How to travel like a local in southern Laos
After several years working in Laos, NGO contractor and author D.C.J. Waddle reveals how to travel like a local in the south of the country
1. Where to eat the best fer in Laos
Fer is noodle soup, normally with meat, to which chili and green vegetables such as cabbage and long beans are added. The Han Fer Khaemm Khong noodle shop in Pakse is considered the best place to eat it in the south.
This busy but efficient restaurant is on the road that follows the bank of the Mekong. It is particularly famed for its beef fer, homemade meatballs and peanut paste. The slurping of soup, smacking of lips and adding in copious amounts of chilli is all part of the enjoyment of the shared meal.
Indeed, the fer served at the Han Fer Khaemm Khong is so good that many people will travel to Pakse just to eat there.
2. Get to the airport early
Several people I’ve met over the years have said they’d cut it a bit fine in arriving at Pakse airport, only to find that they missed their flight because it departed ahead of schedule.
Be warned that there is a winter and a summer flight schedule. Just because there was an 8.00am flight last Monday it doesn’t necessarily follow that there will be one this Monday. After many years in Laos I still check the flight every time I travel, and the time is invariably different from the previous flight I took a few weeks earlier.
3. Treat the road as your shopping mall
There is a good reason why travelling by road in southern Laos takes so long. Certain villages are famous for a specific food and it is an essential part of every journey to pull over at each of them, haggle, and then stock up on the spoils to take back as presents for the family – or eat them in the car.
Na Pong in Saravan is famous for barbecued chicken. You can choose your barbecue, and then eat in the roadside restaurant or takeaway. It is considered inconsiderate to travel through Na Pong without buying up a few barbecued birds to take back to the family.
The road from Pakse to Sekong, particularly between kilometres 14 and 25, is known for its fruit: pineapples, durian, and bananas. There are avocados further up the road near Paksong, and watermelons are sold around kilometre 7, all depending on the season. Negotiations are particularly important with durian fruit as their sharp spiky exteriors need to be tapped hard with the flat of a large knife by a wise fruit seller, so that the sound produced can indicate the fruit’s quality.
