Champasak is a small village across the Mekong River in southern Laos. I get there via a 40km mini bus ride from my hotel in Pakse to catch a ferry of sorts. The ferry is a long boat modified to carry one or two small motorbikes. Today it’s me and one small motorbike.the river is about a kilometer wide here and I suspect fairly shallow. It’s slow moving and there are islands in the river. Some of the islands are big enough to support communities and have beautiful sand beaches – in the dry season that is. When the wet is in full force I suspect the beaches will go under. Some of the islands are set up for tourism and attract many foreigners during the dry season. There is still a steady flow even now when it’s hot and wet. I bypass the islands to visit the village of Champasak. This place has history and once was a city of note. Now it’s reduced to a couple of streets that run along the river.
I walk from the ferry to a guest house I found online. It’s so hot even at 9.30 in the morning. It’s ice enough, except for the cranky dog that greets me every time I walk into the place. It overlooks the river and a large island. It’s a simple boat ride away but I’m not sure if I will bother.
I test then walk through the town around 4pm. There are some nice temples here. Interestingly they’re a mix of French and Laos architecture. It’s the older temples that have the French influence. The newer ones are typically Lao. Some of the houses are grand and very French in style. There is money here and many new cars and 4-wheel drives are testament to that. I don’t know where the money is coming from.
angusmccoll 