrors the path of the Mekhong river, hemmed in by Thailand on one side and Vietnam on the other. Most tourists that head this way simply pass through on their way to Cambodia, and we would of done the same if it wasn't for some unforseen circumstances. The main hub in the South is Pakse, which in Lao means boring. There isn't a whole lot to do in Pakse, even when the big Buddhist Lent festival is taking place. After a few days pottering around town we had a clear thought and decided to rent a moped for a few days and tour the surrounding countryside. I'd had a bit of a spin on a moped in Luang Nam Tha, so considered myself a professional. The next morning we hopped on our rented Honda Wave 100 and screamed out of town.
First stop was the Bolaven Plateau, a rich fertile plateau that borders the river to the East. The road up to plateau was surprisingly gentle considering the rocky peaks and deep canyons that crisscrossed the plateau. The real pull of the plateau is the numerous waterfalls that thunder into the 200m deep canyons, sending spray soaring into the sky. The small villages that nestle near the waterfalls are constantly wet, living under a blanket of fine mist. Not to dissimilar from England, Leighanne felt right at home.
Our next stop was the sleepy village of Champasak, which was once the capital of the Lao Kingdom. These days it is a dusty one-street town on the banks of the Mekhong, reached only by ferry. Now, the ferry for mopeds is a far cry from what most people consider a ferry. A ferry Lao style is 2 canoes with a few planks of wood strapped across the top. The embarking and disembarking is not a straighforward exercise, especially for a rookie driver. Champasaks' claim to fame is the ancient Khmer ruins of Wat Phou. The once exceedingly grand ruins are now in a state of disrepair, but they somehow still give a sense of awe. They lie at the base of Phou Mountain and have an eerie feel when the mountains cast shadows across the site. At the base of the ruins are two palaces of intricate stonework that border a causeway leading to a monumental staircase that leads up the mountain to the Buddhist Sanctuary. The staircase is stunning, its' cobbled stones have been molded by the roots of the giant Jacaranda trees that flank the staircase the entire way to the top. Once on top the views of the Mekhong valley and river are sweeping.
After 2 days of incident free mopeding we got a total flat almost within site of Pakse on our return trip. We pulled over and starting pushing the bike down the road in the hope of finding a garage to fix the tyre. Luckily we came across a garage/hut that looked like it could sort us out. Bundling the bike down the slope onto the wooden plank working bay we were greeted by 3 kids, none over the age of 10. They all smiled and immediately began work on fixing our flat, talk about entrepeneurs. They were doing a great job getting the tyre off when Dad showed up and resumed responsibilities. Within no time we were back on the road with a new inner tube and heading back to Pakse, all for $2, try getting a mechanic back home to fix a flat for that price.
Tomorrow we are off to Cambodia to gawk at the ruins of Angkor.