Where am I again?
Region: Southern Laos> Province: Savannakhet>Location: Savannakhet
Savannakhet sights and attractions
Savannakhet Wats - Worth a stroll through
Description
Savannakhet has a sprinkling of wats scattered across town, and though none are famous nor fascinating, they do make for a pleasant pre-breakfast stroll and there are always a few monks who are happy to have a yarn about Buddhist meditation or Liverpool's last game. At Wat Chaiyaphum, note the chedi near Khamthabouli Rd with the intersecting iconography, while at Wat Sayamungkhun, check out the nagas with tommy-marbles for eyes subsisting on a breakfast of sticky rice.
Dinosaur museum - Great value
Description
For a mere 5,000k, you too can hold a 200 million year old chunk of fossilised wood, stone, or dinosaur bone. This very undervisited, hands-on museum is a fascinating insight into the very underexplored prehistory of Savannakhet. Although all the labels are only in Lao and French, one of the curators will be happy to show you around and explain everything to you in English. To the right of the admission desk, note the interesting satellite photograph of the Australian-Lao gold mine, which has its own airport to allow the treasures extracted here to be flown directly to Perth. The museum also houses a few other maps showing where bones and relics have been dug up. The last dig was in 1999-2000, led by a French team. But as the curator lamented the French have gone, and left many holes but no money. Much is still to be unearthed in the province. Certainly worth a look.
Protected Areas (National Parks) - Quite well organised trips
Description
There are three Protected Areas (also called National Biodiversity Conservation Areas, or NBCA's) that can be visited from Savannakhet. To sign up for a tour, show up at the Tourism Room on a side-street to the south of the 'main square between 08:00 and 4:30 daily. The smaller the group, the more expensive the tour, so the trick is to sign up for a tour that already has people listed on the sign-in sheet, or you can start one of your own and hope that others follow your lead. It's best to do the latter at least two-days in advance of your desired departure date. You can also specify a minimum number of people needed to make a group. The per-person prices below are include food, transport, admission fees, and accommodation for overnight stays.
2-3 people: One day $25, Two day $45, Three day $150, Five day $300
4-7 people: One day $15, Two day $35, Three day $110, Five day $175
8-10 people: One day $12, Two day $30, Three day $65, Five day $120
Dong Natad National Provincial Protected Area
The easiest of the NBCA's to visit, Dong Natad is just a short, 15 km tuk-tuk ride from the centre of town. You can visit it on your own -- it's about 11km past the Mekong Bridge to the north, across from the salt mines. But the 'entrance' is via one of several unmarked trails almost completely swallowed up by the forest. Even assuming you found your way through the maze of trails to Nong Lom Lake, the overwhelming consensus is you'd be missing out on the best parts of the experience.
The guided tours provided by the Savan Eco-Guide Unit of the Savannakhet Provincial Tourism office will hook you up with a native guide and a translator for as little as US$12 - 15 a day if you can put together a group of four or more, which is pretty easy to do.
There's a reason why it's an NBCA, and these tours are a rich resource of information on how the forest has functioned as a natural factory for medicine, food and fuel for the forest-dwelling Lao over the centuries.
Day-trips start with visit to the nearby salt mine -- independent contractors work in mostly family units, filling rectangular pools with salty water pumped up in the mine, dry it, collect it, and then refine it again in giant pans over fires fuelled by charcoal or rice husks. The salt is then refined one last time by machine, bagged, and sold by the contractors to the factory. The whole thing was way more interesting than we expected it to be, and makes for some good pictures of workers up to their ankles in "Laotian Snow."
From the mine, it's an easy hike through the NBCA, through beautiful forest -- the guide imparts a wealth of local knowledge about the uses of the plants and you'll even get to sample some -- fruits so gluey they make your lips stick together, red sap so astringent it sucks all the water from your mouth, bitter bark that cures indigestion and freshens your breath, sap that is used for fuel to make torches, and leaves that produce soap when crushed, good for washing up before lunch! It'll give you a whole new level of respect for the bounty of the forest.
Nong Lom lake is nothing special -- just a marshy pond, really, but it has a lot of history behind it and your local guide will tell you the myths associated with it. The trip ends with a trek to the Pha Ing Stupa.
Two-day treks offer yet more in terms of local culture, home stays, old ruins, and healthy stretches of hiking. Longer treks into the NBCA's further away are a bit pricey, so if you're watching your kip, Dong Natad is your best option. Also, these are the only treks in the area that operate year round. Recommended.
Red Cross Herbal Massage and Sauna - You earned it
Description
This no-frills, back-to-basics sauna uses four different types of leaves, including eucalyptus, to create a lung-clearing scented steam that is pumped into the tiny cement and wooden saunas. After the steam, sip a locally available herbal tea (karn nuu kham). The massage is Thai-style and quite intense. A rejuvenating treat. Sarongs and lockers are included but bring your own towel. 10,000k for sauna, 25,000k for an hour-long massage.