Laos - The Rough Guide to Southeast Asia on a Budget - page 393

5

Wat Phou, which in Lao means
“Mountain Monastery”, is actually a
series of ruined temples and shrines at
the foot of Lingaparvata Mountain.
Although the site is now associated with
heravada Buddhism, sandstone reliefs
indicate that the ruins were once a Hindu
place of worship . When viewed from the
Mekong, it's clear why the site was
chosen. A phallic stone outcropping is
easily seen among the range's line of
forested peaks: this would have made the
site especially auspicious to worshippers
of Shiva, a Hindu god often symbolized
by a phallus.
Archeologists tend to disagree on
who the original founders of the site
were and when it was first consecrated.
he oldest parts of the ruins are thought
to date back to the sixth century and
were most likely built by the ancient
Khmer. he site is highly sacred to the
ethnic Lao, and is the focus of an annual
festival (in February) that attracts
thousands of pilgrims.

TREAT YOURSELF
Inthira On the main road, south of the
roundabout T 031 511011, W inthirahotels
.com. The spacious rooms in this boutique
hotel feel like they should cost a lot more,
and are full of dark wood and Lao touches,
creating a romantic feel. Tucked off the
main road, they're undoubtedly the nicest
in the centre of town, and some of the
rooms have a private outdoor shower. The
attached restaurant is also wo rth a visit
(see below). Doubles from $49

★

Vongpaseud Just south of Inthira T 031 920038. Super-
low prices make this place the top choice among budget
travellers. Rooms here are dingy but en suite, with hot
water costing 20,000K extra per night. Cheap breakfasts
are available on the creaking deck out back, which has
splendid Mekong views. Double 30,000K

EATING
Champasak With Love North of the roundabout T 030
9265926. Fresh and funky with its own terrace and a tree
swing, Champasak With Love stands out among the town's
riverside restaurants. The iced coffee (15,000K) is very
good. Free wi-fi. Daily 7am-10pm.
★

WHAT TO SEE AND DO
As you approach from the east, a stone
causeway - once lined with low stone
pillars - leads up to the first set of ruins.
On either side of the causeway there
would have been reservoirs, which
probably represented the oceans that
surrounded the mythical Mount Meru,
home of the gods of the Hindu
pantheon. Just beyond the causeway,
on either side of the path, stand two
megalithic structures of sandstone and
laterite. hey may have served as
segregated palaces , one for men and the
other for women.
Continuing up the steep stairs, you
come upon a ruined temple containing
the finest examples of decorative stone
lintels in Laos. Although much has been
damaged or is missing, sketches done
at the end of the nineteenth century
show that the temple has changed little
since then.
Up the hill behind the temple is a
shallow cave with a constant drip of
water from its ceiling collecting below.
his water is considered highly sacred, as
it has trickled down from the peak of

Inthira On the main road, south of the roundabout.
The best, and smartest, restaurant in town, but unpreten-
tious and very relaxed. The menu covers a good range of
dishes, from larp to barbecue chicken baguettes and fresh
lime juice. Cocktails are 25,000K 6-8pm each evening.
Daily 7am-10pm.

WAT PHOU
he most evocative Khmer ruin outside
Cambodia, the UNESCO World
Heritage Site of Wat Phou (daily
8am-4.30pm; 35,000K), 8km southwest
of Champasak, should be at the top of
your southern Laos must-see list. A
romantic and rambling complex of
pre-Angkorian temples dating from the
sixth to the twelfth centuries, Wat Phou
occupies a setting of unparalleled beauty
in a lush river valley. Unlike ancient
Khmer sites of equal size or importance
found in neighbouring hailand, Wat
Phou has yet to be over-enthusiastically
restored, so walking among the half-
buried pieces of sculpted sandstone gives
a good idea of what these sites once
looked like.