An undeniable fact that we learned almost the moment we crossed the border: life in Laos is slow. Reeeeeeeally slow. You MUST give in to the chill, or you won’t be able to appreciate the people, the place and just simply the good way of life here.
Waking up whenever your body tells you its time is the standard here. Rolling out of bed, and deciding to not make a decision about what to do is very, very tempting. The list of popular activites on Don Det is daunting. This list includes: laying in a hammock to read, laying in an intertube to float down the river, and laying in a bar to watch Friends (there are bars that play Friends in its entirety, non-stop all day and night). We chose instead to rent 2 (very old and terribly poorly maintained – Caley, you would have a heart attack) bikes and took ourselves on a little tour of the islands.
We turned oursleves off the main roads, in favor of even rougher trails that our bikes were whining about the whole time. But the scenery proved more than worth it.
The evening found us with sore bottoms, and full hearts. We signed up for a kayak tour, met up with some peeps, and beered the night away to a campfire.
In Asia, we find it difficult to keep up with an exercise routine. Espeically with all the amazing food and super cheap beer everywhere. So, we get in our sweat sessions where we can. When a kayak tour to see the rare pods of endangered Irrawddy Dolphins and some mega waterfalls is a cheap way to spend a day, we sign up. This one inparticular didn’t dissapoint.
Sweaty and offically worked-out, we sat down on the water to watch the sunset and hang with our new buddies from Berlin.
We slowly left Don Det and traveled to the nearby, less visited town of Champasak for a lesson in local life and history. And, Tummy Troubles Management 101. Adam had been bitten by the “OMG what did I eat” bug and was basically out of comission for 24 hours. Survival: achieved. Onward we went.
While Adam was recovering in solitary confinement, I found the PERFECT office location for blogging.
Turned out the stomach bug was a 24 hour mishap, and we were rockin’ down to Wat Phu, Champasak’s famous temple, on our bicycles the next morning.
One of the kings who contributed to the building of Angkor Wat was responsible for this beauty, and we noticed similiarities everywhere.
The sun in Laos isn’t as lazy as its people. It did its job and exhasted us thoroughly. As day turned into night, we biked our way back home to a delicious dinner and settled in to the local puppet theater to watch an story of ancient Laos history be played out in front of us. Complete with local musicians providing the soundtrack.
Adjusting beautifully to this slowly-slowly life of Laos, we strolled to bed content. Dreams of a tour through the coffee growing and waterfall region a little north, we rested up for the awesomeness ahead.
All aboard! We’re headed to Pakse for a motorbike adventure… Stay tuned!
Michelle and Adam, We are really enjoying your pictures and script!!! What an adventure you are having! Glad that Adam has recovered from his stomach ailment. Not much fun. We are in CA till April, living at the beach but hardly like the beaches that you’ve experienced! Masses of civilization here!!!