11 August 2013

I got up and wandered, wandered downtown, nowhere to go but just to hang around

     Pakse is a compact city, making walking my preferred method of getting around. In the mornings, I like to walk through the big market. This is a market similar to the Seattle Pike Place Market, or your local farmer’s market. It is not a Safeway market, or a western shopping center. At this market there is a section with vendors selling vegetables. There are some vegies imported from Vietnam, but, for the most part, the availability is what is in season in Lao. This brings an amazing freshness, as the produce does not travel far from farm to market.



     There is another section of the market with vendors selling fruit. Again, mostly what is available, in season, in Lao. There is a huge variety of colorful, and flavorful fruit in Lao. I’ve sampled a great deal of what is available, and like them all. Well, all except durian. I found it interesting that some of the oranges have a green skin. The flesh inside is orange, however, and quite flavorful. There are no lemons, but some of the limes have a yellow rind, with a lime flavor.



     There is a section selling meat, similar to your local butcher. There are no prepackaged meats here. If you want pork, you go to the pork vendor and they will cut what you want, the same with beef, or chicken. All parts of the animal are sold and eaten, and I mean ALL parts, head, feet, tail, tongue, liver, and intestines included!



     The seafood section has many varieties of freshwater fish. Fish is the main protein source for the Lao people, and an amazing variety is available. There are frozen Vietnamese prawns and squid available as well.



     There are a large number of vendors selling prepared food in the market. Drinks, soups, rice dishes, meat dishes, and deserts. The prices are much less than the restaurants, but a bit more than the street vendors. Table and benches are set up to eat and drink.



     The largest part of the market has vendors selling a little bit of everything. There are vendors selling clothing, fabric, hardware items, cosmetic supplies, jewelry, electronics, kitchen supplies, etc. All the vendors will bargain, there are no set prices. I think this is what the vendors like, the interaction with the buyers. Buying a watermelon or a shirt, is not as simple as paying the listed price because there is no listed price. The buyer and seller take time to reach an agreeable price, and this can be quite fun!



     My morning walk takes me through this marketplace, and continues along the Mekong river, back to my apartment. Most afternoons I take a walk in the other direction, into the center of town. Here I buy street food, all delicious and inexpensive. The Lao businesses are all quite similar. A family will live and work in the same building, with a shop at street level, and living quarters upstairs.



     Walking is not something the Lao people do. They will use their moto to visit a friend two doors down. They will use their moto to go across the street. Thus, sidewalks are not used for walking. Sidewalks are used for parking their vehicles and selling stuff. When I walk, I have to walk on the street. Not what I prefer, but, when in Lao . . .



02 August 2013

don't tell me this town ain't got no heart, you just gotta poke around

     Pakse, Lao, the largest city in the southern part of the country, is not a popular place to stay for foreign tourists or travelers. For them, it is more a transit town, to get on to the next place. Busloads of foreigners arrive on the overnight bus from Vientiane, the Lao capital up north. They either stay a night in Pakse before moving on, or immediately hop on another bus out of town. Ahhh, yes, the tourist circuit. It still amazes me how many foreigners carry around a travel guide and go only where the guidebook tells them to go. If they would put down their travel guide for a day and explore on their own, they would find so much more. In this case, Pakse, which actually has a lot going for it!

VIEW OF MEKONG RIVER AND PAKSE FROM 'BUDDHA ON THE HILL'
   
     I moved from the small village I was living, and am now living in a studio apartment in the middle of Pakse. I like this central location, as I can walk a few minutes to the big market. In another direction I can walk a few minutes to the Mekong River. And, in another direction I can walk a few minutes to the center of town. I still have my motorcycle for trips out of town, but, otherwise, it is parked inside my apartment. Pakse is in a good, central location. An hours drive to the west is the Thailand border, so my monthly visa runs are quite simple. An hours drive to the east is the Bolavan plateau, where coffee, tea, and avocados are grown. A few hours south of Pakse are the 4000 islands, a group of islands that are in the Mekong river, as the river here spreads out to about 10 km in width. These places are why the foreigners travel through Pakse, rather than stay in Pakse. The travel guides say there is nothing to do or see in Pakse, and the foreigners don’t bother to find out that Pakse is a lovely city, with loads of stuff to experience!

VIEW OF PAKSE -  'JAPANESE' BRIDGE ACROSS MEKONG RIVER
   
     Pakse is made up of many small villages. In the middle of each village is a wat, a Buddhist temple. So far, I have found twelve wats in Pakse, thus twelve villages. I think there are more wats in the city, some are not seen easily from the street, and I will continue looking for more, on my daily walks. Pakse has about 120,000 inhabitants, and it is located at the confluence of two rivers, the mighty Mekong river, and the smaller Don river. The plateau is visible from Pakse, and with more hills to the southwest, this city is in a beautiful location.

VEGETABLES ALONG MEKONG'S RIVERBANK - PLANTED IN THE DRY SEASON
   
     When I‘m not looking for wats, I enjoy sampling the street food. Many vendors all over town,  make delicious, flavorful food. This is the least expensive food in town, and it has all been tasty! There are local craft shops full of items made in Lao, and the large market has more good examples of what is made in this country. Lao massage is available for reasonable prices, and there is even a sauna in town. Pakse has a golf course, a bowling alley, a movie theatre, and a swimming pool. There are lots of restaurants, coffee and tea shops, and drinking establishments, some with live music. There is plenty to see and do in Pakse!


EXAMPLE OF A STREET FOOD VENDOR
   
     What I like best about living in Pakse, is that I have community here. Westerners from all over the world are living, volunteering, and working here. We get together weekly to share stories and experiences, and to help each other understand all things Lao. This is what I lacked living in a small village, being with like-minded people. I am blessed to have these friends living in Pakse!

THE DON RIVER JOINING THE MEKONG RIVER IN THE DRY SEASON - PAKSE