After two nights on Don Det, the 3 Parisians and I headed for Champasak. We took a small boat back to the mainland, keenly aware of the strong and swirling Mekong currents. Noy, a Lao-Canadian, was in the back of our boat, wearing a life-jacket because he didn't trust its ability to stay afloat. The rest of us were probably too naive about the 10-minute ride.
After a short minibus ride north, we arrived back at the shores of the Mekong River, though this time we would be crossing it on a Frankenstein ferry. Noy had warned us about the ferry, and true to his word, it appeared to be a bunch of 2×4's slapped atop 3 boat hulls.
Surprisingly, we survived the 15-minute river crossing aboard the makeshift ferry, of which there were many more lining the shores should there be a sudden rush of people and vehicles.
The scenery was beautiful though, as it felt good to be around cloud-covered mountains again. We took a tuk-tuk to a guest house along the river, and relaxed. Relaxing to the point of being comatose may very well be Laos' national pastime.
Dave is the Founder and Editor in Chief of Go Backpacking and Feastio. He’s been to 66 countries and lived in Colombia and Peru. Read the full story of how he became a travel blogger.
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