Pakse - the southern door to Laos

See the locations on Pakse Google Map

Picture by marhas
Sunset in Pakse



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Time for a Lao beer at Hongfa Restaurant...

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...with an impressive view of the Mekong River


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Small traffic on road 13


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Some buildings with old flair


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Also the red communist flags are part of the old flair. But US-Dollars are welcome everywhere.


Picture by Nataraj Metz


Picture by marhasOld decorations, seen from road 11

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Shophouse near Champasak Plaza


Vat Luang:

Picture by Nataraj Metz

Picture by h.hoefl

Picture by marhas
Temple cats

Picture by marhas

Picture marhas

Picture by marhas

Picture by Veigo


Vat Tham Fai

Picture Nataraj Metz

Picture Nataraj Metz


Picture by Naomi
Outside fruit and vegetables market as it used to be...

Picture KuBa
...and the modern Champasak Plaza with escalators inside


Mekong River:

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In dry season the river banks are used as farmland, in the wet season they are under water


Chinese Association:

Picture by marhas

Picture by marhas


Xe Don River:

Picture by Nataraj Metz


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Sunset over Pakse and the Mekong River



Where to stay

Champasak Palace Hotel: From 26 USD. Ask for a room with terrace towards Xe Don River and you will have a peaceful setting in front of you. And if you stay on the east wing, it will also be quiet, otherwise you may here music from tourgroups, who like karaoke...

Picture marhas

Picture by marhas

This hotel has an outstanding architecture. It has been built from 1968 by the Prince of Champasak, Chao Boun Oum, Prime Minister of the royal governmemt from 1960 to 1962 and an ally of France and the USA (read a story by Harward Crimson). Before the palace was finished, the communist Pathet Lao mouvement took ower the power in Laos and Boun Oum had to flee to France. The palace now was used by the state. In 1995 a Thai company took it over, completed the building and opened the hotel. About the hotel you read mixed reviews on tripadvisor.com. The quality of the rooms seems to be different, the breakfast is not great but the meals for lunch and dinner are well done. From the top of the hotel you ennjoy a great view across Pakse.

Picture by Veigo

Picture by marhas

Picture by marhas
Terrace towards Xe Don River

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Russian bridge across Xe Don River


Picture marhasWunderful floor in the restaurant

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by marhas
In the garden restaurant

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The spirit house


Arawan Riverside Hotel: From 35 USD. Not so good review on tripadvisor.com. Better reviews on agoda.com

Picture Nataraj Metz


Champasak Grand Hotel: From 45 USD. Lao Nippon Bridge Mekong Riverside. A comfortable hotel, often used by Asian tour groups, but quite distant (3 km) from the town centre. Quite good reviews on tripadvisor.com.



Pakse Hotel: From 25 USD. Eco rooms without windows, rooms on the top floor with fine views, according to travelfish.org

Picture -=KuBa=-.

The rooftop restaurant. See Tennessee Embassy's views from the rooftop restaurant.


Laochaleun Hotel: "Average" is the rating of travelfish.org

Picture marhas


Lankham Hotel:

Picture marhas

Picture marhas


Royal Pakse Hotel:

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Salachampa Hotel:

Picture rjhintz


Seng Aroun Hotel: From 24 USD. 13 Road. Clean rooms, but a bit small, says travelfish.org. Good reviews on tripadvisor.com

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Thaluang Hotel: From 10 USD.




Guesthouses:

Phonsavanh Guesthouse: From 4 USD. Basic rooms according to petitfute.com, see room-picture by escapade-asie.blogspot.com

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Sabaidy 2: Good reviews on tripadvisor.com. Most popular backpacker choice according to travelfish.org.


Where to eat

Café Sinouk:

Picture by marhas

Picture by marhas

Picture marhas
At Champady you sip an exzellent coffee.



How to arrive

By Bus

From Ubon Ratchathani: Bus by http://www.transport.co.th/. Leaving Ubon Ratchathani at 7.30 and 9.30 pm. And returning from Pakse Champasak road 14.30 and 15.30.
Help for finding the timetable on transport.co.th: On top orange navigation bar choose first tab from left, go down to second listing, this opens grey drop down menu, drive with the mouse over each option and look at the URL in bottom bar of your browser window, you will see north, northeast, pakse, etc at the end of the URL, then click your destination.

You can also take a bus to Chong Mek at the Lao border and then a minibus zu Pakse. Or you take a taxi to Chong Mek and from there another taxi zu Pakse.
You will get a visa on arrival at the border of Laos.



Tours from Pakse

Discovery Indochina: Half day to Tad Fane Waterfalls, ethnic minority villages of the Lavai and Yaheune tribes and a tea and coffee plantation. One day to Vat Phu, first by boat to Champasak, after Vat Phu 2 hours elephant tour from Ban Khiet Ngong to Phu Asa temple.
SODETOUR (Societe de Developpernent Touristique): On the corner of Rte 13 and Thanon Tha Luang
Lane Xang Travel & Tours: Next to the Suksamlan Hotel on Thanon Wat Luang
Inter-Lao Tourisme: on the ground floor of the Champasak Palace Hotel.

Sanjiang Mall: Chinas growing influence in Vientiane

See the location on Sanjiang Mall Google Map

Laos’ economy quadrupled in size between 2002 and 2010. Its traditional investors have been Thai and Vietnamese, but in 2010, by investing $344 million over the course of just six months, Chinese companies overtook them both. Iain Manley writes this in an interesting article about the Chinese merchants of Vientiane. When staying in Vientiane he discovered a large community of immigrants from China who had arrived recently around Sanjiang Cheng – Three Rivers City – a wholesale market, also known as Xang Chieng Market. Its the largest mall for Chinese products in Southeast Asia, writes Manley. The market is located in Oumong, opposite Wat Tay Yai, and the Lao people call it Talat Jin (Jin means Chinese). A more detailed report has been published on oldworldwandering.com. And a guide to Vientiane's chinatown has been published on travelfish.org. Read also: China Gives Southeast Asia’s Poorest First Time Access to Consumer Goods.

Nightlife in Vientiane

See the locations on Vientiane Google Map

Blue Sky Bar:

Déjà vu:

Future Night Club: Luang Prabang Road (near Novotel). "It follows the Thai format and there is no dance floor. Revelers stand around their table laden with Black Label and Beer Lao and jiggle about madly", comments travel.nytimes

Le Club Disco: Lao Plaza

Lunar 36: Don Chan Palace Hotel. "A night out here is a great opportunity to mix with Laos’s university students and office workers over a few drinks", according to visit-mekong.com.

On The Rock Pup: "Those who venture in will be within arms reach of the band playing a range of western, Thai and Laos covers", notes visit-mekong.com.

Snow White & One Dwarf: Jazz.

The Jazzy Brick: 47/1 Setthathirath Road. "Customers will only be allowed in to sip expensive cocktails if they are properly attired; no shorts or sleeveless shirts allowed.", notes Frommers. "The atmosphere is very relaxed and the interior exactly like it should be in a jazz bar; dark, wooden en smoky", adds Nice to Share.

The Bor Phen Nyang: Fa Ngum. A rooftop bar with great Mekong View. "A combination of drunk backpackers, ragged commercial sex workers, and some unsavory-looking types on visa renewals from across the river makes it all feel a little rough", notes travel.nytimes.com.

Read more: Vientiane Nightlife - What to Do at Night in Vientiane

What about the bus from Vientiane to Luang Prabang? Be aware of spirits!

Picture by Catherine Murray
The bus can look like this...

... and also like this...

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... because also pumpkins have to be transported

Should you fly from Vientiane to Luang Prabang or should you take the bus? Well, the busride will not be a too easy one. But first this:

In Vientiane buses leave at Northern Bus Station. You have the choice:
VIP buses: Depart 08.00, 9.00, 20.00. Costs: 140 000 to 170 000 kip one way, 10 hours. You will get a bottle of water, a small snack and will stop for a lunch.
Air-con Buses: 06.30, 07.30, 09.00, 11.00, 13.30, 16.00, 18.00, 19.30. Costs: 120 000 to 130 000 Kip, 10 hours.
Local Bus: 11 hours, 70 000 Kip
Mini Buses: To Vang Vieng, there you have to catch another Mini Bus to Luang Prabang. Ticket includes pick-up from hotel or guesthouse at around 10.00 or 14.00. Costs: 60,000 Kip).
See laomeow.blogspot.com

In Luang Prabang buses leave at Naluang Bus Station.
VIP buses: 08.00 and 09.00.
Express Buses: Depart 06.30, 08.30, 11.00, 14.00, 17.30, 18.30, 19.30.
Mini Buses: Only to Vang Vieng (09.00, 10.00, 14.00, 100,000 kip).

And what's your experience on this bus ride? You will see a breathtaking landscape, mountains and valleys in all kinds of green colour, Lao rural life with waterbuffalos and playing children - if mist or clouds don't cover everything and prevent you from seeing anything...

Picture by sarahstarkweather
Near Vang Vieng

But why does the bus take 10 hours for 384 km on a road, that is mostly paved? "It soon became clear", notes Safari mkubwa sana!: "There are numerous deep pot holes scattered randomly around. Some pot holes take minutes to cross and the bus driver generally needs to drive quite slowly to spot them before it's too late."

Worse: During the rainy season there can be interruptions of the road by land slides or trees falling on the road. In august 2011 a land slide has entirely swept away a stretch of road. "Buses are forced to stop on either side of the landslide, and passengers walk across to join another bus on the opposite side. As the buses have to stop at points where they can turn round, the total distance to walk is around 1.5-2km", writes lhm on Thorntree Forum. This seemed to be between between Kiew Kacham and Phou Khoun.

And why did it happen? "A lao friend told me that the landslide was caused by spirits/ghosts who were not happy that the people in a village nearby ate a very big snake", notes tictocchoc on Thorntree forum.

So if you cannot take easy situations like these, if you cannot sleep in a bus, because the way onward is not open, if you cannot live without air-con, when the air-con is broken, if you are afraid of ghosts, you will remember this journey as horrible...

But see the views you miss, when you don't go:

Picture by taylorandayumi

More views on videos on youtube 1, on youtube 2. Or have a look at pictures on this blog.

And well, if you want to fly, there are daily flights by Lao Airlines.