Laos is full of archaeological intrigue. It’s history is complex and it seems the edges of Laos has been under the influence of many different civilizations. Today I visited Wat Phu. It was an ancient city with similarities to Ankor Wat in Cambodia. The same peoples were involved in the construction.
Champasak is just a village now on the Mekong River but in its time it was a place of royalty and palaces. It was an ancient city. Currently there are teams of archaeologists from France, India and Korea studying and restoring the ancient city and the temples of Wat Phu. Wat Phu is World Heritage listed. It’s located at the base of a sacred mountain because the shape of that mountain has the phallic shape of the Hindu God Shiva. It appears to date back to the 5th century AD. It was the place of kings. But over time the political Centre of the Khmer people’s shifted to Ankor Wat 240km away in the 9th century AD. Wat Phu still remained a place of religious significance especially for Bhuddist. And to this day it is a place for Buddhist pilgrims.
I hired a scooter today and rode about 10km to get to Wat Phu from my guest house. I spent the morning walking around the site unassisted, armed only with an explanatory brochure. A brief encounter with a museum helped but I still have many questions. It’s so complex, but fascinating.
The village of Champasak today is a mix of French and Laos architecture. There are some beautiful French structures here inhabited by wealthier Laotians I suspect. Even some of the many Buddhist temples here have French influence in their structure. Although the newer temples are typically Laos, further eroding their French history.
Looking out over the river now over a beer and the sky is electric. There are thunder storms every day and the humidity is oppressive. Last night a storm passed through around midnight and the thunder was like nothing I’ve heard before. It was amazing.
angusmccoll 