Pakse & Savannakhet: Limbo

Hey peeps, due to the relative smallness of the towns and because I spent only a few days each in both I have decided to put Pakse (pop. 70,000) alongside Savannakhet (pop. 120,000).

This would be my second visit to Pakse as the first was a stop over on the 14 hour (overall anyway) Vientiane to Si Phan Don where the Mekong widens and the 4,000 islands can be found. Alongside Rosie (the hot Israeli chick) we stayed in a place called the Lakham Hotel (I know it might sound expensive, but after staying in extreme heat on the 4,000 islands, a roof fan was a must) and for only 5 USD a room it meant it was only a comfortable 2.5 USD each. Thats right kids, a mere 1.25 pounds!.

Pakse itself has began to expand since it has recently opened a bridge over the Mekong that links it directly to Thailand's border city of Ubon, meaning it has allegedly provided a massive boost to the local economy, spurring massive development in the nearby area. The town itself is served by no less than 3 markets, one of which being the biggest in its region meaning people come from far and wide to visit this small city.
The days are slow and the going is generally lazy, meaning to eat you generally head to the place opposite your accomodation. Nazim and Jasmin restaurants, two rival indian restaurants, provided awesome food which is generally cheap and very friendly (even they are always trying to badmouth each other). The main drag is full of westeners (by full I mean 20 max at any one time) chilling out in the nearby restaurants waiting for transport to some other destination like South to the 4,000 islands, North to Savannakhet or East or West over the borders to Thailand or Vietnam.
After my final emotional goodbye to Rosie *snif sniff* :_( it was time to pick up my Vietnamese visa and run.

Somewhere along the line of its colonial history, some clever Frenchman had the bright idea of naming all its streets with numbers, being Soi 1 through to Soi 46, and as a result it means that most of the locals have no idea what street they are on and getting Tuk Tuk drivers to take you somewhere is almost impossible. Unless you know of any of your destinations distinguishing features you have little chance of reaching your wanted destination. On departure, much to my confusion, I found myself being sold by my original tuk tuk driver to one of his tuk tuk friends. I guess he was either too lazy or he realized 1 USD was never enough to get me to the North bus station. He split the dollar I gave him with my new driver, spoke a little in Lao to him and assured me I was going to be taken to the bus station safe and sound. So suprised was I when we stopped at the Pakse airport and he nodded as if we had arrived! It took a whole 15 minutes to shout at him to take me to the N-O-R-T-H B-U-S S-T-A-T-I-O-N and only after an english speaking Lao girl came to translate and a crowd gathered did I find I had just been conned. One whole dollar more and (filthy b#&*#$d!!) the tuk tuk set off again only to run out of petrol on the final stretch, meaning I suffered the indignity of having to help push...Man I hate tuk tuk drivers!

Savannakhet also has had the privilige of a bridge connecting it to the Thai border spurring its sudden growth. The old town is constructed with crumbling old French colonial style buildings and is complete with French style square and Church, El Mariachi style, meaning you half expect gumen on the roof and a final showdown between the good and the bad on its empty streets.
The newer commercial district to the North shows clear signs of new development since the new Thai-Lao bridge opened in January this year. The city enjoys one of the best sunsets I have seen so far in my trip, as it gently sets over far off (and invisible due to smoke from bush fires) mountains on the Thai side of the Mekong. Just over the river you can see the low rise buildings of the Thai border town which compared to the Lao side looks prosperous and successful, the land seems clean and the buildings look white as the windows glisten in the sun. Even so it appears much construction work is finally underway in Savannakhet to pave some of the older roads and restore some of the colonial buildings.
As far as accomodation goes, I am staying in a single room for a mere 2.5 USD a night at the Saisouk Guest House (I dub it as possibly the best one in Lao). With a staricase leading up from the outside to a breezy and spacious second floor where the rooms are found, complete with a comunal roofed patio where people can chill. The place is extreamly well kept and has an amazing sense of community between travelers. On the first day I was talking with a 30 year old Dutch guy (Finz) who has now been travelling for an impressive year and a half, after which he plans to keep travelling as long as he can. He sold his house, his car, his belongins and quit his job so the funds are there. He is truely living the dream! After inspiring me with amazing stories about Vietnam it made me giddy just to get there. Unfortunately though my visa for Vietnam only starts on the 13th of this month so I have to stay here in limbo for now.

The stay in Laos is coming to an end so I guess I should draw my conclusions from this place. Even though generally the food tends to be more expensive than Thailand, I certainly won't complain since the accomodation is only a fraction of the price and moreover so is the beer! *note* when I say food seems to be more expensive, I mean that its like 50p rather than 25, and when I say the rooms are cheaper, I mean you pay up between 3 and 5 dollars less (1.5 to 2.50 less)!!
I have to say I truely found myself at home here and I am kinda sorry my stay (and my visa) is coming to an end. I met so many cool people here, both locals and travellers, that it makes me sad to leave...The locals in Laos are friendly and almost always want to help, there is a distinct feeling the locals are not out to rip you off like those of Thailand or as I have heard those of Vietnam and Cambodia. I guess its all down to the fact the Lao attitude to everything is to take it easy and slow down!

At the moment, since I have this time out from travelling companions and I await my new visa to validate, I guess I am going to enjoy the rest of my stay with cold beers and local homegrown produce in relative comfort! ;)

Peace and Love
Tom (The so called Puppy)

---

---