We woke up in Champasak and, after breakfast, rented some bicycles for 10,000 kip to ride out to Wat Phou — the ancient Khmer religious complex sitting about 10 kilometres from the centre of town.
It was the first time we'd rented bikes since arriving in Asia, and the experience was brilliant. Despite the scorching sun and roads that were more track than tarmac, the ride turned out to be fun and enjoyable.
We cycled through several villages, past bridges, over potholes, through dirt and sand and stretches of asphalt — and finally rolled into Wat Phou, where we had to leave the bikes in the car park and continue on foot.
Arriving at Wat Phou by bicycle
Entry cost 30,000 kip and there was no obvious way to dodge it, so we paid up, got our photos taken, and after a few checkpoints made it through to the area where the Khmer buildings spread out before us.
1 euro is equivalent to 10,400 kip, so 30,000 kip works out to roughly €3.
The middle section of Wat Phou is where the largest structures are preserved
It's probably not the most spectacular Khmer complex in Southeast Asia, but its setting at the foot of the mountain, the lake nearby, and its sheer originality make it a place well worth visiting.
The staircase between the middle level and the upper section is steeper than it looks — a combination of the heat and the scale of the steps, which are quite high but barely deep enough to plant half a foot.
Start of the staircase to the upper section
At the top we found gorgeous views, various archaeological remains — a sanctuary, the elephant stone, the crocodile stone where human sacrifices were once performed.
At the spring blessed by the gods we came across a local man filling up plastic bottles. We left joking about what kind of superhero he was planning to become after drinking that much holy water.
