The Best of Cambodia & Laos

More Choice Eats in Pakse
There are plenty of food stalls and floating restaurants lining the Mekong on
Rd. 11, just south of the main hotel and restaurant area on Rd. 13. It’s hard to
choose which is the best, although Kamphong Sihavong (& 031/213-240), a
floating restaurant specializing in seafood dishes, certainly draws a healthy
crowd of locals. Best thing is just to wander slowly down the road, pick a spot
where the view appeals to you, pull up a plastic chair, order an ice-cold beer
Lao, and wait for the sun to sink in a satisfying ball of orange and red.
gourmet experience. Being French run, there is also a selection of wines from a wellstocked
cellar. Come here to enjoy the sunset over the Mekong.
Rd. 5. & 031/212-131. Fax 031/212-719. www.paksehotel.com. Main courses 45,000 kip. Daily 5–11pm.
Phoypailin Minimart ASIAN/WESTERN This local favorite is right at the
center of town, at a crossroads next to the main Honda dealer. There is a shaded sitting
area in front of the shop. Good, basic Lao and Vietnamese fare is cooked up in a wok
just near the cash till. The family that run this place is very friendly. It’s also a good place
to stock up on supplies. Many use it as a meeting spot, because of its obvious and central
location. They open very early for breakfast, with strong coffee and fresh baguettes.
Main courses 6,000 kip–12,000 kip. Daily 6am–11pm.
Pizza Boy LAO/WESTERN Pizza Boy opened in 2006, serving delicious Italian
food. They specialize in fruit shakes (about 8,000 kip) and pizza, both of which they do
very well. The pizza is the best thing on the menu. They also serve pasta, as well as Lao
and Thai dishes.
Next to the Lankham Hotel on Rd. 13. Main courses 20,000 kip–45,000 kip. Daily 8am–11pm.
XuanMai ASIAN XuanMai is an intimate, traditional, and very unpretentious restaurant
serving solid helpings of Lao and Vietnamese food. The staff is very friendly and the
ambience is pleasantly Indochina-provincial. The fruit shakes and garlic bread are a treat.
Rd. 5 and Rd. 10. & 031/213-245. Main courses 13,000 kip–30,000 kip. Daily 7am–11pm.
SHOPPING
In the Champasak Plaza Shopping Center you will find many stalls selling souvenirs,
silk, clothes, electrical goods, and pretty much everything else Pakse has to offer. Nonetheless,
Pakse is not a great shopping town and if possible you are best served by hanging
on to your kip until you reach Vientiane or Luang Prabang, where the choice is much
wider. In the New Market (Talat Dao Hung, Rd. 38) in the new town near the Lao-
Japanese Bridge you will find a variety of foodstuffs and motorcycle parts. This is a major
commercial crossroads.
ATTRACTIONS
Pakse itself is not weighed down with things to see. The best sights are the river, the
sunset, and the superbly kitsch Champasak Palace Hotel. The Champasak Historical
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SOUTHERN LAOS 15
PAKSE