Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
restoration of a structure that shelters Buddha images than by rebuilding a mere school for
novice monks.
As you continue on from here, the number of houses lining the road continues to grow until
you reach Muang Sen, a sleepy port with a popular floating restaurant. While there is nothing
to see in the town, it's a recommended stop for rest and refreshment before heading east via
the shade-stingy 8km stretch of very potholed road that leads back to Muang Khong.
Northern loop
The long, sometimes shadeless, route of the
northern loop
rewards handsomely with access
to a serene forest monastery. The total distance of approximately 35km is best covered by
motorbike
; in the hot season, industrial-strength sunblock and a wide-brimmed hat are a
must.
Starting from Muang Khong, you begin by heading due west on the road that bisects the
island. During the hot season the plain of fallow rice paddies that makes up much of the is-
land's interior looks and feels like a stretch of the Kalahari. After the rains break and rice
paddies are planted, the scenery is quite beautiful.
Wat Phou Khao Kaew
Just before
Muang Sen
, turn right at the crossroads and head north; follow this road up and
over a low gradient and after about 4km you'll pass a steep, bridge-like hump in the road.
Keep going another 1500m and you'll notice large black boulders beginning to appear off to
the left. Keeping your eyes left, you'll see a narrow trail that leads up to a ridge of the same
black stone and, on the top of the hill, a large reclining Buddha. Park your bike at the foot of
the ridge, and, following the trail up another 200m to the right, you'll spot a cluster of monks'
quarters constructed of weathered teak. These structures belong to
Wat Phou Khao Kaew
,
an evocative little forest monastery situated atop a river-sculpted stone bluff overlooking the
Mekong. The centrepiece is a
brick stupa
; a fractured pre-Angkorian stone lintel found at
the base of the stupa would, assuming it was once fixed to it, date the structure to the middle
of the seventh century. Sadly, large parts of the original stupa have been haphazardly covered
over with concrete and painted red and gold.
Nearby sits a charming miniature
sim
, flanked by plumeria trees. A curious collection of
carved wooden deities, which somehow found their way downriver from Myanmar (Burma),
decorates the ledges running around the building. If you want to have a look at the inside of
the
sim
, ask one of the resident monks to unlock the door for you, or you can peer through
the windows on either side of the main entrance, which faces the river.
Ban Houa Khong
If, after a look round Wat Phou Khao Kaew, you're still feeling energetic, continue another
6km north to
Ban Houa Khong
, on the outskirts of which stands the modest
residence of
KhamtaySiphandone
, former revolutionary and ex-prime minister. Not far away is a
mon-
