Pakbeng
Pak Beng (Lao: ປາກແບ່ງ) is a small village in Laos, on the Mekong River about halfway between the Thai border at Huay Xai and Luang Prabang, Laos. Pakbeng is connected by a sealed road with Oudomxai along the Nam Beng River.
Geography
Pakbeng had its main road paved in 2005 and also just completed a hydroelectric station downriver thanks to a World Bank loan. Before then, the town was dependent on electrical generators for electricity.
There is a small wat to be found in the hills not far from the village. It is a quaint example of a Buddhist temple from the former Lanna Kingdom. Many of the old temples had been destroyed during wars with the Thai Kingdom 300 years before.
History
During the Laotian Civil War, Pakbeng was the southern terminus of the freshly constructed Route 46 from Yunnan Province, Peoples Republic of China.[1]
Tourism
The town is the major stop for boats running between Luang Prabang and Huay Xai. The slow boats which run between Huay Xai and Luang Prabang over a period of two days spend the night moored in Pakbeng. There are several small guesthouses that generally have attached restaurants, a sauna, and many local hilltribes living close by. Groceries can be purchased for when you want to continue down the Mekong. Some foreign tourists passing through the village partake in the (illegal) trade in both marijuana and opium that has been a part of the culture for thousands of years.
Notes
- ↑ Conboy, Morrison, p. 319.
References
- Conboy, Kenneth and James Morrison (1995). Shadow War: The CIA's Secret War in Laos. Paladin Press. ISBN 978-1-58160-535-8.
External links
Pakbeng travel guide from Wikivoyage
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Pak Beng. |
Coordinates: 19°51′0″N 101°33′0″E / 19.85000°N 101.55000°E