"CARE FOR A KEBOB OF CRICKETS?"

CHAMPASAK, LAOS

Temperature: 36 degrees Celsius

Track of the day: I'm a believer, The Monkees

"I hope that's our bus," I say to Alecs gesturing to a large bus with proper beds instead of seats. It's 8PM and we're leaving Vientaine in pursuit of the wonders of southern Laos. Sure enough, we separate from half of the group in our tuk-tuk and board the most comfortable  bus we've ever taken. "D17 and D18 - this is us," Alecs says as he kneels into the 2-person bottom bunk. Dinner is served on the bus and once finished we settle in for a delightful 9-hour sleep.

"I think we're here," Alecs says nudging me to wake up the next morning. As the bus pulls into the station we pack up our things and search for some form of transport to Champasak, our next destination. After nearly one hour of searching for the right bus station we board a sangathaew filled with locals and a couple tourists. A sangathaew is a converted pickup truck with a bed 1/2 the size of a regular one and a canopy with glassless windows on top. There are two long wooden benches on either side and one in the middle. "It's already really full

full," Alecs says as we squeeze our way onto a side bench. When the vehicle leaves 45 mins later there are 32 people and 2 babies crammed in every inch of space. Three young Lao men climb through the windows to fit while 5 more hang on the ledge outside and a couple climb on the roof. We stop several times en route where women in bamboo cone hats run to us shoving turnips, corn on the cob and skewers of toasted crickets through the windows.  "Care  for a kebab of crickets?" I ask Alecs, my fearless food connoisseur. "I think i'll pass on this one," he says, eyeing the nut-like salted crickets. We cross the Mekong on a ferry and are now face to face with the one-street town of Champasak, which we scour for accommodation. We find a $6/night place recommended by Lonely Planet which also rents out motorbikes. The bike rental had un convinced, but it was a decision we quickly regretted. "There's no soap," Alecs say peering into the washroom. "No soap," I exclaim looking over his shoulder, "there isn't even a toilet seat!" I spend the next ten minutes examining every filthy bug-ridden wall and the stained sheets which seem to have never been washed.  "I guess this is what you get for $6 a night," I say zipping every pocket of my backpack up. It's been almost a day since we last ate and we decide to eat at the attached restaurant. We order stir fried vegetables and rice and dig in as soon as it arrives. "What's wrong?" Alecs says when a thoroughly displeased look spreads across my face. "Oh, only a couple ants and a fly cooked into my food," I say dropping my fork and loosing my appetite. After what can only be called food Alecs rents a motorbike and while I take a walk through the town he tries to get his bearings on it.  I meet up with him 1/2 an hour later only to find a very frustrated and sweaty Alecs. "What's wrong," I ask him as a vendor pours a coke bottle of gasoline into the bike. "The gears are so worn out they won't shift half the time," he says irritatedly. The man funneling the gas tries to help Alecs out with the bike and after explaining to Alecs that it was broken he gave him a running  start and Alecs kicked the engine on coasting down the road. "I'll meet you back at the hotel," I shout as he drives by. A couple hours later Alecs comes back with a lifetime of stories and a

sweat-drenched t-shirt. "The bike is definitely broken," he says taking a long drink of water, "but I think I've made friends with every local in town," he adds smiling.  Alecs tells me of how every time the bike stalled two or three guys would help him try and get it started again. After hearing all Alecs' stories we  laze about in our dirty room until dinner when I suggest we find a new restaurant with fewer cooked bugs in the food. A couple locals nod their heads at Alecs as we pass them by and even our waiter at the restaurant engages him in a conversation about the bike before taking our order. After dinner I de-bug our bed, covering it in our own sheets, draping a mosquito net over it and bug-spraying the heck out of the room. "Are you going to be able to sleep?" Alecs asks as we crawl under the mosquito net. "I hope so I say," closing my eyes trying to imagine my own bed back home. The next morning we rise early to visit the

 ruins of Wat Phu Champasak - the reason we came this far.  "Do you have a different bike for rent," Alecs asks the owner. We are given a working Honda Baja and start our ride out to the ruins. "This is awesome," I shout, holding onto Alecs' waist as we ride through the Lao countryside. We weave through a herd of cattle and stop for a dog while passing lush green rice fields with tall looming mountains in the background. "Keep to your right," I say to Alecs as we pass a sign for the ancient ruins. Beautifully manicured gardens line a walkway with a beautiful, enticing lake in the middle. We park the bike up near the museum and walk in the exhausting head to the ancient Lao kingdom. "Wow, this is really neat," Alecs says when we finally see the long brick structure. Wat Phu is the former kingdom of Laos which mostly resembles the Angkor Era. A stunning backdrop of mountains shadow the processional which is flanked on both sides by large temples that although decayed through the years are slowly being restored.  We climb high up to view the entirety of the ancient kingdom before walking back down to our motorbike. "Let's stop and get a drink," I say to Alecs as we pass a small shop on the road. A young boy hands 

us two Pepsis in a plastic bag - my favorite way of getting a drink. Bag pop is cheaper because the vendor pours a bottle of pop into a clear plastic bag and sticks a straw in it, saving them the bottle. We spend the rest of the day exploring the countryside on the back of a motorbike, stopping to take pictures and admire the scenery. Before we know it the sun is setting and it's time for our last night in Champasak and the seedy hotel. Tomorrow we are heading to Si Phan Don (10,000 islands) where we will be staying on the island on Don Khone (these are islands on the river not the ocean).

Goodbye for now,

Alecs and Meg in Champasak