July 13
Pakse
Pakse is a small town of about 80,000 residents in southern Laos. Situated at the confluence of the Xe Don and Mekong Rivers, it has been an important city in the region for hundreds of years. Before there was Laos, Pakse was the capital of the Kingdom of Champasak, one of the regions unified into the Kingdom of Laos in 1946.
Today, Pakse is still an important administrative center, just like it was as a capital of a kingdom, and a regional administrative center for the French colonization. It is currently the capital of the Champasak Province, and the site of the University of Champasak, which has a teacher’s college and a medical school.
Morning on the Mekong River, Long Boats are out fishing
Mostly agricultural, it has a growing tourist trade. Unfortunately as I visited the tourism was very low, even for the rainy season when things are typically slow. The majority of times I was the only customer in a restaurant, and I was the only guest in my guesthouse for 2 of the 4 nights I stayed.
There are several reasons tourists come to Pakse. It is the jumping off point to Don Det Island, and the Four Thousand Islands, an archipelago in the Mekong River. It is the closest transportation hub for visiting Wat Phu, an important temple complex which has portions that pre-date Angkor Wat by several centuries. It is also the starting and ending point for the Pakse Loop, a motorcycle tour that goes around the Bolaven Plateau, and features waterfalls galore.
Wat Phu is a Temple Complex that pre-dates Angkor Wat
Pakse is easy to navigate, and while the town itself mainly has the features of any commercial center, the people here are friendly and easy to get to know, even with language barriers. As has been my experience throughout my travels in SE Asia, they are happy to help and explain, and seem genuinely happy that they have visitors from far away.
While I was here, I rented a motorbike (what in the US we would call a scooter) and made my way to both Wat Phu and to many of the waterfalls on the Pakse Loop. The scenery was stunning and the food was great. I’d definitely come back to Pakse in the future.
Pakse Town Landmark; a city landmark is typical of SE towns and denotes something sort of like a “Welcome to” Sign
Pakse Gallery
Climate change has necessitated a 20 foot addition to the flood control dike along the Mekong
Old French colonial buildings are still standing
The courtyard between to French Colonial buildings is used as a fresh market
Wat Phabat, one of several temples in Pakse
The Bolaven Plateau as seen from Pakse
The confluence of the Xe Don and Mekong Rivers
The large central market in Pakse is almost empty
The morning market
Wat Luang, which is both a temple and monastery