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. Pak Beng is connected by a sealed road with Oudomxai along the Nam Beng River.

Main street, Pak Beng

Geography

Pak Beng 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 an 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
See also: The Chinese Road

During the Laotian Civil War, Pak Beng was the southern terminus of the freshly constructed Route 46 from Yunnan Province, People's Republic of China.[1]:319

Tourism

The town is the overnight 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 Pak Beng.

An elephant sanctuary has been created in November 2017 welcoming 4 elephants: Mei-kham (48 years old female with more than 25 years as a working elephant in the forest), Kham-Khum (28 years old male with 20 years as a working elephant), Mae-Kham-Di (28 years old female, 15 years working in the forest) and Mae-Ping (21 years old female who has was never used as a working elephant). The sanctuary has been built to create an alternative of the ancestral work of the elephants and the Cornac who traditionally were working in the forest and protect the elephants from hard labor tasks.[2]

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References
  1. Conboy, Kenneth; Morrison, James (1995). Shadow War: The CIA's Secret War in Laos. Paladin Press. ISBN 978-1-58160-535-8.
  2. "Destination Pakbeng – A Mekong Oasis". Champa Meuanglao. Retrieved 2018-11-13.
  • Pakbeng travel guide from Wikivoyage


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