Falang Woman

After Cambodia, I followed the Mekong up into Laos and stopped at Si Phan Don, or Four Thousand Islands, just thirty miles past the border. This extremely mellow collection of river islands is prime hammock-lazing territory for the thousands of Falang (Foreigners) that visit every year. Many backpackers head straight to Don Det, which has a fair amount of rave bars, so I bypassed that in favor of the next door island, Don Khone.

Two days spent snoozing on the deck of my river-front bungalow, cycling to waterfalls, wandering the riverbank and watching children and buffalo play was just what the doctor ordered.

I topped off my visit to Southern Laos with a swing through the equally laid back, almost to the point of comatose, riverside town of Champasak. The main draw is the nearby Wat Phu, an Angkor temple built by a sacred spring on a nearby hillside.

The temple itself doesn't really compare to what is in Cambodia, but Wat Phu's ancient terraces are unique. I got there early in the morning and climbed up through the stairways lined with Frangipani trees, which shed their flowers as I passed. It was truly sublime.