Arriving in Pak Se
Joi, one of the teachers at Ban Kumuong school in Ubon, Thailand, accompanied me on my weekend trip to Pak Se, Laos. As an Ubon native, she spoke Lao, so she had no problem communicating with the locals. The hard part was communicating with each other — I speak only a few words of Thai, and her English is basic.
We pulled into the bus station in Pak Se, and as soon as we got off the bus, several people hurried up to us to take us to a hotel — not necessarily one we would want to stay at, but one which would pay them a commission. Surprisingly, Joi was ready to go with them, and although since she is more of a native than I, I would usually defer to her, this time I didn’t. Instead we got a songtau (small jeep-like vehicle with a bench on either side) with a French couple and headed into town. Aidan had suggested that we look at the rooms before agreeing to check in, and he was right on. The Lonely Planet guide suggested the Pakse Hotel, so we started there. I looked at the rooms, and wow, what a neat place. $23 for a very nice room, including buffet breakfast. Humble but beautiful decor too.
The Falls
We hired a driver to take us around town — at least that what I thought we hired him for, until we arrived at the waterfall park. No worries, it’s all an adventure. The falls was quite nice, although not up to my expectations, having heard that it was the largest in Southeast Asia (or so I thought I heard). After a short visit we returned to the town.
A Chinese Restaurant
We stopped off at a Chinese restaurant on the way back for a late lunch. To my amazement, they did not have noodles! We ordered a chicken dish, but I didn’t much care for it; it was as if they just hacked up the chicken, because it was served in pieces that seemed to contain more bone than meat. The other dish was quite good though — a mix of delicious fresh vegetables.
The Lao currency, the kip, sells for about 9,000 per U.S. dollar. Above is a photo of the menu showing the astronomical prices. There’s Chinese on the left and Lao on the right — Lao script is related to Thai script, but different. Lao temple architecture also is related but different.
Lao Massage
Then a one hour massage, and then back to the hotel. I suggested karaoke, and Joi agreed. Again the transportation negotiations — we wound up paying about $10 for a songtau driver to take us to four places until we finally found a suitable place, and to wait for us and drive us home.
Karaoke
I sang an American song and Joi sang a Lao and a Thai song. It was early and we were the only customers in the place, but soon the place started filling up with eighteen and nineteen year olds. They had some really good singers there.
I had been looking forward to trying Beer Lao. Someone had told me that it is the best Southeast Asian beer. I thought it was pretty good but not great.
Up on the Roof
We were pretty clear about not wanting to spend the whole evening there, so we left in time to catch dinner on the rooftop restaurant of the hotel. Our waiter was extremely polite and friendly, and even seemed excited to hear that I was American. Given our history, I thought that was very generous of him. I have heard on two different occasions that Laos is the most bombed country in the world, mostly by the U.S. Here is a photo of part of a story about it in the Vientiane Times.
Returning to Thailand
Going back to Thailand, there were many tour buses parked at the border crossing. Many have wildly colorful and creative images painted on them. Here is a sample.
Weekend’s End
It was an interesting weekend, but Pak Se was a sleepy town. I look forward to visiting more of Laos someday. Luang Prabang especially interests me. It is said to be a beautiful city with a mix of French colonial and Lao influences.
