We had an early, relaxing final morning
on Don Det, and made our way to the mainland around 10:30 AM. We caught a
van to take us up the highway to Champasak, once an ancient Khmer
capital, and now a peaceful riverside town whose only claim to fame
is Angkorian temple, Wat Phu. We arrived around 3:00, which gave us
just enough time to head out to the ruins and see what all the fuss
was about.
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| Sun shower and some really old buildings |
Though it was obviously no match for
the ruins at/around Angkor Wat, it was certainly impressive to see a
structure over 1000 years old still standing. The stairs I could've
done without... but some temples don't just give it away, you gotta
earn it.
 | |
| I love steep, shallow rock stairs as much as the next guy, but I felt bad for all the Asian ladies in their heels... |
So with that checked off our list, we
headed back to the guesthouse. Our room was pretty dingy, but given
the price of $3.75 a night, we weren't complaining. On top of that,
the food from the restaurant was super cheap (not necessarily common
in Laos) and super good (not necessarily common in cheap hotels), so
we were satisfied.
The next morning we woke early to catch
a tuk tuk in to town, which the very lovable man in charge flagged
down for us without us even having to ask him. By 9ish we were in
Pakse, ready to quickly take care of our visas for our impending
return to Vietnam, then rent bikes and go enjoy the mountains and
waterfalls of the Bolaven Plateau.
Things are operating smoothly for
our heroes. What could possibly go wrong now?.....
We get a ride to
the Vietnamese Embassy, and begin filling out the paperwork for our
visas. Then Dan realizes he doesn't have his passport.
Gone.
Well damn. Did NOT
see that one coming.
We had no reason to
use our passports since we had entered Laos, so we had no idea of
where he might have lost track of it. Neither of us had any
recollection of taking either passport out after the first day in the
country, but we started calling guesthouses and restaurants
regardless. None had seen the missing book, and with nothing else to
go on, it was concluded that we were not going to be able to track it
down. TOTAL BUMMER. Total.
Dan
now had to trade a date with the Plateau for a date with Vientiane:
Laos' capital, my arch-nemesis, and the only city in Laos with a US
Embassy. While I wanted to be a loyal travel partner and accompany
him, I was not going to make my 5th
trip to such a boring, expensive city, especially with it so far away
and the Plateau sooooooo close. I offered anyway, but Dan rightly
insisted that it would be a total waste of money for me, and I should
just explore the Plateau on my own.
So with that
decided, we made some effort to get organized, arrange onward travel
(overnight bus for Dan, motorbike for me), and get movin. I rode out
of town around 12:30, as Dan waited for his 8 PM bus. Once again, a
hugely unfortunate situation but.... you know.
So it goes.
 | |
| This Mekong Sunset was actually captured in Don Det, I just felt like this post needed a happier ending... |
Tune in next time
to find out what I forgot to do in the midst of the confusion in Pakse.
Yikes!
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