Laos Pakse Wat Luang Sweeping Monks
Pakse, which is the capital of Champasak Province, was my home base during my stay is Southern Laos. In between my travels to Bolaven Plateau and Wat Phu Champasak, I was able to do some exploring of the city. Pakse is fairly small and only has a few sites of interest nearby. One could even cover the whole place in half a day. But despite this, I was grateful that this is my first stop in Laos since I was able to catch my pace here and learn the going arounds in this country.
Wat Luang ornate Doors and windows
I think one of the most interesting sites in Pakse is Wat Luang, just near the bridge crossing the Sedon River. Built in 1849 by Aijan Ku Khom Mak Now Keo, it has become the foremost monk’s school around the region and is also home to the province’s head monk. The Wat also has an interesting architecture with ornate doors and windows. Morning is an interesting scene as I found monks doing some chores.
Wat Pha Bat Pakse
There is another Wat just beside the main road when entering the city. Wat Pha Bat also known as Wat Tham Phai can be easily spotted. There’s nothing much to see here aside from the spacious grounds and the sacred Buddha Footprint.
Clean and wide streets of Pakse
The streets of Pakse is easy to navigate. Roads are wide and well paved, ideal for biking or motorbikes. And the city is fairly clean since it’s small and easy to maintain. There are a number of guesthouses lined up by the main road and eateries can be easily found. Internet cafes dot on some locations but I found them still lagging behind on speed but I’m still thankful there is internet access. Provisions are easy to buy there from small stores to moderately sized groceries. They even have ice cream variants we don’t have here.
Pakse French Shophouse building and Sinouk Cafe below
Money exchange here can be tricky. Some money changers are picky when it comes to accepting dollars. They look at Benjamin Franklin’s eyes and bills that have some parts erased are not accepted. I found some others which are in the inner streets do and they even have better rates.
Sinouk Cafe Lao Coffee
Even though I’m not an avid coffee drinker, I just had to try the famous Lao Coffee from Paksong served at the Sinouk Cafe. I had a Choco Mocha Latte and a Croissant bread. I thought the coffee was real smooth and rich with an added choco and mocha flavor. I downed the whole coffee which is a rarity for me.
Pakse Mekong River and mountain views
Since there are no major shopping malls or cinemas here in Laos, most people would just spend their time after works at the banks of Mekong River. There’s a nice view of mountains, the Japan-Laos Friendship Bridge and of course the Mekong River. There are a number of restaurants there and small food stalls with street side Lao Food and beer. Locals spend a lot of time here, just enjoying the view, having good food and drinks in hand.
Pakse Mekong Afternoon Sundown
My stay in Pakse, aside from the travels to Wat Phu and Bolaven Plateau was more on getting familiar with the culture, on how people trade and even the in and outs of their transportation. I can say I enjoyed my stay here and it’s time to move on my next destination which is Vientiane.
wow! how did the crossaint tasted? i believe part of laos was colonized by the europeans. giving the influence of tasty pastries. mekong river looks so calm and beautiful. third photo is my favorite in this set.
i like the seemingly simple life portrayed in this series. the first shot is splendid. ganda ng blending ng langit at kulay ng temple pati yung mga nagwawalis na monks. alam mo bang sobrang nami-miss ko ang amoy ng mga temples? believe it or not, i used to hate the smell of incense pero ngayon, nag-aadik-adik na ako sa amoy nya, hehe.
yes Vientiane na!
great as always.
you made a wonderful story out of a simple place.
the french influence is still visible in laos, from architecture to food.nice shot!
I love these architecture. So nice and fancy.
Hi Dom! The Croissant tasted ordinarily good. Hehe. Yep, a lot of French influence here
Thanks Rayts! Haha. Onga sa una medyo annoyed din ako sa amoy ng incense but I got used to it. Yep. Viantiane’s an exciting place. Watch out.
Thanks JP! We can say that there is beauty in simplicity.
Thanks Teo! Drop by again.
I agree Shoshana! Nothing extravagant on the design.
exploring other cultures would definitely be on my top lists. there is just so much to learn other than looking at photos and reading stories. your coverage of the place, the pros and cons, just made me more eager to travel and experience these things.
have a meaningful lenten season to you and GOD bless us.
did you go here by Land? from which airport did you come from. i’ve wanted to visit countries like sri lanka, laos and bangladesh but i’m not sure how i can backpack to these countries (except laos from vietnam)
Hi Oman. It’s real different when you are definitely on the situation aside from reading about it. It just expands your horizon. Have a meaningful lenten season as well.
Hi Jasper! I crossed borders from Ubon Ratchathani in Thailand. You can browse back to the earlier posts on Laos for more details.
the french colonial influence on the architecture is very much apparent. grabe ang mga pranses, daming na-influence (positively, of course) in these parts, pati vietnam, from the architecture to the cuisine. wow, lao coffee! i’m sure i’d like it there lalo na’t masarap pati ang kape nila
[...] Pacing in Pakse [...]