15/10/12 - Pakse seemed like the centre of the earth. Theres not much there to see but all major bus routes in southern Laos pass through here, so its a place that everyone has to spend some time.
Inevitably, you end up seeing the same people again and again, and of course, making friends. Most of these are fellow travellers, but we were lucky enough to meet some locals too. We were having a quiet drink by the river when a guy started shouting "Wayne Rooney" at Dave. His name was Lote and he was a Liverpool fan (like most of the Lao guys who follow English football) and his favourite player was John Barnes. Lote was a really friendly guy and worked in the courts in Pakse. We were invited to play Petanque (French bowls) with him, but we were running short of time in Pakse. After drinking a few Beerlao with him, he left us and when we asked for the bill, the waitress said that we had nothing to pay as Lote had paid for everything (even for the beers we had before he came to join us).
Inevitably, you end up seeing the same people again and again, and of course, making friends. Most of these are fellow travellers, but we were lucky enough to meet some locals too. We were having a quiet drink by the river when a guy started shouting "Wayne Rooney" at Dave. His name was Lote and he was a Liverpool fan (like most of the Lao guys who follow English football) and his favourite player was John Barnes. Lote was a really friendly guy and worked in the courts in Pakse. We were invited to play Petanque (French bowls) with him, but we were running short of time in Pakse. After drinking a few Beerlao with him, he left us and when we asked for the bill, the waitress said that we had nothing to pay as Lote had paid for everything (even for the beers we had before he came to join us). On
our way back to our hotel, the streets of Pakse were so calm. However, we found a local karaoke and had a go in between two Lao pop songs with our English pop repatoire. We left as soon as a group of noisy Aussies invaded the place (the Lao people left too).
13/10/12 - The next day we decided to visit Wat Phu in Champasak.
We again took a motorcycle and after some navigational hiccups and the associated fallout we eventually found our way. This happened to be along a brand new road, by far the best in Laos. With lines in the middle and no pot holes, and a toll booth at either end that waived us through without charge, it was a nice break from the dusty droves full of school children on bikes with umbrellas. There were still the usual cows, pigs and dogs but a bit more tarmac in between. The scenery was no less stunning. At the end of the rainy season everything is a rich shade of green, except for the fox red dusty soil at the side of the road. The mountains in the distance are covered by a dreamy haze from the humidity from the thick vegetation.
We arrived at Wat Phu and began the trek uphill to visit the ruins. We were instantly soaked in sweat. We finally reached the Top after a hundred or so steps, where we were rewarded with a wonderful view of the area. After a much needed water break and a walk around the cool museum, we headed through Champasak on our way back to Pakse.
We decided to stop at one of the many snooker halls in Laos (essentially a snooker table with a thatch roof constructed above to keep the rain off. We found one with a view overlooking the Mekong and played a couple of frames.
They have chalk for the cue, but also a white chalk to stop the cue sticking to your fingers if they get too sweaty. We then headed back to Pakse before making our way to Si Phan Don.
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