The Best of Cambodia & Laos

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CENTRAL LAOS
14
THA KHEK
or Lao noodle soup. We would also recommend the Mu Grob (crispy pork) washed down
with iced lemon tea.
107/16 Thanon Si Meuang. & 041/213-112. Main courses 12,000 kip. Daily 7am–9:30pm.
ATTRACTIONS
The main joy of Savannakhet is simply walking the streets and enjoying the atmosphere.
The French left their legacy here in the city’s now-decaying colonial structures. The
central square of the old town, remains at the heart of the grid that made up the original
town. Despite its appearance most of it is fairly modern, dating from the 1930s and
1940s. The pretty Church of St. Theresa, dating from 1930, is at the head of the square
and is well maintained with a pale ocher facade and exterior. It is still very much a functioning
church. The whole square would be impossibly pretty in a very Provençal way if
it weren’t actually falling down.
Wat Sainyaphum is the largest and oldest of all the wats in the area. It was first constructed
in 1542, although most it is far more modern. Farther outside town is Tad Ing
Hang Stupa (about 13km/8 miles heading northeast on Rte. 9; admission 5,000 kip). It
dates from the 16th century and is second only in significance to Wat Phou among
religious monuments south of Vientiane. There is a major festival here in February.
Women will need to dress modestly and are also forbidden from entering the inner sanctum.
At the northern end of town is Savanxay Market. This reflects Savannakhet’s status
as a trade and transport hub for three nations. If you are sick of staring at the river, head
east up Rte. 1 to Bungva Lake. It’s a good place to relax by a different stretch of water.
A sign of Savannakhet’s changing status is the area growing up around the bridge from
Thailand including the brash and luxurious Savan Vegas Hotel and Casino (www.
tycoonresort.com/main.shtml). This bizarre luxury complex will leave you feeling suitably
starry-eyed if you have just come in from a remote area. It is glitzy, trashy, and utterly
inappropriate. I love it. It is hard to guess what they will come up with next in this very
un-Lao piece of Laos.
2 THA KHEK
The capital of Khammouane Province, the delightful riverside town of Tha Khek is
undergoing something of a renaissance. Even only a short time ago, despite its obvious
and compact charms, it definitely exuded an air of lost potential. It is a small French
colonial town built around a central square right on the Mekong. Like so many of the
major trading towns along the Mekong, the population is more Vietnamese than Lao,
the French peopling their colonial administration with those considered more industrious
from beyond the Annamite Mountains. Until recently Tha Khek was either muddy
or dusty, the riverfront road nothing more than a rutted track. It has since undergone a
face-lift with roads being paved, buildings being restored, and street lighting installed.
The central square has been embellished with brand-new ornamental lampposts that
local kids use as improvised basketball hoops. With the Mekong to its front and the maze
of limestone karst mountains to its back, Tha Khek is in a dramatic setting. It is also a
busy border crossing to Thailand, with small river ferries crossing the river constantly
during daylight hours.