Category Archives: Southeast Asia

From Siem Reap to Don Khone

Global Traveller Blog Posted on November 3, 2017 by

The tuk tuk driver showed up promptly at 7:30 a.m. We went to the head office of Asia Van Transfer where a Spanish hippie explained  exactly how it was going to work getting across the border to Laos. He had a binder with photos of the border crossing, the minivans, the rest stop and explained the process in excruciating detail. So much the better. I piled into a minivan with about 8 other people all backpackers and we set forth to the Laotian border. The road was good but it was crowded. I prefer a bus to a minivan, I decided. We  made a rest stop after 3 hours and after another 2 hours stopped for lunch in Stung Treng. Despite the morning briefing, no one remembered every detail of the plan but together we pieced it all together and remained absurdly confident it would all work out. Back in the Day Once upon a time, backpacking was a more convivial experience where you swapped stories shared tips and bragged about how cheap your last hostel was. No more. Now everyone is lost in there own digital world, their heads buried in their smartphones, not talking or interacting with other … Continue reading →

Don Khone

Global Traveller Blog Posted on November 4, 2017 by

How wonderful it was to wake up and amble out onto the balcony of Pan’s Guesthouse. I took a look around “town”. It was a lovely day today not in the sense of beautiful sunny weather but in the sense of cool weather that made it easy and comfortable to pedal around the island. I headed out of the little village, pedalling slowly and enjoying the panorama. It was a rough road and on either side were banana trees, bamboo trees, frangipani trees, chickens, water buffalo, rice paddies, and all manner of thick tropical vegetation. It was gorgeous and tranquil: laid back Laos at its best. I first went to see the Li Phi waterfalls around which was a park and viewing station. I found it comical that they were in the process of constructing a rotunda which evidently was going to house cafes and maybe a souvenir shop but to access the waterfall viewing station there was only a narrow plank slapped down across a ditch. The Mekong was browner that I expected but, as it was the end of rainy season, the swollen river gushed frantically over the rocks. A path followed the river downstream for a bit. … Continue reading →

From Don Khone to Champasak

Global Traveller Blog Posted on November 5, 2017 by

It poured rain in buckets last night and the streets were still wet today. The skies were grey and overcast with a dubious forecast so I decided to pack up and leave. Janna, my Danish neighbor raved about the beauties of Champasak.”So nice”, she kept saying. Why not check it out? The Laotian Way? I bought a ticket that was to take me straight through to Champasak. The plan was to board a boat to go to Nakasong whereupon a minibus would take us to Muang whereupon we would board another small boat that would take us to Champasak. Things started off well. The boat ride along the Mekong was gorgeous and lasted for a good half-hour which gave us time to appreciate the lush greenery of the 4000 or so islands and islets.   When we got to Nakasong, a ramshackle village on the river, there was some confusion and negotiation about the minivans. We waited for it all to be sorted out and I was placed into one minivan that already had some people in it while the rest of the small group was placed in another. We traveled along for about an hour and a half and … Continue reading →

Champasak

Global Traveller Blog Posted on November 6, 2017 by

Today I was able to fully appreciate what a magical place Champasak is. In the morning I took a tuk-tuk to the temple Vat Phou, spectacularly situated against the backdrop of high mountains. The Vat Phou Temple is older than Angkor Wat. In fact it was the earliest of the Khmer temples and was dedicated to the god Shiva. As noted by UNESCO: Wat Phu “was shaped to express the Hindu vision of the relationship between nature and humanity, using an axis from mountain top to river bank to lay out a geometric pattern of temples, shrines and waterworks extending over some 10 km.” The setting is extraordinary. The crumbling stone structures are tucked between the mountain and a vast plain that stretches off to the horizon. There were far fewer tourists than Angkor Wat but I would not say that it was deserted. It was a steep climb to get to the inner sanctuary. The steps were narrow and high. This is the easy part: Everyone was huffing and puffing, plus it was sunny and hot. I’m glad that I did not follow the hotel’s advice which was to take a bike for the 10 km. I would not … Continue reading →

Pakse

Global Traveller Blog Posted on November 7, 2017 by

Today was a day of ups and downs. I was really sorry to leave Champasak this morning, particularly as the day started off with such a beautiful tableau of monks receiving alms from the villagers. I especially liked that the dogs were there first, waiting for the monks to appear. Right outside my window! I got a minivan at 8:45 which took me directly to the Hotel Pakse in Pakse. It was a pleasure just walking into the hotel, graced with a spacious and stylish Art Deco Lobby. I was also pleased with my room with a view. Finding something interesting to do in Pakse however, turned out to be a challenge. Since the hotel was next to the river, I headed down there first thinking that there would be a walk or something to see but no luck. There was nothing there. Buy now of course it was getting hot so I decided to take a tuk-tuk to go to the Don Huang Market. Compared to busy town such as Phnom Penh or Siem Reap, Pakse is relatively quiet. It was an important port town during the French Colonial period And there are a number of crumbling colonial buildings … Continue reading →