Count Them: 3 Facts About Business That Will Help You Thing To Do In Laos

The Mekong is the life and soul of this town and it winds its way through the centre. It is quite far removed from the tourist hub of the north.

Pakse is really just a gate way to some of the most amazing sites in Laos. The worst part about flying in Laos is the fact that you will miss out on all the amazing things in between towns which you fly over. It's definitely the quickest way to get from one place to another in Laos (a very un-Lao way of getting around) but with few airlines operating in and out of Laos this means flying is expensive.

You can also reach many of the smaller centres internally by flight as well. For these airports most of a South East Asia's main hubs can be reached from these airports. There are three international airports in Laos Tourist Information - Vientiane, Luang Prabang and Pakse.

After finding one tuk-tuk driver that was willing to take me into town I took a deep breath, threw my back pack on the tray of the tuk-tuk and had one of those ‘well here goes nothing' moments. I quickly spied the tuk-tuk rank 100m away from the entrance I made my way over where I discovered it was more like an impromptu siesta stop. It then struck me, how would I get to where I was going without a tuk-tuk?

Upon stepping out of the airport I became very confused very quickly, what I had become accustomed to in Bangkok, the constant touting of anyone slightly tourist looking, was completely absent. A check and US$30 handed to customs later I had my first (of six) Laos visas stuck into my passport. It was at this stage I regretted not researching more about Laos.

As far as I could see it was large rolling hills covered in lush green rainforest and red soil. As the Laos Airways ATR-72 (2nd hand from Vietnam Air I was assured?!) descended through the sparse cloud covering into Luang Prabang I was left wondering as to the whereabouts of town. It's famous, somewhat incongruously, for its whisky made from rice.

On your way back to town, visit the village of Ban Xang Hai. Tourists can visit the sacred shrines, located about 25 kilometres upriver from Luang Prabang, but they're crowded with pilgrims during Lao New Year in April. The two caves are full of images and sculptures of the Buddha - more than 4000 Buddha icons have been slowly accumulating over hundreds of years.

The Pak Ou Caves, set into limestone cliffs about 50 metres above the water where the Ou and Mekong rivers meet, have long been a place of pilgrimage for devout Buddhists. The city is a good place to buy silk. Wat Si Muang, another popular site, is built on the ruins of a Khymer Hindu shrine.

The stupa stands 49 meters (147 feet) tall and is believed to contain relics of Buddha.