Just what we needed after a day on the tubes, a very long journey down south to a place called Pakse. After a short bus journey to Vientiane from Vang Vieng we ended up in the bus station for about 3 hours before getting onto a sleeper bus - these have about 15 bays each with a small mattress to be shared between 2 people whether or not you know them.These are distinctly Asian sized making for an uncomfortable night for the two six foot tall lads across from us. Having a dwarf for a girlfriend meant that I had a very good nights sleep, thank you very much, except for the few times `safety` popped into my head...

Pakse itself isn`t that exciting - if you have seen the film `In Bruges` we felt like that for most of the time we were there, which was far too much time. However, as a base it works quite well as it is well placed to get around the south of Laos. After the tourist packed Vientiane and Vang Vieng we decided to try and get away from the `pop` trail and into the countryside, as such we ignored the shortcomings of our insurance policy and effectively gambled our savings along with Mum and Dad`s house by renting a motorbike for a few days with the plan of hitting the road.

`Get the motor running...head off up the highway...looking for adventure and whatever comes my way...born to beee wiiiild...` did not stop running through my helmet concealed head for the next four days as we swept through the untouched countryside past hoards of smiling kids going to and from school, kicking up dust behind us as we tore over the rocky country roads.

Metallic aviators on to complement the matt black helmet, leather jacket over a white t-shirt and me on my massive, gleaming chrome polished beast of a bike... well that`s how I imagined we looked but for some reason the photos we took which you will see show me with an old, scratched, mushroom of a helmet, scratched Oakleys and dirty Nike t-shirt, sitting on a tiny scooter with a basket on the front (which, if it had been there, would probably have been really useful for carrying our flip flops in).

Unexplained tricks of the camera aside the trip turned out to be a great decision and here follows the Motorcycle Diaries (Ewan McGregor who? Boorman what?)

Start Point: Flipping Pakse
Destination: Champasak
Distance: 87km

We decided on a day trip to revive my driving skills after a few years of being nowhere near a motorbike - first stop Wat Phu, a collection of Khmer ruins constructed between the sixth and 12th centuries, deep in the coutryside South of Pakse.

Starting on the busy central road of Southern Laos` largest city we made a steady move out of town where the countryside moved in gradient from built up concrete through to suburban industrial sites to forested villages. The road quality also tapered out from fully sealed through to sealed with potholes to dust tracks. When we finally reached a small village set amongst lush green trees and bamboo stacks the road became a smooth red track littered with the occasional family of chickens that would eratically make a dash for the `other side`

As we reached the river crossing, which Champasak was on the other side of, we were faced with a steep sandy bank, fringed with wooden shacks selling all manner of bits and bobs, edible and semi-edible. Then we saw the `ferry`. This was a huge wooden platform made up of wooden planks nailed onto old long boats and barrels and anything else floaty. On the platform was a little wooden hut, presumably housing the engine and steering.

Skidding down the sand bank and wavering over a plank acting as a ramp onto the boat we wobbled onto the platform and made it to a corner intact, shortly to be followed on by loads of lorries and cars. A 20 minute and very un-streamlined ride took place during which we bought a piece of bamboo which had been filled with coconut rice and pork before being steamed and sealed to leave a sticky, sweet and salty tasting clump inside. Following this and another wibble over a plank and up a sandy hill we reached Champasak village where we weaved through the potholes to finally arrive at Champasak itself.

We started in the visitor centre where we learnt nothing it seems (well, we can't remember anything at least) before driving the last 500m to the temple city. Coming up the tree framed road the vast site loomed out of the mist revealing a lake fronting a number of stone buildings which flanked a steep stone staircase, perhaps 3 metres broad with each irregular step being rather high. These formed a stone tongue up the steep hill and had acquired a tunnel like feeling from the ancient frangipanis which hunched over the steps from both sides at some points of the climb.

Reaching the top of the steps we were greated by a one story box-like stone temple with square windows sitting eye-like to each side of a central door, which practically glowed with a bright gold light from a large gold effigy in a room beyond - very Indian Jones. Moving away we walked through some smaller ruins and onto a thin, muddy path that weaved among the hill´s rocks - revealing a few that had been carved to look like crocodiles and (Eleanor`s favourite) an elephant.

We made our way back to the bike feeling like Indy and Lara Croft (but, sadly, not resembling either) and drove back to Pakse, unfortunately, to get in a good nights sleep before the tour began in earnest.