Pakxan

Although most southbound travelers necessarily pass through Pakxan, the first major settlement on the narrow neck of Laos, on the banks of the Mekong, few actually stop in this small, unremarkable town. There is a ferry crossing here from Beung Kan, Thailand but at the time of writing it was open only to Thai and Lao citizens. Reportedly, there are plans afoot to upgrade Route 4 from Phonsavan to Pakxan, linking the lowland Lao Phuan communizes of the area to those in Xiang Khuoang and making it possible for northbound travelers from Savannakhet to head straight to the Plain of Jars without having to make a detour to Vientiane. When and if this happens it will make spending a nigh in Pkaxan a more tempting option than it is a present.

Lak Xao

30km on, the sprawling boom town of Lak Xao is a disappointing sight after the stunning journey east. It’s spared from being a complete blight on the landscape by the impressive limestone escarpment which stands sentinel on the outskirts of town. Carved out of the hills by the logging company, Phudoi, in the 1980s , Lak Xao facilities border tide with Vietnam, as well as providing a base for conservationist tending to the rare wildlife and pristine forest along the Lao – Vietnammese divide and employees of Nam Them II dam project.