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<blockquote data-quote="Larsay" data-source="post: 521" data-attributes="member: 828"><p>Continuation :</p><p></p><p style="text-align: center"><strong><u>XIEN KHOUANG (PHONGSAVAN) AND THE PLAIN OF JARS</u></strong></p><p></p><p>Long road with a lot of turns (10 hours by bus) ; the town is small and without any interest in a large plain. Pieces of bombs, mortar shells, grenades, heavy machine gun shells, etc. decorate everything, a frightening souvenir of all the bombardments (and not only American; the Chinese and North Vietnamese had a lot of fun there also !!!!).</p><p></p><p>I slept at the <u>Nice Guesthouse,</u> perfect for 15$ (ground floor rooms) and $18 (upper floors). They rent scooters. The town is a gastronomic desert; some OK restaurants on the main avenue where the GH is.</p><p></p><p>The 3 Jar sites are astonishing. In fact, there are 20 sites but only 3 can be visited (you do not want to go to the others because of unexploded ammunitions). Like Easter Island, it is one of History greatest mysteries: When ? By Whom ? How (there are no quarries around) ? Why ? Experts think that they were temporary burial jars, after which the bodies were incinerated. <strong>Site 1</strong> (5 km from Phongsavan) is the largest (250 jars), with an astonishing 6-ton one. <strong>Site 2 </strong>(30 km – 90 jars), more « intimate » on 2 small Hills. <strong>Site 3 </strong>(150 jars) is reached after a pleasant 2-km walk and the panorama from the top of the hill is superb.</p><p></p><p>I did the whole tour in 2 days because I also went to the ancient capital of <strong>Muong Khoun, </strong>with its beautiful XVIth century stupa and the ruins of an old temple with a big statue of Buddha, but the 3 sites only can easily be visited in one day, solo or in an organized excursion.</p><p></p><p> <strong><u>THE SOUTH OF LAOS </u></strong></p><p></p><p style="text-align: center"><strong> <em>VIENTIANE, THE BOLAVENS AND THE 4000 ISANDS</em></strong></p> <p style="text-align: center">Let’s say that I was a bit disappointed apart for the 4000 Islands.</p><p></p><p><strong><u>VIENTIANE</u></strong></p><p> <strong><u></u></strong></p><p>Sympathico, but not more ! There is what locals call « The Center », with 3 large east-west streets, Fa Ngum close to the Mekong, Setthatirat and Samsenthai, and a lot of north-south small streets and lanes, all without any name sign. Nothing outstanding to visit : wat wat wat wat wat ! Easy to see all by bicycle (excellent ones – regular and Mountain – at <u>Lao Bike</u> on Setthathirath just in front of Wat Ong Teu ; several scooter rentals places around).</p><p></p><p>As for hotels, large choice from 1 to 5 Stars. I found a real pearl, the 2-star <u>Villa Sisavad</u>, 117/12 Ban Sisavad ; a miracle of nice rooms and above all a large swimming pool for 15-20$. 500 m on the left, market with some street restaurants. In the Center, the <u>Mali Namphu</u>, well liked by backpackers because of its large patio, and the small <u>Heuan Lao GH</u> with its herd of cats and dogs of the artist-owner Mr. Somboune, are my favorites. In 3 Stars, definitely MY FAVOURITE, <u>Villa Manoly</u>, with its large garden and pool (the <u>Sala Impeng</u>, with small nice bungalows in a large garden, is nice, but no pool). In 4 Stars, the <u>Ansara</u> and the <u>Green Park</u>, an excellent large resort but away from “The Center”.</p><p></p><p>Restaurants abound. I had a feast twice at the famous <u>Chokdee</u>, opened by a jovial Belgian ; I recommend the mussels with mustard sauce ; attention : he has a superb collection of Belgian beers, but the prices … 8$ for a small draught. A great find, the <u>Xang Khoo</u> at the corner of Nam Phu Fountain ; superb Lao and French food, fabulous crepes (it was before only a crepe place) and low prices ; a darling ! For lunch, go to the famous French bakery <u>Banneton</u> ; divine cakes, excellent salads ; with one or two glasses of cold white Chardonnay, I have great daily lunches on the terrace.</p><p></p><p>Vientiane is in a plain, so not much interesting to see around, except for the crazy <strong>Wat Xien Khuan (Buddha Park), </strong>24 km south (road to Thadeua) Picture a large piece of land on which a rich Lao, Mr. Luang Pu, who dreamed of merging Buddhism and Hinduism, has erected over 200 statues of reinforced concrete, some of them quite amazing (specially a gigantic lying Buddha). Definitely worth the trip if you have time.</p><p></p><p></p><p style="text-align: center"><strong><u>PAKSE AND THE BOLAVENS PLATEAU</u></strong></p> <p style="text-align: center"><strong><u></u></strong></p> <p style="text-align: center"><strong><u>PAKSE</u></strong></p><p></p><p>A sleeping town full of backpackers transiting between Laos and Cambodia. Lots of GH, one of the best being <u>Sabaidy 2</u>, Street 20, a large place with everything from dirt cheap dormitories to inviidual rooms with bath ; reservation in advance highly recommended. My favourite is the more expensive <u>Sala Champa</u>, with a large terrace and an excellent restaurant. More money and you have the elegant <u>Résidence Sisouk</u> (the owners are the largest producers of coffee in Laos, an absolute marvel that you can degust at their coffe-pastry shop) ; same rates at the <u>Pakse Hotel</u>, famous for its roof terrace with bar and restaurant.</p><p></p><p>Lots of restaurants, from the <u>Dao Lin</u> and <u>Sabaidee</u> at the corner of Streets 20 and 13 to the very good small inexpensive <u>Lao Restaurant & Bar</u> on St 20. You can also have great grilled fish in the numerous restaurants alongside the Mekong. I think the best is the one of the Sala Champa.</p><p></p><p>Pakse is the fiefdom of famous Yves, a Belgian married to a Lao, Noy from <strong>Mrs Noy’s Travel ;</strong> he is incredible, giving very precise information on the Bolaven and 4000 Islands (and maps !), reserving everything you need – bicycles, scooters, tickets, et.) ; every day at 18h, big conference outside the agency, attended by a small crowd of backpackers, during which Yves explains all the Do and Don’t do.</p><p> </p><p></p><p style="text-align: center"><strong><u>THE BOLAVEN PLATEAU</u></strong></p><p></p><p> Not my cup of tea ! Rather flat (it’s a plateau !) and mostly boring roads. 2 circuits : the small Pakse-Tad Lo-Thateng-Pakson-Pakse, or the long Pakse-Tad Lo-Sekong, then south to arrive on the boring road Paksong-Pakse.</p><p></p><p>The first day, I started North, the small<strong> Phu Xam Waterfalls </strong>are an interesting stop (minority village) ; then a boring road leads to <strong>Tad Lo,</strong> with a lot of GH ; I selected the blue house on the river jus tat the corner of the bridge, the <u>Sipaseth GH</u>, small cheap bungalows in the garden 4 rooms with balcony upstairs (forget the rooms downstairs, opening on the restaurant( and restaurant river terrace and good food. Stay away from the <u>Saisee GH</u>, formerly good but now a true dump with an appalling welcome. The elegant <u>Tad Lo Lodge</u> and its bungalows are great but expensive ; however, they have built some inexpensive wooden cabins across the falls.</p><p></p><p>Second day going south and passing in front of a stunning place, the <strong>Sinouk Resort ; </strong>you are in a <em>Gone with the Wind</em> plantation in the middle of the huge Sinouk Family’s coffee plantation ; immense garden with 3 large houses : one on the river and pond (2 suites, 3 deluxe rooms and a cheaper one (40$), one on the left (4 superior rooms) and one big one on top of a mound with 6 deluxe rooms (60$) + 2 huge suites at 90$. Beautiful restaurant with 3 terraces (garden and pond) ; of course, you could spend the day drinking their coffees, from expresso Chantilly to cappuccino with green tea or wild honey. Pool. One of those dream places !!!</p><p></p><p>Return to Paksé through horrible Paksong and the beautiful<strong> Tad Fane Waterfalls </strong>in the middle of the jungle (one-hour trekking to reach the falls and swim) ; facing the falls, nice <u>Tad Fane Resort</u> (small wooden houses and restaurant with terrace over the falls).</p><p></p><p>I missed the <strong>Katamkok Waterfalls, </strong>supposed to be the best, but part of the too long for me « Grand Tour ».</p><p></p><p><strong><u>CHAMPASAK A ND THE 4000 ISLANDS</u></strong></p><p></p><p style="text-align: center"><strong>CHAMPASSAK</strong></p><p></p><p> Even more sleepy than Pakse ! To avoid the ferry, cross ne new Pakse bridge over the Mekong and, around 10 km south, turn left at the sign « Phaphinoy » (itis the name of the 1st village of the commune of Champassak). For ultra-deluxe, when arriving in Phaphinoy, turn left at the sign « <u>River Resort</u> » ; American money splendidly splurged (they even have their own rice field and vegetable gardens) ; of course, rates are au par with the luxury ! Further south on your left, the delightful <u>Anouxa GH</u> : small river bungalows, garden rooms and huge rooms in 2 wooden houses ; good restaurant with large terrace over the Mekong. Farther away, the 3-star expensive <u>Inthira Hotel</u>, without interest because on the road. You also have the <u>Folie Lodge</u> in Don Daeng Island, but, as the name says, it’s crazy : 250$ and over !!!).</p><p></p><p>Some nice wats and the <strong>Wat Phou,</strong> the largest archeological site in Laos 10 km south of Champassak in a plain and on the mountain (steep stairs !) ; attention, it can be steaming hot in Summer and it closes at 16h30. Well, that’s no Angkor, but it is worth a detour ; count 2 hours for the full visit ; 50 000 kips (+ 5000 for motorbike parking).</p><p></p><p></p><p style="text-align: center"></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Larsay, post: 521, member: 828"] Continuation : [CENTER][B][U]XIEN KHOUANG (PHONGSAVAN) AND THE PLAIN OF JARS[/U][/B][/CENTER] Long road with a lot of turns (10 hours by bus) ; the town is small and without any interest in a large plain. Pieces of bombs, mortar shells, grenades, heavy machine gun shells, etc. decorate everything, a frightening souvenir of all the bombardments (and not only American; the Chinese and North Vietnamese had a lot of fun there also !!!!). I slept at the [U]Nice Guesthouse,[/U][B] [/B]perfect for 15$ (ground floor rooms) and $18 (upper floors). They rent scooters. The town is a gastronomic desert; some OK restaurants on the main avenue where the GH is. The 3 Jar sites are astonishing. In fact, there are 20 sites but only 3 can be visited (you do not want to go to the others because of unexploded ammunitions). Like Easter Island, it is one of History greatest mysteries: When ? By Whom ? How (there are no quarries around) ? Why ? Experts think that they were temporary burial jars, after which the bodies were incinerated. [B]Site 1[/B] (5 km from Phongsavan) is the largest (250 jars), with an astonishing 6-ton one. [B]Site 2 [/B](30 km – 90 jars), more « intimate » on 2 small Hills. [B]Site 3 [/B](150 jars) is reached after a pleasant 2-km walk and the panorama from the top of the hill is superb. I did the whole tour in 2 days because I also went to the ancient capital of [B]Muong Khoun, [/B]with its beautiful XVIth century stupa and the ruins of an old temple with a big statue of Buddha, but the 3 sites only can easily be visited in one day, solo or in an organized excursion. [B][U]THE SOUTH OF LAOS [/U][/B] [CENTER][B] [I]VIENTIANE, THE BOLAVENS AND THE 4000 ISANDS[/I][/B] Let’s say that I was a bit disappointed apart for the 4000 Islands.[/CENTER] [B][U]VIENTIANE [/U][/B] Sympathico, but not more ! There is what locals call « The Center », with 3 large east-west streets, Fa Ngum close to the Mekong, Setthatirat and Samsenthai, and a lot of north-south small streets and lanes, all without any name sign. Nothing outstanding to visit : wat wat wat wat wat ! Easy to see all by bicycle (excellent ones – regular and Mountain – at [U]Lao Bike[/U] on Setthathirath just in front of Wat Ong Teu ; several scooter rentals places around). As for hotels, large choice from 1 to 5 Stars. I found a real pearl, the 2-star [U]Villa Sisavad[/U],[B][I] [/I][/B]117/12 Ban Sisavad ; a miracle of nice rooms and above all a large swimming pool for 15-20$. 500 m on the left, market with some street restaurants. In the Center, the [U]Mali Namphu[/U], well liked by backpackers because of its large patio, and the small [U]Heuan Lao GH[/U] with its herd of cats and dogs of the artist-owner Mr. Somboune, are my favorites. In 3 Stars, definitely MY FAVOURITE, [U]Villa Manoly[/U], with its large garden and pool (the [U]Sala Impeng[/U], with small nice bungalows in a large garden, is nice, but no pool). In 4 Stars, the [U]Ansara[/U] and the [U]Green Park[/U], an excellent large resort but away from “The Center”. Restaurants abound. I had a feast twice at the famous [U]Chokdee[/U], opened by a jovial Belgian ; I recommend the mussels with mustard sauce ; attention : he has a superb collection of Belgian beers, but the prices … 8$ for a small draught. A great find, the [U]Xang Khoo[/U] at the corner of Nam Phu Fountain ; superb Lao and French food, fabulous crepes (it was before only a crepe place) and low prices ; a darling ! For lunch, go to the famous French bakery [U]Banneton[/U] ; divine cakes, excellent salads ; with one or two glasses of cold white Chardonnay, I have great daily lunches on the terrace. Vientiane is in a plain, so not much interesting to see around, except for the crazy [B]Wat Xien Khuan (Buddha Park), [/B]24 km south (road to Thadeua) Picture a large piece of land on which a rich Lao, Mr. Luang Pu, who dreamed of merging Buddhism and Hinduism, has erected over 200 statues of reinforced concrete, some of them quite amazing (specially a gigantic lying Buddha). Definitely worth the trip if you have time. [CENTER][B][U]PAKSE AND THE BOLAVENS PLATEAU PAKSE[/U][/B][/CENTER] A sleeping town full of backpackers transiting between Laos and Cambodia. Lots of GH, one of the best being [U]Sabaidy 2[/U], Street 20, a large place with everything from dirt cheap dormitories to inviidual rooms with bath ; reservation in advance highly recommended. My favourite is the more expensive [U]Sala Champa[/U], with a large terrace and an excellent restaurant. More money and you have the elegant [U]Résidence Sisouk[/U] (the owners are the largest producers of coffee in Laos, an absolute marvel that you can degust at their coffe-pastry shop) ; same rates at the [U]Pakse Hotel[/U], famous for its roof terrace with bar and restaurant. Lots of restaurants, from the [U]Dao Lin[/U] and [U]Sabaidee[/U] at the corner of Streets 20 and 13 to the very good small inexpensive [U]Lao Restaurant & Bar[/U] on St 20. You can also have great grilled fish in the numerous restaurants alongside the Mekong. I think the best is the one of the Sala Champa. Pakse is the fiefdom of famous Yves, a Belgian married to a Lao, Noy from [B]Mrs Noy’s Travel ;[/B] he is incredible, giving very precise information on the Bolaven and 4000 Islands (and maps !), reserving everything you need – bicycles, scooters, tickets, et.) ; every day at 18h, big conference outside the agency, attended by a small crowd of backpackers, during which Yves explains all the Do and Don’t do. [B][U] [/U][/B] [CENTER][B][U]THE BOLAVEN PLATEAU[/U][/B][/CENTER] [B] [/B]Not my cup of tea ! Rather flat (it’s a plateau !) and mostly boring roads. 2 circuits : the small Pakse-Tad Lo-Thateng-Pakson-Pakse, or the long Pakse-Tad Lo-Sekong, then south to arrive on the boring road Paksong-Pakse. The first day, I started North, the small[B] Phu Xam Waterfalls [/B]are an interesting stop (minority village) ; then a boring road leads to [B]Tad Lo,[/B] with a lot of GH ; I selected the blue house on the river jus tat the corner of the bridge, the [U]Sipaseth GH[/U], small cheap bungalows in the garden 4 rooms with balcony upstairs (forget the rooms downstairs, opening on the restaurant( and restaurant river terrace and good food. Stay away from the [U]Saisee GH[/U], formerly good but now a true dump with an appalling welcome. The elegant [U]Tad Lo Lodge[/U] and its bungalows are great but expensive ; however, they have built some inexpensive wooden cabins across the falls. Second day going south and passing in front of a stunning place, the [B]Sinouk Resort ; [/B]you are in a [I]Gone with the Wind[/I] plantation in the middle of the huge Sinouk Family’s coffee plantation ; immense garden with 3 large houses : one on the river and pond (2 suites, 3 deluxe rooms and a cheaper one (40$), one on the left (4 superior rooms) and one big one on top of a mound with 6 deluxe rooms (60$) + 2 huge suites at 90$. Beautiful restaurant with 3 terraces (garden and pond) ; of course, you could spend the day drinking their coffees, from expresso Chantilly to cappuccino with green tea or wild honey. Pool. One of those dream places !!! Return to Paksé through horrible Paksong and the beautiful[B] Tad Fane Waterfalls [/B]in the middle of the jungle (one-hour trekking to reach the falls and swim) ; facing the falls, nice [U]Tad Fane Resort[/U] (small wooden houses and restaurant with terrace over the falls). I missed the [B]Katamkok Waterfalls, [/B]supposed to be the best, but part of the too long for me « Grand Tour ». [B][U]CHAMPASAK A ND THE 4000 ISLANDS[/U][/B] [CENTER][B]CHAMPASSAK[/B][/CENTER] [B] [/B]Even more sleepy than Pakse ! To avoid the ferry, cross ne new Pakse bridge over the Mekong and, around 10 km south, turn left at the sign « Phaphinoy » (itis the name of the 1st village of the commune of Champassak). For ultra-deluxe, when arriving in Phaphinoy, turn left at the sign « [U]River Resort[/U] » ; American money splendidly splurged (they even have their own rice field and vegetable gardens) ; of course, rates are au par with the luxury ! Further south on your left, the delightful [U]Anouxa GH[/U] : small river bungalows, garden rooms and huge rooms in 2 wooden houses ; good restaurant with large terrace over the Mekong. Farther away, the 3-star expensive [U]Inthira Hotel[/U], without interest because on the road. You also have the [U]Folie Lodge[/U] in Don Daeng Island, but, as the name says, it’s crazy : 250$ and over !!!). Some nice wats and the [B]Wat Phou,[/B] the largest archeological site in Laos 10 km south of Champassak in a plain and on the mountain (steep stairs !) ; attention, it can be steaming hot in Summer and it closes at 16h30. Well, that’s no Angkor, but it is worth a detour ; count 2 hours for the full visit ; 50 000 kips (+ 5000 for motorbike parking). [CENTER][/CENTER] [/QUOTE]
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