Zelma’s Trip

I’ve just realised that I published the last page in different colours.  I’ll try not to do that with this one but you never know!

So, back in Champasak.  I woke up and went and had breakfast at a lovely restaurant overlooking the river.  I was planning on cycling to the temple (the main reason anyone visits Champasak) but somehow managed to find myself being measured up for a traditional Laos skirt.  The woman said that I should come back at 4pm to collect it.  I went to a restuarant to buy the obligatory lemon juice and bumped into a group of American girls who I had seen in Vang Vieng.  They asked if I wanted to cycle to the temple with them and I declined thinking that I didn’t have enough time.  I then realised that I didn’t really want to stay for an extra day so really needed to go to the temple.  So I hired a bike and pedalled like a woman possessed.  I was overtaking all the locals and at one point nearly overtook a motorbike, then I realised that they were stopping so it wasn’t quite as impressive!  Finally I arrived at the temple with a lovely layer of sweat.  As I arrived the heavens opened and the American girls decided it was a good time to have lunch.  We sat in a cafe, ate (I drank more lemon juice) and then decided that the rain was not going to desist.  The ride to the temple was very short, although it is disconcerting when you can’t actually differentiate between sweat wetness and rain wetness.  Okay, that’s pretty grim actually, I’ll move on..

The temple itself was amazing.  It’s called Wat Phou and is described as “easily the most evocative Khmer ruin outside Cambodian borders”.  The site itself is on a mountainside and consists of a complex of pre-Angkorian temples dating from the sixth to twelfth centuries.  Having looked around for a while I realised I needed to get back to collect my skirt and said my goodbyes to the girls.  It’s long and the most exquisite material.  In the evening I wandered down to the American girls guesthouse and had some food and a few Beer Laos to the sound of a guy playing his guitar.