The Odyssey

I would like to preface this entry with the acknowledgement that nothing everything to follow is true - yes true. This is how today went:

An early wake up in a slightly too nice guest house in Pakse. An espresso and fruit/yogurt (got bless fresh things) before figuring out 'How should we get ourselves to the town of Champasake to then get ourselves to the nearby but not-in-town UNESCO site of Wat Phu (pronounces like the less polite term for feces)?' This site is said to be the most important and popular site in southern Laos - perhaps all of Laos.
We take a tuk-tuk (easy to find as steamed rice) to the bus station which is really a market with some buses but we are looking for the pick-up truck/buses calls 'something-kyle-has-learned-to-pronounce-but-I-haven't-starts-with-an-S'. We ended up, after much inquiring, finding a pick-up bound for Wat Phu.
Within 20 minutes our truck is full of 23 people. Yes, I counted - 23. You can imagine that there are some awkward, uncomfortable and possibly socially unacceptable sitting positions going on. Kyle and I, not to brag, but Kyle and I have very good attitudes towards this kind of thing. In my head I have the same conversation I always have in this type of uncomfortable situations 'Kate - at least no one is throwing up'. It seems to always give me peace in knowing that it could be worse.
We ride along, all the other Laos women tucking their market goods like watermelons, lettuces, white beets/radishes and of course rice under the benches.
Suddenly we stop - a police officer talks to our driver, we wait, they talk more, we wait. No one else seems to even notice we've stopped. The ladies talk and Kyle and I look at each other and decide to keep reading our books.
The bus turns around and heads back to town. We park at another bus terminal. Nothing is explained but no one leaves or seems concerned. I decide it's time to be proactive. I figure out when another bus leaves - not for an hour. We are so smug because we have a plan. Well, that is if we can figure out when our current bus leaves this stop, or if the guy who explained the other bus understood my question. Now we are stuck with - wait out the tight-squeeze but probably correct bus or risk a new but new bus-of-questionable-destination. We decide to stay. We've grown attached I guess.
Finally the familiar bus leaves - hurray! Squashed in but in good spirits, we rumble off with no explanation for the change in schedule.
We chug along, growing more uncomfortable by the minute. Kyle and I each straddling a woman on a bench in front of us as we have no choice given the seating arrangements. My straddelee, maybe 11-14 year old girl, begins to vomit. There goes that theory. Someone offers a bag but not much else happens.
After an hour, we arrive at Champaseke town. Hurray - here at last. Very late but here. Maybe 45 minutes later, all the ladies are dropped at their respective homes or villages. It is now 1:30 pm. The last bus for Pakse leaves at 3:30 - according to our book.
Things are still pretty up for this pair but I am getting very hungry and know that if I don't eat something, I will not enjoy anything. It's a theme of traveling.
We finally arrive at wat phu and I demand of Kyle that I get a snack. Kyle hesitantly agrees and we stop at a restaurant and I point at a baguette for a cheap, mobile, fast snack. About 20 argumentative minutes later, I am chomping on baguette to avoid speaking to kyle who is fuming at me while I fume at her. Admittedly, we are not doing as well as 25 minutes earlier.
We buy tickets, we begin to walk. We see the historical and even archaeological site. It is lovely and mysterious with the most beautiful trees I think I've ever seen. Trees with no leaves or even the tiny end but full of perfect white blossoms.
Now we must leave to catch the bus back to Pakse. We've had just enough time to absorb this beautiful place and the grandeur of a stone monument site that has lasted centuries and several different dynasties and empires. We have made up from our huffiness of hunger and frustration and are pleased with our visit to beautiful wat phu.
Now back to find a quick ride to town (10 km) for our bus that leaves (maybe) in an hour.
No tuk-tuk can be found. We go into every restaurant and guest house, no tuk tuks buses, or anything headed to Champasake. We have walked close to a mile when we stop at a barber shop. We are desperate. A young man, probably no more than 20 somehow gets roped into putting us on his motorbike and driving us. Let's just say that it is painfully awkward but SO appreciated we can barely contain ourselves. It is very clearly prearranged that we will pay him but that is ok - we just need to get to town, we'll do the rest from there. He is very nice and even tells us that we are beautiful (I think they learn that phrase right after "what is your name" in English class) but after his roadside man-pit-stop, drops us off in the middle of no where again because, he explains, he is running out of gas which I can see that he really is. We thank and pay him and he turns back.

Now back to walking.

We flag down a farmer in his Laos-style tracker with his wife, three kids and chicken in the back. Without flinching, when we say "champasake" motions us to the back. Chugging along for a comical ride, we go to town and find the ferry to the other side of the river. Ha - we have made it!
Nope - not yet. We are far from the rive crossing and have likely missed the last bus. We are getting pretty desperate and realize money may be a problem to stay here or take a tuk-tuk all the way to Pakes.
We flag over anyone.
A few no's and then one truck full of people says yes - 'Pakse'!
We've made it!!!
Onto the ferry (a wooden raft full of trucks) and to the other side. The people are very sweet to us and no English is spoken.
On we go after the ferry and the realization that they are probably a family all together and we are just the two odd ones out. At this point - we just want to get home any way we can.
Half way home, BANG!, flat tire. No joke. We had even made a bet earlier in the day that Kyle owed me a Beerlao if we had mechanical trouble in the day.
Changed the tire, hit a market and got home by 6 pm.
It was quite an Odyssey and we are home and heading for a second dinner quite soon before heading south again tomorrow.
Whew.