Wat Phou
ByDominating the skyline from the River Mekong a huge rocky tower drew the attention of the Hindu builders of Wat Phou (Wat Poo) well over a thousand years ago. The tower thought to resemble a phallus was especially auspicious to the worship of the Hindu god, Shiva. So this became the site for a temple complex built around the same time as Angkor Wat in Cambodia. Now a UNESCO World Heritage site, it is the most important ancient temple site in Laos.
Our journey from Pakxe (Pakse) took us to the riverside town of Champasak, where we crossed the Mekong on a local ferry. This was two wooden plank canoes lashed together with a wooden platform on them to support people and the odd motorbike. On the far bank we travelled the remaining fifteen kilometres to Wat Phou on a motor bike with an open sidecar for two people. Not only did this give us a great view of the surrounding villages and the people living there but it allowed us to chat and laugh at the jokes of the very friendly driver.
Nestling below the gigantic towering rock phallus the ancient ruined complex was quiet and peaceful. Between an avenue of white blossom the ancient stone steps climbed high up to the atmospheric main temple. There were clear connections with the Angkor temples, Hindu inspired and later dedicated to Buddhism. From there the view of the valley and the river beyond was magnificent.
Back in Pakxe we savoured a bottle of Laos Beer and barbecued pork on a stick whilst watching the sunset over the Mekong and Thailand on the opposite bank.
The next day we travelled by another local bus to Savannakhet. A Pagoda festival was in full swing in one village we passed through and the bus stopped to let the participants share the event with the bus passengers. Flowers were distributed to the passengers and blessings written on bits of paper. It didn’t seem to be a fund raising exercise but some people put small amounts of money in the flower baskets, so we did too. A fellow passenger read out the prayer we had been given. It was a blessing on our journey through life.
Savannakhet was rich in turn of the century French colonial architecture, but it was quiet. I mean it felt deserted. Savannakhet is a relatively large town, but the roads to it were virtually empty and the town itself seemed bereft of life. But when we did meet people they were very friendly and helpful. The man in the local tourist office was absolutely delightful. Life here is slow, much slower than Cambodia, and that brings a great deal of appeal. We stayed in a Peoples Democratic Republic (PDR) of Laos government rest house which had been converted into a hotel. Just behind it on the river bank lay a Pagoda called Wat Sainyaphoum and here we met and chatted for a while to a Buddhist monk called ‘Lah’. He was from Laos but was studying in a pagoda in Thailand and he gave us his address and we will try to call in when we are in Thailand.
The cool of the evening brings out the population to sit on plastic stools at low tables all along on the banks of the Mekong. Some stalls sold barbequed pork or chicken on sticks. Others specialised in fresh water fish, liberally rubbed with salt and then charcoal grilled. We settled on a bowl of stock on a charcoal burner on our table. Fresh meat, squid, shrimps and green vegetables were provided so that we could boil them in our bowl of stock to meet our own tastes. As the orb of the sun turned orange and sank into the Mekong and the sky glowed pink then purple we raised a glass of Laos Beer with our fellow diners.
