LAOS: Crazy Journey in Pakse: Southern part of Laos
July 06, 2019
We left the center of Da Nang around 8 in the morning and arrived at Lao-Bao International Border Gate around 3:30 in the afternoon. I was a little relieved when we reached the border thinking that it was fast and that I'll arrive in Pakse early than I expected. After we all passed the immigration, some of the passengers headed to somewhere to eat something.
We arrived at Pakse bus terminal around 8 o'clock in the evening and we were shocked that no one was there and thinking how can we go to our hotel. There were 2 kind girls who offered a ride to us and dropped us off in front of our hotel.
We started our trip around Pakse by fuelling our stomachs with Laotian dishes. Passed by a local eatery beside the highway and ordered these dishes without knowing what is it going to be.
Laotian noddles/Fishball noodle soup (left) : Tried putting this shrimp paste to change the taste
VAT PHOU is a well-preserved landscape lies at the base of Phou Kao mountain more than 1,000 years old with the great views of Mekong River and Champasak Province. This ancient Khmer temple is a UNESCO World Heritage Site with convoluted structures built between the 5th and 15th centuries.
Then you'll be welcomed by thousands of Buddha statues
The Wat Phu Salao (Main Hall)
This huge Buddha statue serves as the landmark and turning point of this place or should I say in whole Pakse. You will be dumbfounded by the view where you can see the entire city.
The Buddha statue was in meditating position and facing the city as he is watching over and giving blessings to the people in this area.
CHASING WATERFALLS BEGIN!!!
MAAK NGAEW WATERFALL The very first waterfall that we visited. We thought these places would be touristy but we were wrong. Despite of the unpleasing color of the water, I was so amazed by this waterfall.
We were already on the second waterfall when we realized that we supposed to go to the other direction of Maak Ngaew Waterfall to see the main one but unfortunately, it's quite inconvenient to go back because the road was so muddy and difficult to drive with our scooter.
***Disclaimer: You might be thinking why the pictures I've taken were dull or the water is. First of all, I went there around August and it is often the critical time for the annual build-up of monsoon floods in Southeast Asia. So if you want to see an impressive view of the waterfalls, you should go there between March-May.
Ethnic Village/ Ethnic Tribal Handicraft Museum
Adjacent to the main attraction, we found a small village which also caters homestay and selling their handicrafts such as blankets, scarves, baskets, necklaces and may more. Most of them were handmade by the ethnic tribes living in the area.
Ethnic minority spotted weaving a scarf in traditional way
They also built a cute treehouse (wanna try to live here!)
Found these cute and sweet youngsters and even played with them. Unfortunately we were not able to communicate well.
Tad E-Tu Waterfall This was the most peaceful waterfall that I've been in this journey. Without any other tourists, we were able to spend a relaxing time here. It is possible to swim here during dry season. But as you can see, the water is strongly overflowing so it's dangerous for us to swim at this time.
Tad Gneuang Waterfall Using the steep stairs that you can see in the picture below, will lead you to the bottom of the waterfalls. Unfortunately, the pressure of the water was too strong so I was not able to check.
Tad Fane Bolaven Plateau in southern Laos is famous for its great scenery, ethnic villages, and traditional coffee farms. It also has some of Southeast Asia's most spectacular waterfalls, including Tad Fane.
You will enter this resort for you to see Tad Fane
This is my favourite waterfall so far. Its height that measures 1000-1300 meters gave me a mesmerizing view.
BONUS FACTS! On our way to Tad Yuang
Driving in this very muddy road was my best experience ever. Seeing the locals passing by this road seems so easy for them, but when we tried, after 300 meters, we gave up already. We decided to go back to the main road and refer to the second picture below.
Found ourselves washing our legs down to our toes in the irrigation that we saw down the road. One kind local even helped us washing our scooter. Isn't it fun?
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